PADI vs SSI ...

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:46 pm

Hey how's it going? I'm sure this question has been asked serveral times before.. but I was hoping you guys could help me out. Which education program is better, PADI or SSI? Is there a big difference? Is one more respected than the other? Any feedback would be great, thx!

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:02 pm

Hi Josh, and welcome to NWDC. You'll find a wealth of information here and I hope we get to meet you sometime offline!

The answer to your question is a bit complicated because there are politics surrounding which organization you choose and, of course, everyone will have a different reason to say why they chose the agency they did.

For basic open water training and certification, all the agencies are pretty similar and the true difference lays with the instructor. I chose NAUI as my oper water training agency because their philosophy and training style fit with my personality and goals. NAUI is also the only agency of the "big three (PADI, NAUI, SSI)" that teaches a full set of technical courses.

PADI is really big in the tropics and big all over the world. SSI is also a large organization. I don't know enough about either one to give you a "which is better" between them but again I'll say this - the instructor is the real difference.

Knowing what I know now, if I had to do it all over again (or was recommending an agency to a friend or family member), I would strongly recommend NAUI. If I had to choose between PADI and SSI... I'd start by getting recommendations from past students on individual instructors.

Blue Abyss · Post by **Blue Abyss** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 4:01 pm

Josh the agencies are really all about branding. All must teach to the RSTC (recreational scuba training council) standards as a minimum. Also the basic of the material is all generally the same, physics is physics, and physiology is physiology.

But what you really should be looking at is the quality of the dive shop and the instructors. The agency is really secondary. If the store is well run focused on quality instruction and equipment you will get a good dive education. Look for the best quality instruction you can find, don't get sucked in on buying a cheap class, you get what you pay for.

That being said SSI is clearly the best! (OK well I am a little bias since I am an SSI instructor).

Good luck on your scuba education

spatman · Post by **spatman** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 4:28 pm

Sounder wrote:the instructor is the real difference.

i couldn't agree more with Sounder that the instructor is key.

check out their curriculum, as well. sometimes instructors within the same organization will teach different techniques and skills.

dwashbur · Post by **dwashbur** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 4:33 pm

I'm just finishing up my course to be a NAUI instructor. One reason I chose NAUI over PADI is because of the flexibility: basically, you can cover the material any way you see fit and have total academic freedom. I don't see that in PADI. I can't say much about SSI because I've never dealt with them; however, my best friend back in Idaho got his certification through them and is totally sold on them.

At the same time, what the others are telling you about focusing more on the shop and instructor than on the agency is absolutely true. We did our basic and advanced courses through PADI, and in fact through the same shop. The basic course was great and informative and we had a lot of fun because the instructor and his aides were excellent teachers and really on their game. Our advanced course was a complete waste of money because the instructor had his mind on something besides what we were doing. I don't know what, but it was very frustrating. We only got a fraction of what we paid for, and can't recommend that particular instructor to anybody. The shop overall is another matter, because they have some really good ones. Like anything else, it comes down to the quality of the individual and what they put into it. Having taught a plethora of subjects over the past 30 years, and having always been something of a renegade in the field (I don't believe in tests, for example), I have problems with the PADI approach of rote repetition and checklists and all that. But looking at the divers and instructors that their shops turn out, it appears to work.

Hence, I echo what others have said: evaluate the shop and the instructor, not the agency. Well, if it's Joe's Bar And Scuba Certification, maybe think twice... but if it's one of the Big Three, you should be fine. But one thing you can do is insist on interviewing the instructor: what kind of teaching approach does s/he take, get a feel for what kind of communicator s/he is, how comfortable do you feel with s/him, anything else that comes to mind. The more you can discover about the person, the better position you'll be in to choose who you want to teach you.

nwbobber · Post by **nwbobber** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:52 pm

I had the same question recently, as My wife and I are traveling to Loreto later this month and will be diving with a SSI shop. We wanted to further our education, so I was curious what SSI was all about. I took a basic NAUI course in 1971, and followed that with an advanced course. Ten years later, while I was experiencing a period of financial hardship some POS stole most of my gear. So a couple months ago we decided to go on this trip, and I asked my wife if she wanted to try diving down there and she got REAL excited about it. We took a basic PADI class. I figured that enough has changed since I dove last that I might as well take the whole class with her. In my judgement, that class is too brief, to produce divers who are competent to dive on their own. I hear talk on this and other boards that suggest that PADI is not the only agency allowing that to happen, but when I investigated SSI I found an instructor who taught PADI for many years and switched to SSI because in his words they wouldn't require him to certify someone who in his judgement, wasn't ready. He said that there was more academic freedom to teach his classes his way, like in the NAUI program. Anyway, we're going to give him a try. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Bob

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:51 am

Hey thankyou to everyone that has posted so far. I actually just finished up my advance course through an SSI dealership last week and just got signed up for a stress and rescue class this month. I've only been diving for about a year and half, so I'm still pretty new. I plan on taking all the classes needed and to become an instructor and then move to someplace tropical... I noticed this and Sounder pointed it out also that most of the tropical destinations are PADI... Which makes me think of another question.. If I get certified as an SSI instructor, would I be able to work w/ a scuba shop that was PADI....?

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:28 pm

Josh wrote: If I get certified as an SSI instructor, would I be able to work w/ a scuba shop that was PADI....?

They may hire you as store staff, but to teach in a PADI scheme you have to be a PADI instructor.

-Valerie

Diver_C · Post by **Diver_C** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:39 pm

I think Brian Duthie, an instructor based out of the Underwater Sports - Kirkland store, is an excellent instructor.

Rich

Pinkpadigal · Post by **Pinkpadigal** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:02 pm

As a SSI instructor, you must be based out of a SSI store to teach. As a PADI or NAUI instructor, you can teach independent of a store.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:14 pm

Zen Diver 2 wrote:
Josh wrote: If I get certified as an SSI instructor, would I be able to work w/ a scuba shop that was PADI....?
They may hire you as store staff, but to teach in a PADI scheme you have to be a PADI instructor.

-Valerie

haha, yeah that makes since. I suppose I should of thought about my question alittle more before I asked!

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:16 pm

Pinkpadigal wrote:As a SSI instructor, you must be based out of a SSI store to teach. As a PADI or NAUI instructor, you can teach independent of a store.

Alright, awesome. That's good knowledge to have. Thx!