Professional Association of Diving Instructors

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PADI logo
PADI logo

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the world's largest recreational diving membership and diver training organization founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erikson.

PADI members, including dive centers, resorts, educational facilities, instructors, and divemasters, teach the majority of the world's recreational divers.[citation needed] PADI operates offices in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The corporate headquarters, PADI Worldwide, is located in California, United States of America. PADI Offices serve more than 130,000 individual professional members and more than 5,300 dive centers and resorts in more than 180 countries and territories. Translations of PADI materials are available in more than 26 languages. [1].

PADI courses range from entry levels (such as Scuba Diver and Open Water Diver) to master scuba diver and a range of instructor certificates. Via their affiliate Diving Science and Technology (DSAT) they also offer various "Technical" diver courses, including decompression diving, Trimix diving and gas blending.

The PADI system is composed of modules with standardized learning objectives divided into theory and practical skills development. Theory is mainly conveyed by way of self-study using books, computer based training using CD-ROM or online learning. All study options are suplemented with video to help the student diver visualize what they have read.

Confirmation of the student diver's level of mastery in standardized knowledge review sessions with a scuba instructor. Practical skills mastery is obtained through confined water training (pools or relative shallow water) and performance evaluations in open water. Upon completion of each course, a certification is issued to the student.

PADI courses are performance based dive programs, and at the introductory level emphasize practical knowledge, safety and motor skills. The foundations of Diving physics, physiology and chemistry are built during entry level programs. The more esoteric details of these concepts are left for later courses when the diver has gained practical knowledge and experience beyond the entry level. These practices fall within current modern learning philosophies and receive regular updates via peer review.[1][2] In addition to this, other dive instruction programs have adopted similar techniques[citation needed].

PADI is a member of the World Recreational Scuba Training Council.[3]

Contents

[edit] Project AWARE

Project AWARE logo
Project AWARE logo

In 1995, PADI founded Project AWARE to help conserve underwater environments. Project AWARE information has been integrated in most courses and divers are offered the chance to exchange their normal certificate for an AWARE-certificate by making a donation to the program when sending in their application for a new certificate.

[edit] Affiliate Companies

Emergency First Response: CPR and First Aid training both for the lay person and in the work place Current Publishng: Develops marine science programs for high school and upper level educational facilities.

[edit] PADI Non Certification programs

[edit] PADI Kids programs

  • PADI Seal Team (Age 8 and Above)
  • PADI Bubble Maker (Age 8 and Above)

[edit] PADI Recreational Diving Certifications

  • PADI Skin Diver (Snorkeling)
  • PADI Junior Scuba Diver
  • PADI Scuba Diver
  • PADI Junior Open Water Diver
  • PADI Open Water Diver
  • PADI National Geographic Diver
  • PADI Adventure Diver
  • PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
  • PADI Rescue Diver[2]
  • PADI Speciality Courses
  • PADI Master Scuba Diver

[edit] PADI Speciality Courses

PADI provide a range of speciality courses, examples of which include:

  • PADI Altitude Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Boat Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Cavern Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Deep Diver Speciality Courses
  • PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Speciality Course
  • PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Speciality Course
  • PADI Drift Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Dry Suit Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Enriched Air Diver Speciality Course[1]
  • PADI Equipment Specialist Speciality Course
  • PADI Ice Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Multilevel Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Night Diver Speciality Course
  • PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Speciality Course
  • PADI Project AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Speciality Course
  • PADI Project AWARE Fish Identification Speciality Course
  • PADI Project AWARE Specialty Course
  • PADI Search and Recovery Speciality Course
  • PADI Semiclosed Rebreather Course Speciality Course
  • PADI Surface Marker Buoy Certification (New as of 2008, <10 certified worldwide)
  • PADI Underwater Naturalist Speciality Course
  • PADI Underwater Navigator Speciality Course
  • PADI Underwater Photographer Speciality Course
  • PADI Underwater Videographer Speciality Course
  • PADI Wreck Diver Speciality Course

[edit] PADI Professional Certifications

  • PADI Divemaster
  • PADI Assistant Instructor
  • PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)
  • PADI Specialty Instructor
  • PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer
  • PADI IDC Staff Instructor
  • PADI Master Instructor
  • PADI Course Director

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Richardson, D and Shreeves, K (1996). "The PADI Enriched Air Diver course and DSAT oxygen exposure limits.". South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society journal 26 (3). ISSN 0813-1988. OCLC 16986801. 
  2. ^ a b Richardson, D and Shreeves, K (1998). "The PADI approach to diver rescue training.". South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society journal 28 (2). ISSN 0813-1988. OCLC 16986801. 
  3. ^ WRSTC Member Councils

[edit] External links