When John Cronin and Ralph Erickson founded PADI in 1966, they changed how the world learns to dive. As a university coach, experienced lifeguard, swimmer and water safety expert with a master’s degree in education, Erickson forged PADI standards and training based on safety. He saw the wisdom of structuring training for divers in a progression versus the popular approach at the time, which was to pack a time-based course (that included irrelevant skills) and intended to weed out participants. Today’s established, student-centered and performance-based educational tenets used in mainstream education were largely lacking in diver training to that point. Dive instructors noticed the difference, and PADI grew quickly.
Under my tenure, I’ve had the honor of leading a talented group of subject-matter experts and educational and instructional-design experts. Through my work at PADI, and serving as President of Diving Science and Technology over the past four decades, the PADI system has been built out into a system of diver education from beginner through instructor trainer better than any other diver training system in our industry. We followed modern and state-of-the-art instructional design and educational media trends, always focused on educational validity, and established the platform for PADI’s tremendous international expansion and growth. We now operate in 182 countries and territories, and PADI Members, following our standards and course materials, have issued more than 31 million diver certifications – this is unprecedented in the history of diver training, period.
Since PADI’s first day, PADI Instructors worldwide have made quality diver education and safety Job 1. This is significant because everything PADI has accomplished in the last six decades, and will accomplish in the next six, stands on this foundation. It is why PADI training is the most sought after by consumers (91 percent of newly certified divers say they’d recommend PADI), and why you and your fellow PADI Members are the most-demanded dive professionals globally.
Not Hype
Sometimes, cynics say that PADI’s success lies in marketing, not training quality – the insinuation is that people choose PADI Instructors due to hype, not because you teach well. What an insult to you, your ability and professionalism; to become a PADI Instructor, you must meet the industry’s highest training and evaluation requirements. As a PADI Instructor, you operate within the industry’s most diligent, proactive quality management system. And you’re backed by the world’s most sophisticated, integrated and proven diver training system. Hype sometimes works short-term – but not for 60 years. Not even 10.
To be clear, marketing is a factor, and I’m talking beyond the substantial annual investments PADI makes in advertising and public relations to bring people to you and into diving. PADI Diver word-of-mouth referrals are positive and a huge “top of funnel” flywheel. All of this works and is dependent on our instructors, dive centers and resort members. Without a doubt, PADI has the best professionals providing the best diver training using the best instructional materials. The most powerful marketing strategy is to be the best. And that’s you.
Never Compromise
With its solid foundation, the PADI System has endured because it is flexible, culturally relevant and continually improving the diver-training experience as well as safety based on advancements in instructional media, educational theory and diving itself. Coupled with that are PADI Professionals’ integrity and their refusal to compromise – an understanding that being anything less than professional and dedicated to quality would compromise safety and what attracts people to diving. It would not only undercut our ability to self-regulate and get insurance, it would also disintegrate the very qualities that have made PADI the largest and most respected training organization in diving. We’ve accomplished so much together, including our ability to transform lives and advocate for the ocean’s future. Compromising quality and/or safety is never an acceptable choice. PADI Professionals know this (and our quality management statistics show it).
Your Legacy
As a PADI Member, you’re part of PADI’s 60 years of training excellence, and part of the next 60 years as well. Think about the lives you’ve transformed, and those you will transform by teaching people to seek adventure and save the ocean. What you do today builds your legacy tomorrow, and your diving legacy is linked to PADI’s legacy. Thank you for putting diver safety, professionalism and training quality first.
Sincerely,
Drew Richardson
President & CEO
