Since I started diving last year, I’ve always hear people asking me me this when they are considering to take their Open Water diving license:

Which agency should I go with? PADI or SDI or SSI?

Now, that’s a trick question. Honestly, there’s no right or wrong in choosing the agency that you want to start to learn diving with.

These agencies teaches the same thing and produces the same thing, which is: divers. These certifying agencies are the same, be it PADI, SDI, SSI, NAUI, etc. They’re all regulated under the same roof, which is the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC).

The license granted by these agencies are inter-crossable, so it doesn’t matter from which agency you started your Open Water with, you still can use the license to advance and continue your education with others, and dive at any part of the world that you want at the depth that you’re qualified for. None of it is superior than the others, so which agency you start diving with doesn’t actually matters.

What makes the difference is how they market the diving/certification packages and the instructors as well as the community they’re in.

Listen up! You don’t choose agencies. You choose the instructors that you’re comfortable with.

You need someone who can patiently guide you, and someone who you you can trust your life with when you’re underwater.

So yea, research your future instructors first. Go with recommendations, stalk their profile and talk to them before you sign up for anything. There’s no point diving if you’re gonna have to tolerate impatience or unable to enjoy the experience underwater. You also need to feel safe underwater, so go with someone you can trust your life with.

I’ll be penning down more about diving from now on and perhaps some diving gear reviews in the future as a newbie diver, so keep your eyes peeled for it, ya?