Who and What is PADI ???
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is an association of diving professionals whose mission it is to bring professionalism to the recreational diving education industry. Until 1991, we were the only recreational diving organization that had a full-time quality assurance department. You can't claim quality if you can't assure quality! We're the leader in diving educational materials and courses. PADI courses are the only recreational diving courses that qualify for college credit under the guidelines set by the American Council on Education. We're the world's largest recreational diving retail association. What does retailing have to do with diving education? Everything. Because, while the instructor provides the education and the manufacturer provides the equipment, in this industry the retailer brings it together for the consumer. The PADI Travel Network was designed for all your travel needs. With just one phone call to your PADI Training Facility we can book a trip anywhere in the world for you. We're the only recreational diving organization to fund research to develop a set of dive tables suited for the recreational diver. We're the first recreational diving organization to make a concerted effort toward preserving the aquatic realm. We're the most internationally recognized recreational diving organization in the world with instructors in over 174 countries. PADI Instructors certify 75 percent of the divers in the US and over half of the divers worldwide. PADI Instructors have now certified over 5,500,000 people. And, most importantly, we're the largest team of diving professionals in the world, with more than 60,000 active instructors and Divemasters. PADI is the leader in education for the diving industry. And that's the way it is.
