If Cuba offers PADI ?

by Alan

Do you know if Sea Lovers dive center in Guardalavaca Cuba offers PADI referral open water dives (just the 4 open water dive) for certification?

ScubaDivingFanClub Answers

Dear Alan:

I'm told that due to the US Embargo of Cuba that no American corporation can precede in business for commercial gain there. And as a PADI member you are not allowed to conduct PADI courses in Cuba.

Some PADI Canadian and British instructors can go on holidays there with their open water students, do their certification dives in Cuba, then put through the usual paperwork at their local area office when they return home.

ScubaDivingFanClub.com does not have any direct contact with SEA LOVERS dive center, but after some research we found this website (http://www.divingmanagement.de/DIVE-CUBA/DIVING_PLACES_CUBA/North_Coast/Gua rdalavaca_DC/Sea_Lovers_/hauptteil_sea_lovers_.html) the "CONTACT US" on that website will take you to a German company that apparently is based in Cuba but we recommend that you, if this company is genuine, use it for information only via e-mail or phone number, don't buy diving excursions through the internet.

We also found this page: http://www.divingmanagement.de/DIVE-CUBA/DIVING_PLACES_CUBA/CUBA-DIVING_WORL D/Prices/Guardalavaca-Prices/hauptteil_guardalavaca-prices.html you see that Sea Lovers and other dive centers in the area offer SSI courses.

PADI and SSI are members of WRSTC (The World Recreational Scuba Training Council) that regulates their training standards and also are members of The Universal Referral Program that was developed in 1998 through the cooperative efforts of IDEA, NASDS, NAUI, PADI, PDIC, SSI and YMCA for the benefit of the scuba diving industry.

If your referral papers are less than 12 months old, this is what you can do:

1- Contact your hotel in Cuba and get more information on SEA LOVERS and SSI courses.

2- Talk to your PADI instructor and inform him about the SSI instructor in Cuba. This is what PADI referral standards say: PADI Instructors may also receive referred students who have started their training (completing knowledge development and confined water training) with a certification organization other than PADI.

3- Talk to the SSI instructor in Cuba, because he will accept the PADI referral but can only summit a SSI open water card. Ask him to complete the referral form and to put some notes for your PADI instructor at home.

4- Ensure the referral form is completed with all the stamps and signatures including the signatures of the SSI instructor. Make sure you keep the referral form after you are done and take it to any PADI Instructor to be able to get your PADI open water card.

With some luck you may end up with two open water licenses (PADI and SSI) but for this you must play your cards well.

We hope you find this information useful, if you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

Yours truly: