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NAVY
or COMMERCIAL DIVERS CROSSING OVER TO PADI
PADI
need to have standards to be fair to all divers entering the PADI system. Often
I receive enquiries from commercial and military dive professionals who's dive
experience is fantastic. I always have to refer them to the PADI crossover
guideline below:
It
is without a doubt that both Navy divers and commercial
divers
have completed extensive diver
training
and often have accumulated numerous years of diving experience in their specific
field of expertise. It also is to be acknowledged that the objective of their
dives differs notably from recreational diving, e.g. one-man dives using
specialized equipment, completing an expert task, often during extended bottom
times and / or extended depths, decompression dives, with a surface supervisor
and a specialized surface support system available topside. Their
training
may or may not include diver rescue skills, dive accident management tasks,
etcetera.
Recreational
diving differs in that recreational diving equipment is used, standard safe
(recreational) diving practices apply, and it mostly takes place in remote
areas, without immediate access to dive medical support, eg. a recompression
chamber.
It
is therefore difficult to establish simple, direct “equivalency” between
Navy dive or commercial diving certificates and PADI recreational diver
training
levels. PADI Members are advised to acknowledge the
training
and experience of Navy and commercial
divers
– in their own field of expertise – and explain the differences with
recreational diver
training.
How
to establish where these expert
divers
best fit into the PADI System of diver
training
?
Assess the diver’s credentials. A document (certificate) that proofs
entry-level diver
training
on SCUBA with a minimum of four (4)
training
dives qualifies for PADI Open Water Diver certification. Further documentation
(a second certificate and proof of diving experience / logged dives) that proofs
beyond-entry-level
training
as well as min. 20 logged dives that include documentation of experience in deep
and navigation diving qualifies for PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
certification. It is the PADI Instructor’s responsibility to document this.
Assuming
the individual Navy or commercial diver is able to document this, PADI
Instructors can accept this diver for PADI Rescue Diver
training
or assessment. Now, it is necessary to assess the diver’s knowledge and skills
for (recreational!) rescue diving. Use a prescriptive technique to do so. After
self-study of the PADI Rescue Diver Manual, the diver hands in the
required Knowledge Reviews and you review these together as per usual
procedures. The diver then completes the PADI Rescue Diver Final Exam, and again
this is reviewed as usual. Assess his skills during all required PADI Rescue
Diver exercises in open water (follows cue cards), and upon successful
completion certify the diver as PADI Rescue Diver. Note that the individual must
also meet the CPR and First Aid requirement (training current and completed
within the past 24 months / two yrs) prior to starting any open water training
at Rescue Diver level.
Once
certified as a PADI Rescue Diver, you can accept this diver in PADI Divemaster
training
, or follow similar (prescriptive
teaching) techniques, where appropriate. Remember, to be
certified as a PADI Diver or Professional, the candidate is required to fulfill
all certification requirements for that PADI certification level. It is your
responsibility to assess, document and certify – following PADI Standards and
Procedures. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact an
Educational Consultant at PADI Asia Pacific, traindep@padi.com.au
– or call us at + 61 2 9454 2848. Our fax number is + 61 2 9454 2999 attn.
Training. | 
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