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#20384
Ocean Hunters Dive Center in Miami-Dade’s Doral neighborhood issued fake cert’S
LatitudeAdjustment - 2/05/2015 12:39 PM
Category: Training
Replies: 4

local10.com/news/scuba-diving-shop-issued-fake-ce...orities-say/31072762

Attorney General Pam Bondi file a complaint against Ocean Hunters Dive Center, 4005 NW 114 Ave., in Doral Florida. The complaint said the shop charged about 300 people between $149 to $399 for the fraudulent certification cards.

The store owner, Abdiel Falcon, is accused of lying to customers. Authorities are seeking to ban him from providing any open water scuba diving instruction.

Falcon was not an authorized Professional Association of Diving Instructor, as he claimed to be. Authorities said he is facing civil penalties amounting to $10,000 per violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Falcon is also facing a penalty of $15,000 for each violation involving senior citizens, and reimbursement for fees and costs associated with the investigation and litigation.

I’m guessing the training was real but the certs are fake, I hope no one here got caught up in this. Ray
#12117
Eric_R - 2/06/2015 4:44 AM
How much do shops pay to PADI for each cert?
#20384
Subscribed
LatitudeAdjustment - 2/06/2015 5:17 AM
From Eric_R: How much do shops pay to PADI for each cert? [end quote

When I got my NAUI Equipment Specialty the shop asked if I wanted a card, I’m guessing when you don’t they don’t send the paperwork in and pocket the cert fee.

The bigger question is what does it cost to be an instructor and did he carry the insurance. With 300+ students it would have paid him to be legal!

True there is no law to be licensed diver, that’s why it’s called a certification but they got him for lying about it to the customer.
#6400
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BillParker - 2/06/2015 6:15 AM
He would have been legal if he called it Falcon’s Dive School.