PADI questionnaire

We recently did a DSD and for the first time, we received a questionnaire from PADI wanting our opinion on the experience.

It had all the information filled out with an instructor number, student number, and the type of dive we took.

When I looked up this instructor number, it is NOT the instructor we had for the dive and instead the owner of the company (which states he is a master scuba diver trainer and EFR certified). Our instructor was ....an instructor.

It asks a lot of questions about the "training" they did with us and about the dive.

I have never received one of these on our previous dive.

Any thoughts?

I am sure it is purely optional if you fill it out or not.

And I wouldn't worry about it one way or the other. If you tell them the truth, the most they will do is tell the instructor he was naughty and needs to follow guidelines better. I have seen some crazy stuff, and been part of an investigation on an instructor, who never got more than a reprimand for doing something far worse. Unfortunately, it is the way it is, especially with foreign operations.

My DH was just talking with a friend yesterday who got back from diving at a Caribbean destination last week...the dive op didn't follow any guidelines for one person (he was doing their first two certification dives), but they made a big deal about the spouse who is already certified but hasn't done a dive in 2 years. They refused to let her dive without doing a refresher first. They both got to dive, but neither was happy with how confusing the instructors seemed to be about what was allowed and what wasn't. It seemed to them that these instructors just played things by ear most of the time and ended up contradicting each other several times about rules.

Just one more reason that I would like you to do your certification with a good dive op, learn right from the first day. You'll be safer and also more comfortable every dive. Training is important.

BTW....I am going diving next week! First time in 2+ years. DH is finally cleared by his doctor to get back in the water. I'll be posting videos when we get back. Woot.

robin

Thanks for the opinion Robin. I appreciate it. I did fill it out...but was very nervous about it. I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but yet I don't want anyone to get hurt in the future either.

So happy that your husband has been cleared now and you can dive again!!! How exciting! I know you'll take some awesome videos. Make sure to post somewhere that I'll be able to find them. I love watching your videos!!! Happy diving! :)

where was it mailed from and where did you mail it to?

never got any such thing but may be something new .... or something just from this operation ....

don't suppose you have a copy that you could post?

where was it mailed from and where did you mail it to?

 

never got any such thing but may be something new .... or something just from this operation ....

 

don't suppose you have a copy that you could post?

It was emailed to me from PADI

Since a Discover Scuba has a training component, it will likely generate the automated questionnaire, if the participant is registered for the program in the agency's system (agency being PADI in this case). The fact that it listed the owner of the shop rather than the individual instructor may not mean much.

I'm an SSI instructor, and every course I teach, be it Open Water, Discover Scuba, or Divemaster, an email is auto generated when I put the course completion in the system. Ours do indicate the instructor's (my) name, but the owner of the shop will be the one who receives the responses IF the student indicates on their survey they want to share it with the facility - they have to "opt in" to share with the shop and with me; otherwise it just goes to SSI.

One of the differences between PADI and SSI, is the involvement of a dive facility. A PADI instructor can be independent, and not affiliated with any dive shop. An SSI Instructor must be affiliated with a shop (or resort, or live-aboard boat). it sounds like the survey you received may be designed to get feedback to the dive shop's management, and consequently reference the owner, rather than the individual instructor.

In any case, any open water instructor can conduct a Discover Scuba dive (but not an Assistant Instructor or Divemaster). The fact that the survey references the owner's higher level of certification shouldn't be taken to indicate that the instructor who conducted your dive wasn't qualified to do so.

Harris

Denver, CO

www.divessi.com/pro/64612