1. CERTIFICATION OF
SCUBA DIVERS AND
THEIR INSTRUCTORS
By Michael Schamis

2. Introduction
 Michael Schamis earned his bachelor’s degree in
economics from New York University in 2009. He
joined Market Counsel, which offers consulting
and regulatory services to registered investment
advisors nationwide, after earning his MBA in
sports and entertainment management from
Hofstra University’s Frank G. Zarb School of
Business in 2011. A scuba diving enthusiast,
Michael Schamis first dove when he was 13 and
became an open-water instructor when he turned
18.
Scuba diving requires training, without which a fun
experience can quickly turn into tragedy.

3. Certification of Scuba Divers
 Many divers go on trips organized by local diving
clubs, dive shops, and resorts, nearly all of which
require prior certification of a diver’s skills. The
Professional Association of Diving Instructors governs
the certification of divers and diving instructors
worldwide.
Prior to PADI’s 1966 founding, scuba training was
performed in a haphazard manner, often with
outmoded or obsolete techniques or equipment. It was
difficult for students to gauge their instructors’
competence and skill, and there was no reliable
standard of certification. PADI was formed to provide
a uniform and consistent standard of training and
certification for divers and their instructors.

4. Conclusion
 More than 6,200 dive centers and resorts today sport the
PADI emblem, signifying their adherence to PADI standards,
and the association’s more than 136,000 certified instructors
have issued a total of more than 23 million certifications in
various diving skills and specialties, including open-water
diving, rescue diving, cavern diving, drift diving, wreck diving,
and more.
In addition to the various diving certifications, PADI offers a
hierarchy of instructor certifications. One of these is for the
designation of divemaster, the person who organizes, plans,
and oversees individual dives. Candidates for PADI
divemaster certification must be certified rescue divers, have
recently completed CPR and first aid training, and present
medical certification. In addition, a minimum of 40 logged
dives is required to begin training, and 60 such dives are
required before certification is granted.