PADI Professionals make underwater exploration and scuba diving adventures possible while maintaining the highest standards for diver training, safety and customer service. PADI’s “Four E's Philosophy” is that the dive lifestyle requires four elements:

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• Education: Beyond simply learning to scuba dive, you expand your capabilities as a diver through continued education. PADI’s full range of diver courses introduces you to new underwater activities and can even help you make a career move to become a PADI Professional.

• Experience: PADI dive shops offer a variety of experiences from local dive tours to exotic dive travel. Diving is a social activity and, by affiliating with a PADI Dive Center or Resort, you can explore dive sites nearby or visit vacation destinations around the world with others who share your interests.

• Equipment: Scuba gear makes diving possible. The best place to learn about all the fun gadgets and new scuba equipment available to you is at your local PADI Dive Center or Resort.

• Environmental Conservation: A healthy underwater environment is essential to good diving and divers are great advocates for protecting our water resources. Throughout PADI courses, divers learn the importance of protecting fragile aquatic ecosystems and are encouraged to become involved in local and global conservation efforts. For more than two decades, PADI has partnered with Project AWARE® – a global nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting our ocean planet – one dive at a time. To learn more about PADI's commitment to be a force for good, click here.

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The PADI Difference

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PADI Divers carry the most respected and sought after scuba diving credentials in the world. No matter where you choose to dive, your PADI certification card will be recognized and accepted. In fact, on most scuba diving adventures, you’ll be surrounded by other PADI Divers who made the same certification choice you did – to train with the world’s largest and most respected scuba diving training organization.

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How is PADI Different?

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• Education - The PADI System of diver education is the most instructionally solid system in diving. PADI courses are designed to make learning enjoyable and worthwhile. Under the guidance of your professional PADI Instructor, you gain confidence while mastering important safety concepts and skills. PADI Instructors are trained and held to diving’s highest standards, backed up by a solid, proactive quality management system.

• Performance-Based Learning – You progress at your own pace as you demonstrate mastery of specific performance requirements essential to becoming a scuba diver. You must earn your PADI certification, but you do so in an encouraging and well-supported learning environment.

• Educational Materials – Credentialed instructional designers use state-of-the-art technology and learning theories to create PADI materials with you, the student diver, in mind. Independent study materials, available in a variety of media – online programs, tablet-based apps, manuals, workbooks, multimedia discs, etc. – allow you to learn in a way that works for you. Instructional support materials allow your PADI Instructor to further explain important concepts and verify understanding.

• Educational Standards – All PADI programs, from entry-level through scuba instructor training, fall under strict educational standards monitored for worldwide consistency and quality. PADI takes a proactive approach to quality management and randomly surveys PADI Divers to confirm their courses meet PADI’s high standards as well as the divers’ expectations. No other diver training organization works to maintain this level of professional reliability and integrity.

• Continuing Diver Education – The fun and enjoyment of being a confident scuba diver is fueled by continuing to improve your scuba skills. Each PADI course builds on the previous one, teaching you skills and techniques when you’re ready to learn them. PADI specialty courses let you explore specific dive interests. Professional-level courses let you live the scuba diving lifestyle by becoming a divemaster or scuba instructor.

 

Professional Quality and Support

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Just as scuba divers must earn PADI certifications, PADI Instructors must complete a development program that sets the industry standard for scuba instructor training. Each new PADI Instructor demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the PADI System and the ability to conduct PADI programs by meeting specific criteria. Before earning the PADI Instructor rating, all candidates are evaluated by a select group of PADI-employed Instructor Examiners. This ensures that the evaluation process is objective, fair and consistent worldwide. This is another way that PADI training stands above others in the dive industry.

To help PADI Members grow both personally and professionally, PADI Offices conduct annual seminars that cover various educational, marketing and risk management topics. PADI Members can also attend business development programs and seminars that look at current trends in diving. Retailers and resort operators have access to a variety of business services through the PADI Retail and Resort Associations.

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Diving Community

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As a PADI Diver, you become part of the larger PADI community.

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• ScubaEarth®– By joining PADI’s online community – ScubaEarth – you’re given an interactive, dynamic platform to share everything scuba diving-related with other divers, dive operations and instructors from around the world. You can research and plan dive experiences, search more than 60,000 dive sites, find PADI Dive Centers and Resorts, connect with dive buddies, log dives, upload dive photos or videos, identify aquatic creatures and much more.

• PADI Blog and TecRec Blog – Get the latest PADI dive news and scuba-related discussions by tapping into PADI’s blogs. The TecRec blog focuses specifically on technical diving news and equipment, while the PADI Blog covers recreational diving topics and provides words of wisdom from the Dive GuruTM.

• PADI on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube (PADI TV) – You can interact with other PADI Divers who share stories, photos, videos and discuss their passion – scuba diving – through social media sites.

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Environmental Responsibility

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As a PADI Diver, you join millions of others to form a growing force that can and does make a difference in the effort to preserve the underwater world. PADI courses encompass environmental awareness and protection philosophies that emphasize the importance of protecting fragile aquatic ecosystems. The worldwide PADI organization is committed to preserving the aquatic environment for future generations. Diving won’t survive without beautiful places to visit, and PADI Divers are encouraged to take action with Project AWARE® and make every dive count for a clean, healthy ocean planet.

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