What's the difference between SSI and PADI?
Koh Lanta Scuba Courses
Scuba Schools International (SSI) and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) are two of the largest scuba diving certification agencies in the world, both offering courses from beginner to professional levels.
At their core, SSI and PADI are simply diver teaching systems, with each organisation providing scuba instructors with training in their respective methods, materials, and teaching philosophies.
PADI was established in 1966 in the United States, and is currently owned by Canadian investment firm Altas Partners and French private equity firm Florac. PADI has a very large presence worldwide with a rigid, standardised curriculum.
SSI was established in 1970, also in the United States, and is now owned by sporting enthusiast Johan Eliasch, a German billionaire who also owns Mares, a major dive equipment manufacturer. SSI is more flexible with course structures, and allows instructors more freedom in teaching styles.
While both SSI and PADI certifications are recognised worldwide, there are several key differences between them:
1. Teaching Flexibility:
PADI has a very standardised and rigid approach. Each course follows strict guidelines, and there is very little room for instructors to modify the flow or structure.
For example, if a less confident Open Water Diver student is having problems with the mask removal and replacement skill, a PADI instructor is not permitted to continue to the next set of skills until the student has mastered the mask skill.
As you can imagine, asking someone to repeat things one more time, again, and again can cause frustration and may not always be the best approach for some students. This lack of flexibility with the PADI system can put a lot of additional pressure on a nervous student, holding up the rest of the class, and possibly causing unnecessary embarrassment and humiliation.
SSI provides more flexibility to instructors, allowing them to adapt to the needs of students or local conditions while following the required standards.
For example, if an SSI Open Water Diver student is having difficulty with a skill, the instructor can skip that skill and continue with the training, building confidence with the other skills. Eventually the instructor can return to the difficult skill, and most often the student will complete it successfully.
This more flexible approach enables student divers to develop confidence naturally and effectively.
2. Course Price:
Every time an SSI or PADI student books a course with us, we need to purchase the materials and certification credit from SSI or PADI, and of course, we pass this cost onto you, the student diver.
The SSI materials for all courses are significantly cheaper than the PADI materials, which means that we’re able to offer a lower price for SSI courses than for PADI courses.
3. Course Materials & Free e-Learning:
As part of the PADI Open Water Diver course price, students are provided with either a printed paper book, or a digital book. Students are required to attend classroom sessions at the dive shop to watch the course videos and complete the quizzes and final exam.
For an additional fee of around $200, students can register on the PADI website to complete the self study, quizzes and final exam at home with e-Learning, before travelling to Koh Lanta.
As part of the SSI Open Water Diver course price, students can access the digital course materials and final exam through the SSI App. As soon as your booking with us is confirmed, we can release the course materials and final exam for you to study at home.
Online e-Learning is free with SSI.
4. Dive Log and Digital Tools:
PADI requires dive instructors to provide a traditional physical log book for the Open Water Diver course, however PADI also offers free digital dive logging through its app.
When you complete a PADI course, you will receive a temporary digital card, valid for 90 days. You can obtain a permanent digital certification card from PADI after 90 days for a further $55, which is not included in the course price.
SSI strongly emphasises digital tools, with the MySSI App allowing students to log dives, access course materials, and track their progress online.
All your certification cards are available for free in the MySSI App.
5. Free Decompression Chamber Insurance:
One of the benefits of the SSI Open Water Diver course is the free Decompression Chamber Insurance provided via their partnership with Dive Assure. This insurance is valid for the duration of the course, up to a maximum of 6 months from the course registration date.
There is no dive accident insurance provided by PADI during the Open Water Diver course.
6. Cross-Recognition:
Both PADI and SSI certifications are recognized worldwide and are interchangeable at dive shops and resorts. You can switch from one system to the other at any point without needing to start over.
For example, you can start with the PADI Open Water Diver course, then continue with the SSI Advanced Adventurer course, and then switch back to the PADI Rescue Diver course.
7. Is SSI Better than PADI?
Both SSI and PADI offer world-class training and top-quality certification for professional divers. There is no difference in safety at all between SSI and PADI.
The international governing body for scuba diving, the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC), regulates and monitors both SSI and PADI teaching systems to ensure compliance with strict regulations.
We're happy to teach both SSI and PADI courses, however, we feel that the more flexible teaching methods, lower course costs, superior digital materials, free e-learning, and free decompression chamber insurance for Open Water Diver students makes SSI the better choice for most people.
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Scuba Courses Available on Koh Lanta
Learn to Dive on Koh Lanta
We teach a full range of SSI recreational scuba diving courses here on Koh Lanta, from the entry level Open Water Diver course all the way up to Diver Stress & Rescue, together with numerous specialty courses.