המכתב שלי לפאדי אירופה יצא לדרכו...

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המכתב שלי לפאדי אירופה יצא לדרכו...

Padi mail addresses: Manager quality assurance Eric Albinsson [email protected] Dear Mr. Albinsson, I am writing to you on behalf of many worried Israeli divers, wishing to protest and take actions regarding a certain PADI Course Director called Eyal Sayag. Attached to this mail is the translation of a letter sent by Mr. Sayag, PADI Course Director 909117 to the Israeli Diving Authority. The translation was done by an Israeli dive instructor called Kuty. Before I delve into further details allow me to shed some light on the local Israeli diving scene. Diving in Israel, as opposed to the vast majority of the world, is regulated by Law. The Israeli government formed a special authority called "The Israeli Sport Diving Authority". This certain authority is responsible for regulating sport diving in Israel and does so by issuing various regulations, which must be obeyed by dive centers and divers in Israel. I urge you to carefully read Mr. Sayag´s letter before reading the next lines. First and foremost, Mr. Sayag´s letter is full of blatant lies and intentional misrepresentation. Furthermore, this same letter actually blames PADI training and instructors as a major cause for deadly accidents in Israel. On top of that, Mr. Sayag uses his certification and the PADI name behind him (as he signed the attached translated letter with his name, rank, PADI number and seal) to take actions against the local diving community and using his stature to urge political authority to operate in an offensive manner to the community. I will specify my charges one by one. Mr. Sayag claims "… immediately as we must try to measure up to the international scuba diving community, which authorizes recreational diving only through clubs that operate in the area, in guided dives". This is of course a lie. A message transferred to various scuba diving forums world wide to verify that (though we knew this is a lie, we wanted to make sure), and the answers that came stated, as you probably know, that in the majority of the world´s dive sites, such instruction does not exist. This shows that Mr. Sayag intentionally lied (and I find it hard to believe he is not familiar with the situation outside of Israel) in order to accredit and advance his ideas. A thing that still puzzles me is the possibility Mr. Sayag raises in his letter when writing "… Israel is one of the very few countries in the world that every newly certified diver can rent equipment or get his tanks filled the day after his certification and dive alone or with a buddy". This is of course wrong since Israeli law forbids solo diving by regulations therefore no diver, regardless of his or her certification level is allowed to dive alone. Following that, Mr. Sayag writes about certain fatal accidents that took place in Eilat and claims that guided dives might have prevented those situations. Just to make a few things clear. The majority of the deaths in diving accidents in Eilat were of PADI certified divers. One of them was even in a dive instructor guided dive. The immediate notion implied by Mr. Sayag´s words is that instruction level is not enough, or worth, instruction level is poor and divers finish diving courses without proper and appropriate diving know how. I find it very strange coming from a person who´s a dive instructor (and a high ranked one, mind you) himself. This indicates that Mr. Sayag feels, and says so, that the courses provided by PADI are inefficient and useless. I know PADI believes it teaches divers to dive and not to become instructor dependent after the course is ended. I am very interested in hearing your opinion regarding a course director openly slandering diving instruction and, apparently, PADI´s training methods and paradigms. To help you answer this question I quote from PADI´s mission (located on www.padi.com web site): "In all that we do, we pride ourselves in performing it correctly and accurately the first time to the highest standards of quality and efficiency. We will strive for continuous quality improvement in all that we do in order to be the world´s premier recreational diving training and educational company". Another move made by Mr. Sayag to persuade the diving authority in

 

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the necessity of fulfilling his ideas is shown in his letter where he claims that the Israeli public perceives diving as a dangerous activity. Again, I refer you to the PADI tasks, purposes and goals (located on the www.padi.com web site) article 8: "To promote and encourage the training of the general public in the safety aspects and techniques of participation in underwater activities". I all of his words and actions, Mr. Sayag undermines PADI´s authority and ability to perform and achieve its tasks and goals. The simple conclusion anyone would draw from his letter is that divers die due to lack of decent and appropriate training and the public fails to recognize safety in diving. Both are strongly emphasized and the inability to achieve them points to the failure of the PADI system. I didn´t say that. Mr. Sayag wrote that to the governmental Israeli diving authority. PADI´s mission statement openly claims that professional PADI members should operate for the community, and I quote from PADI´s tasks, purposes and goals (located on the www.padi.com web site): "To represent the interests of professional members, retail and resort members and diving in general in the community and before government." In writing his letter, Mr. Sayag went on a head on collision with the will and needs of the local diving community, while disregarding its needs and wishes and went straight to the diving authority, trying to urge them to establish a regulation that is absurd and is the opposite of representing the community. In fact, his letter goes in full length to represent the government before the community. Mr. Sayag also refers to nature values and guarding the underwater environment. He claims unskilled divers cause damage to the environment. That may be true, but the thing that puzzles me most is the fact that Mr. Sayag did not take action against other malicious hazards such as the Fish cages (located in the Eilat bay and polluting Eilat and Akkaba in Jordan) and there is a raging public debate on this issue for a long time. Mr. Sayag takes partial information and twists it so it may support his needs. I am well aware and respectful of the fact that PADI is an organization that needs to make money in order to grow and advance. I also acknowledge the advantages of advanced courses and further education. I know PADI urges its professional members to help promote courses and activities generating income to the organization that in return betters and takes more care of his members and students. I do not respect that when it is done maliciously and wrongfully while betraying almost any one of the principles PADI is based on, especially Integrity. And I perfectly know how much integrity means to you. All of the above said are not to imply in any case to the respect and appreciation the local diving community pays to the Manta PADI 5 star center, led by Doron Ziv. None the less, since PADI is associated with this director Mr. Sayag who wrote this letter, signed by him and his PADI certificate the following have happened. Already people are canceling their participation in PADI dive and advanced courses. PADI professionals team to return their PADI certifications and cross over to a competing association. People stop using the (Great and appreciated) services of the Manta PADI 5 star center in Eilat. We call upon you to take sever action against this course director. Many mails and calls have been made to PADI Israel, PADI America, various centers and international forums in Israel and abroad. This instructor shamed you with blatant lies and malicious self promotion ideas. We call you to take a stand. I personally would hate to watch all of the excellent work done by PADI in Israel so far being lost, and I also feel the international echoes of this embarrassing and miserable affair may unfortunately hurt your excellent organization. Take a stand. Show the divers where you stand and call upon this instructor to take the responsibility for the damage he caused. I hope that with your honest help we could put this whole absurd issue behind. Thanks you for your time in reading this mail. Looking forward to your reply, Moshe Bar-Nachoom