Professional Association of Diving Instructors

PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the world’s largest recreational diving membership organization. The membership includes divers ranging from snorkelers and beginning divers, to dive instructors, dive centers and resorts around the world. PADI Professionals issue nearly 1million diver certifications per year making underwater exploration accessible.

PADI is truly an international dive organization with service offices in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. PADI Worldwide (corporate headquarters) is located in California, United States. The PADI System of diver education is based on state of the art instructional system design theory, and progressive training that introduces skills, safety related information and local environmental knowledge to students in stages. PADI educational materials are developed by credentialed instructional designers who use state-of-the-art technology and learning theories to produce quality products. PADI courses are student-centered and provide for maximum practice and application. Students learn the basics through independent study and then are guided through additional development by their instructors. The goal is to get students in the water as soon as possible and provide them with the instruction necessary to gain confidence in their diving abilities.

PADI’s entry-level scuba certification is Scuba Diver. Once certified, divers can continue their education by becoming Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Specialty and Rescue Divers. Further training, such as the Divemaster and Assistant Instructor courses, allow interested divers to become dive leaders. Divers looking for scuba diving careers most often choose to become PADI Instructors.

All PADI programs, entry-level through instructor training, fall under strict educational standards to maintain worldwide consistency and quality. To keep PADI Members up-to-date on important dive issues, safety, training techniques, and business information, PADI publishes a magazine and various newsletters allowing members to stay abreast of important training and education changes and issues. In addition, the PADI Diving Society Magazine is distributed to PADI Diving Society members in the United States and Sport Diver is distributed to members in the United Kingdom. These magazines cover the people, places and events that make up the diving lifestyle and encourage readers to seek the assistance of PADI professionals to meet their diving needs.

With thousands of members and millions of divers, PADI-sponsored programs are becoming a growing force in the worldwide effort to preserve the underwater environment. Through their training, PADI Divers learn the importance of protecting fragile aquatic ecosystems and are encouraged to become involved in preservation efforts.

Call or Fax:
Seattle: 206-374-2937
Tacoma: 253-229-3389
San Francisco: 415-449-3412
San Jose: 408-351-4442
Maui: 808-442-0769