Agencies are Tools, Not Tribes

Why Divers Need to End the Training Dogma

A recent conversation about the perceived shortcomings of certain dive training agencies made me realize just how much weight many divers place on the “brand” behind their certification. It reminded me how easily agency loyalty can overshadow the deeper qualities that truly shape great divers. So let’s address the elephant in the room right from the start: we need to stop treating our dive training agencies like belief systems. Diving is not a religion, and agency worship does far more to divide our community than strengthen it.

Scuba diving is a sport built on exploration of the oceans, of our limits, and of our own capacity to grow. Yet within this vibrant community, a subtle but persistent challenge often surfaces: differing opinions about the value and legitimacy of various dive training agencies. Whether someone aligns with PADI, SSI, SDI/TDI, IANTD, GUE, BSAC, or any of the other organizations shaping diver education, conversations can sometimes shift from healthy debate to judgment or dismissal.

This mindset misses an important truth: divers are not all the same. We each bring different learning styles, physical abilities, risk tolerances, diving objectives, and equipment philosophies to the water. Because of that, no single training methodology is universally perfect and none should pretend to be.

It’s Not the Agency, It’s Us

At their best, training agencies simply provide structure, standards, and educational tools. They exist to support instructors and students, not define them. All reputable agencies subscribe to internationally recognized minimum standards and share the same ultimate mission: to create safe, competent, and confident divers.

When divers start defending their agency with religious fervour—insisting that theirs is the only “right” way, they risk creating the same kind of unnecessary division that plagues ideological groups everywhere. Diving doesn’t benefit from dogmatism. It benefits from open-mindedness, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from each other.

People, stop worshipping your training agency!

Different Agencies, Different Philosophies — and That’s a Good Thing

I want to point out that I recognize that my experiences don’t make me an expert on everything, but they do shape how I think about training and the diving community. I have dedicated a significant part of my life pursuing excellence in dive leadership and subsequently have had the fortune of teaching across eight different training agencies including PADI, TDI, SDI, SSI, and IANTD. These experiences simply offer me a broad and evolving lens on what effective leadership can look like in our underwater world. With that I have come to discover that each training organization emphasizes slightly different philosophies, each with their own merits:

• PADI prioritizes global accessibility, standardized teaching materials, and a consistent experience for beginners.

• SSI emphasizes digital learning ecosystems and flexible training progression rooted in instructor discretion.

• SDI/TDI offers recreational programs alongside strong pathways into technical, overhead, and advanced diving disciplines.

• IANTD focuses deeply on technical, cave, and mixed-gas training with an emphasis on personal discipline, Instructor experience, flexibility and capability.

• GUE is known for rigorous standardization, team-based protocols, and a holistic, minimalist approach to equipment configuration and skills.

• BSAC incorporates a club-based model that promotes long-term mentorship and community development.

  
  

These are just a few of the many agencies offering dive training programs, and neither they nor any others offer philosophies that are inherently superior. They simply cater to different types of divers and different educational cultures. That diversity is part of what makes diving adaptable, scalable, and globally accessible.

The Instructor Is What Truly Matters

A critical principle, one highlighted in several of my previous blog posts, is that the agency does not make the diver; the Instructor does.

The most transformative learning occurs when the right instructor is paired with the right student. And that connection is shaped not by brand loyalty, but by human qualities such as:

• Real-world experience that goes beyond minimum certification requirements

• Humility, the awareness that no one knows everything

• A passion for teaching, not just diving

• Leadership and calm communication in stressful situations

• An open-minded attitude toward alternative equipment, methods, and philosophies

• The ability to adapt to a student’s learning style, pace, and objectives

As explored in several articles posted on this website, true leadership is built on experience, reflection, and an unwavering commitment to student development, not on an allegiance to a particular logo on an Instructor card.

A Call for Respectful Curiosity

The diving community thrives when knowledge flows freely. When agencies and instructors critique each other constructively, not competitively, the entire community benefits. But when dogma replaces dialogue, learning stalls.

To keep progressing as divers and educators, we should approach different methodologies with respect and curiosity. Every agency has something useful to contribute. Every Instructor has something to teach us. And every diver’s journey is unique.

In the end, the goal is simple:

Safe, competent, joyful divers exploring the underwater world with confidence and respect.

The more we embrace diversity in training philosophies, the stronger and more unified our community becomes.

~Safe Diving