Itda

walshy123

hey, was on holidays recently in the canaries and said id do a discovery dive, loved it so asked to do PADI Scubadiver course cos i didnt have time to do OWD. The centre was a PADI resort and i watched PADI dvd's etc. I have just received my diving card in the post and it is ITDA Entry Level Diver!!!!!!!

I emailed the centre asking what the story was and they said I did ITDA! Im not impressed at all!

So anyway, my question is, ITDA - are they well recognised and what not. I was wanting to to OWD, so should i do the ITDA equivalent or start over again

whosedaddy?

Hmm.
I guess it depends on where you are planning on diving in the future.
Short term - next 12 month - as this how long the Entry level Diver cert is valid!
Long term - If you get around doing your next level with ITDA, do you plan on doing more training/ courses goign forward.

You can do cross-over courses to PADI or CMAS, BSAC, etc, but its time and money....

My recommendation would be - take it as face value - Discover Scuba diving!

Assuming you like it and you want to continue - do a proper OWD course (or equivalent from other orgs) - you can NEVER have enough training!

Edit: Just had a look at the ITDA page for Ireland...

http://www.itdagroup.co.uk/ireland.htm

Eoin (scuba.ie) is ITDA instructor - I'm sure he can tell you all about it...

Benny-c

It's the first time I'd ever heard of this organisation, (IMO)the website looks crap & won't help them in furthering their business. (Constructive criticism!)

Peace

PADI are probably the most know dive quals in the world. ITDA are definitely not as well know.

If the center advertised a PADI qual then thats what you should have gotten. I certainly wouldn't be paying the same money for a lesser know qualification.

walshy123

after numerous emails i should no be padi cerified. i did padi exams like. i reckon they gave me itda cos they make more of a margin.

Scuba.ie

walshy123 wrote:

after numerous emails i should no be padi cerified. i did padi exams like. i reckon they gave me itda cos they make more of a margin.

Hi Walshy,
Yes, if you did the PADI exams and theory then you should be PADI certified, the DS should not have certified you as ITDA.
To be honest, ITDA have higher standards for certifications than PADI, so in that respect its a better qualification.

If you want to take this further with ITDA or PADI send me a PM.

I agree with a previous poster, the website is not that great, PADI do a much better job of marketing and advertising, but then again, they have been around for a lot longer and have a bigger budget!

walshy123

hey eoin,

my concern with itda is that they just dont seem to have a full network in place yet and the number of instructors is quite small. thats why i think id be better to continue with padi?!

Scuba.ie

walshy123 wrote:

hey eoin,

my concern with itda is that they just dont seem to have a full network in place yet and the number of instructors is quite small. thats why i think id be better to continue with padi?!

Hey Walshy,
Totally agree there. There's only 3 ITDA Instructors in the country so far, and all based in/around Dublin.
You shouldn't need to "redo" anything though, if you bring your ITDA card to any PADI Instructor/dive centre they'll be able to take you on the next step. If you have any problems, give me a ring. Contact details on the ITDA website....