#11592
Padi Diver Card Fee? Ugh!
badintexas - 12/03/2013 5:15 PM
Category: General
Replies: 12

Both of our boys need their Open Water diver card now rather than Jr Open Water. I went to order new cards saying just that. Our information has not changed but they are charging $39.99 per boy. I can go to my local library and order a new library card for a dollar. Padi’s cards are not any better. I’m going to hate paying that when I know it could be less. Stupid Padi!
#1600
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lerpy - 12/03/2013 5:30 PM
PADI, Put Another Dollar In. LOL I thought I lost my SDI ( Several Dollars Invested) Nitrox card, 30$ to replace it. The day it arrived I found my card under the seat in my truck. ARG.
#20281
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Smithsgold - 12/03/2013 9:44 PM
Ouch !!
#1376
RockRat2008 - 12/04/2013 5:48 AM
Pretty brutal, but at least you’re not renewing professional level cards; I hated seeing that charge hit last month. :-)


You might consider going the eCard route? That way you don’t have to worry about losing it.
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LatitudeAdjustment - 12/04/2013 9:22 AM
Could be worse, my YMCA card turned to dust, there are no replacements :(

The AOW cards should have come with the course but then maybe not, I took a few NAUI courses where the card was extra and I really didn’t need it so I didn’t pay.
#2229
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btw2459 - 12/05/2013 3:11 AM
Here’s a thought. Do they really need the cards? If you are using a LDS that is PADI they should be able to look up the records and see that they have the necessary quals to dive. If you are going on a trip check with the shop you are using a get them to confirm that they’ve seen the kid’s records. Might be better than spending the money.

I never got my Dry Suit card and I’m not going to spend the money to get it because the shops I dive with can go onto the PADI system and see that I’ve done the dry suit course.
#4035
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uwlover4u - 12/11/2013 9:23 AM
OK, I’m probably going to be banned by PADI for posting this but I don’t care. First, someone mentioned ecards. PADI charges for those too.

I agree that PADI charges way too much for cards and replacements and they also refuse to combine card certs so I have to carry a separate card as a rescue diver, nitrox card, etc. I carry the cards I need and I noticed that in less then a year my cards were turning to crap yet my bank debit card is in great condition and I’ve had that card for 3 years and use it multiple times per day. I wrote PADI an angry email regarding the quality of their cards. They did not respond so I figured they blew me off. About 3 weeks later I got mail from PADI that included brand new FREE replacement cards.

Moral to the story: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Complain to PADI like I did. Eventually they will have to make changes. If not then maybe you’ll at least get free cards like I did.
#6242
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ScubaCrab - 12/11/2013 9:43 AM
How about printing the online records and cary a copy with you? I might do that for opps that want to hold your card hostage when you dive with them? No one holds your drivers license credit card etc. Why should they hold your dive cert card hostage?
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RockRat2008 - 12/11/2013 9:43 AM
Yes, PADI charges for eCards, but with it in eCard format you never lose it and never have to replace it, which eliminates the problem.

Also, you never need to carry more than 2 cards maximum. Nitrox card if you’re diving Nitrox, and any other card will get you onto a dive boat, let you rent gear, etc. so you can use any one of your other cert cards for that.

I have all of mine stored in my dive logbook other than my Nitrox and DiveMaster cards which I keep in my wallet and both of them have held up fine so I don’t know why you had issues with your cards?
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RockRat2008 - 12/11/2013 9:48 AM
I can’t speak for all sites, but when I asked Mermet Springs about it they aren’t "Holding your card hostage" but verifying that you didn’t drown. :-)

When they have 150-200 divers in the water they know everyone is out of the water safely when they have no cards left to hand back out which makes sense to me.

I guess your car sitting in the parking lot could be a clue as well, but this way they know your name, and the name of your dive buddy b/c their card should be there as well.

It’s a good security precaution and unless they have a horrible check-in/check-out process shouldn’t be that big of an issue.

P.S. I’ve been to many bars that also hold either your CC or DL if you want to run a tab so that does happen as well.
#161
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mac1954 - 12/23/2013 3:01 PM
why do you need a piece of paper to tell you something you already know? also where padi is concerned why do you need someone less competent than yourself to teach you anything?
#175
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WolfeDiver - 5/26/2015 11:28 PM
I am an SEI (Former YScuba Program) they charge $25 to replace cards, expect my DM Card, which is reissued every year when I repay my DM Fee, and my CMAS 1 Star Instructor Card, which is valid for 5 years at a time.