
PADI stands for Professional Association of Diving Instructors. The organization is the most important dedicated to scuba divers training. John Cronin, an American scuba equipment dealer, founded the organization 50 years ago. It was founded by John Cronin, a scuba equipment salesman from the United States, and Ralph Erickson. Erickson is a former water polo coach, champion swimmer and lifeguard. Both men had concerns about the state of scuba diving instruction, and wanted to improve the industry.
PADI is world's biggest dive organisation
PADI is the largest international scuba diving organization. They offer certification courses in a range of diving specialties. Over 25 million scuba certifications were issued by PADI in 2017 alone. SSI, or Scuba Schools International, is another scuba diving organization. Robert Clark, its founder and the first to develop a standard teaching curriculum, revolutionized scuba dive training. SSI was, in fact, the first organization to implement a full teaching curriculum with full motion video.

PADI began in Niles and Morton Grove (Illinois) where the first meetings took place. Later, Cronin refinished a portion of his home basement to serve as the company's headquarters. He also hired a neighbor for part-time work as a secretary and his son Brian for envelope stuffing. As the organization grew, the founders realised the need for an educational course structure and started offering specialty diver courses. The organization had 400 members by the late 1960s.
This school offers professional-level diving courses
If you've been in love with scuba diving for years, you've likely heard about PADI's professional level scuba diving courses. But what is this certification? A PADI Professional Level course is a good option if you're looking for a new career. This course is well worth your time. You can find out more about PADI Scuba Diving certifications below.
PADI and SSI offer courses for both recreational and professional levels. Both courses can be learned at your own pace and are flexible. PADI requires that students pay for manuals. SSI students can borrow them from the instructor when they register for the course. Both offer online manuals as well as searchable databases. However, PADI requires that students purchase actual cards. It is up to you to choose which one best suits you and your needs.
There are also resorts and dive centers.
PADI Dive Centers are located all around the globe and offer some of the most memorable diving experiences. These dive centers and resorts follow international health guidelines and adhere to local ordinances. They also offer the best training at affordable prices. To locate a dive shop near to you, you can use our dive shop locator. You can also view the online calendars of dive shops to confirm availability if you have already booked your next diving vacation.

PADI is a private company that has offices in Australia, Canada and Japan. PADI has over 6,600 dive centres and more than 128,000 members. PADI issues more that 1 million certifications every year, and there are over 29,000,000 worldwide. PADI promotes ocean exploration by safety education and adventure. It also promotes environmental awareness. Through these experiences, the organization inspires people from all walks in life to go out and save the ocean.