Scuba Diving
in Other Sports ·
Let's stir this thread up a bit; it’s gone completely dead.
The age-old debate: which of the big two do you actually prefer, and why? Or perhaps you have a different favorite altogether? SSI or PADI—make your case.
Based on my own experience—roughly 50 dives under my belt—I personally prefer the World Underwater Federation curriculum, which is what I used for my first level. I just wrapped up SSI's Advanced Adventurer course in Thailand, since we’re on the subject. 😁I have no intention of anything other than finishing my PADI Divemaster.
The reason I favor the World Underwater Federation is simple: they take this seriously. They aren't like PADI, which strikes me as nothing more than a blatant, commercialized American "pay-to-play" scheme. With PADI, you never actually see anyone preparing their own gear; instead, there’s always some Divemaster hovering over you, micromanaging everything. To me, that is completely unacceptable. That said, I recognize the trade-off: finding freelance work through the World Underwater Federation is virtually non-existent once you move past the instructor level, whereas PADI and SSI offer much more flexibility in that regard.
I’m somewhere in the middle when it comes to SSI, but they strike me as far more serious than PADI. Their technical courses are impressive, and once you move past the Instructor level, I think their curriculum is top-tier.
The age-old debate: which of the big two do you actually prefer, and why? Or perhaps you have a different favorite altogether? SSI or PADI—make your case.
Based on my own experience—roughly 50 dives under my belt—I personally prefer the World Underwater Federation curriculum, which is what I used for my first level. I just wrapped up SSI's Advanced Adventurer course in Thailand, since we’re on the subject. 😁I have no intention of anything other than finishing my PADI Divemaster.
The reason I favor the World Underwater Federation is simple: they take this seriously. They aren't like PADI, which strikes me as nothing more than a blatant, commercialized American "pay-to-play" scheme. With PADI, you never actually see anyone preparing their own gear; instead, there’s always some Divemaster hovering over you, micromanaging everything. To me, that is completely unacceptable. That said, I recognize the trade-off: finding freelance work through the World Underwater Federation is virtually non-existent once you move past the instructor level, whereas PADI and SSI offer much more flexibility in that regard.
I’m somewhere in the middle when it comes to SSI, but they strike me as far more serious than PADI. Their technical courses are impressive, and once you move past the Instructor level, I think their curriculum is top-tier.