PADI is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the largest scuba certifying organization in the world. PADI develops scuba programs and diver training products, monitors scuba training conducted by more than 100,000 PADI Professionals worldwide, maintains diver certification records and issues your diver certification credentials.

PADI courses are designed to make learning enjoyable and worthwhile. You get in and under the water quickly, scuba diving. Under the guidance of your professional PADI Instructor, you gain confidence while mastering important safety concepts and skills. You pick up key information as well as helpful tips by interacting with PADI educational materials – manual, videos, workbooks, multimedia discs, etc. Credentialed instructional designers use state-of-the-art technology and learning theories to create PADI materials with you, the student diver, in mind.

Your PADI Instructor makes sure that you are ready for certification using the concept of performance-based learning. This means that you progress as you demonstrate that you have mastered specific performance requirements essential to becoming a diver. Your instructor is there to help you meet these requirements, regardless of how quickly or slowly you master them. You must earn a PADI certification, but you do so in an encouraging and well-supported learning environment.

The unsurpassed quality of PADI materials and the educational validity of PADI courses has been independently acknowledged by international educational and vocational training authorities. The American Council on Education (ACE) and Canadian Learning Bank have both evaluated and recommended PADI courses for college credit equivalency. PADI Instructor Development Courses provided through PADI affiliated centres have received vocational training recognition by the Vocational Education Training and Accreditation Board (VETAB) in Australia, by the New Zealand Qualification Authority and in the United Kingdom on the National Qualification Framework. To view the college credit page please go to: http://www.padi.com/padi/en/footerlinks/collegecredits.aspx

The PADI System of diver education assures that PADI professionals worldwide deliver PADI courses in a consistent and standardized manner, yet adapted to your unique needs and the requirements of your local diving environment. A PADI course you sign up for in Cyprus is virtually the same as a course a friend may take in Italy or Thailand, yet both will be adapted to local cultures, customs, protocols and language. With more than 130,000 PADI Professionals and around 5500 PADI Dive Centres and Resorts operating in 180 countries and territories, you will likely find a PADI Professional who can speak your language and offer you a comfortable learning experience. To serve the needs of divers worldwide, translations of PADI materials are available in at least 26 languages.Because PADI Dive Centers, Resorts and Instructors exist almost everywhere, no matter where your travels take you, you’ll find PADI programs and PADI dive buddies.

PADI Dive Centre Ratings

 PADI 5 Star

Dive operators that offer PADI products and services are members of the PADI International Resort and Retailer Associations. The association comprises approximately 4700 authorized PADI Dive Centers, resorts, dive boats, dive operators and hotels that offer PADI instruction and other related services. These facilities are your source for dive equipment, education, travel and other dive opportunities. To be an association member, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts must adhere to specific standards that assure you’ll get the best training and service.

PADI has designed classifications for members that signify varying levels of commitment to offering PADI diver education, dive equipment sales, services and dive experiences.