PADI and UNIVERSAL or GLOBAL
REFERRALS
What is a "Referral"
?
Referrals are an important component of diver training.
Thousands of students obtain their certification cards
annually through the student referral process.
Many retailers and instructors refer students to referral
locations to complete their open water training requirements
when local training is not feasible or desirable. Some dive
businesses refer nearly half of their students.
While most referrals are conducted between Instructors in the
same Dive Agency (PADI-to-PADI, NAUI-to-NAUI, SDI-to-SDI, et
cetera) it is quite common to accept Global or Universal
Referrals from different Instructors at a different Agency.
Scuba Steve has been approved
to accept ALL types of referrals … including the
following:
The end result is that the student will receive a
certification card from the original Agency, upon successful
completion of the course.
Referrals are the process in which a student diver that has
completed part of his training at a local dive center can
complete training at a different location with a different
instructor, often to change a vacation into a diving
adventure.
When given a choice between
the cold, dark waters of the Northwest coastal seas or rock
quarries in the Mid-west …. or the warm, tropical waters
of Kauai … which would YOU choose?
What steps do I need to
follow?
That depends on the type of referral:
- PADI to PADI - when the student's previous training was
part of a PADI Open Water or Scuba Diver course conducted by
a PADI Instructor and will result in a PADI certification
after he successfully completes the balance of his training
with you.
- There is also another type of referral, "Universal"
or "Global" Referrals -when the student's previous
training was part of a course conducted by an instructor
from an organization other than PADI and will result in a
certification by the original instructor's organization
after he successfully completes the open water dives
conducted by you.
- The student will be given a Universal Referral Form and
Packet to give to us. PADI Referrals are valid for 12 months
after completion of the last class or dive, while Global and
Universal Referrals are good for 30 days after being issued
by your Instructor.
WHAT SCUBA STEVE'S SCUBA SHACK WILL DO FOR
YOU :
It's important to consider that as a student diver you may
know very little about training Standards, training methods or
procedures. You are in the hands of two experts at either end
of the referral process: your Instructor and the Instructor
completing the balance of your training.
By following a few simple guidelines, your Instructor can
help you feel comfortable with the process and confident that
both your Instructor and the receiving Instructor are working
together to help you meet your goal of earning open water
diver certification.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR WILL :
Explain to you that only successfully completed Knowledge
Development, Confined Water Dives and Open Water Dives may be
credited in a referral
Keep your PADI or Universal Referral Open Water Diver Course
Record and Referral Form up-to-date.
Before sending a copy of it to you to take to the next
instructor, your Instructor should double check to be sure
there are no missing signatures, dates, etc. Your
Instructor will also emphasize to you that the referral is only
valid for a maximum of either 12 months from the date of the
last training session (for PADI Referrals) or 30 days from date
of issuance (for Global and Universal Referrals) and that the
balance of the course should be completed as soon as possible.
Your Instructor may also discuss with you what to expect upon
referral, including that an extra cost may be involved,that
there will be a pre-assessment and if a medical release was
required, you will need to bring a copy for PADI, only the
instructor completing the open water training can complete the
PIC envelope and be the certifying instructor. (He might show
you a PIC envelope so you can recognize it.)
A photo will be needed for the PIC envelope and only a PADI
Instructor may complete your open water dives for PADI
certification,but it will be your original Instructor who will
actually sign off on your certification card (for Universal or
Global Referrals), once you have successfully completed the
referral process.
PRE-ASSESSMENT OF SKILL SETS :
As the receiving instructor, we must verify that the student
has adequate knowledge and skills to safely and effectively
participate in open water training and remediate as necessary,
before conducting any of the training dives.
REFERRING AGENCY GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS
:
We will conduct your Referral Open Water Dives in strict
accordance to the Guidelines and Standards that have been set
forth by your Referring Agency.
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