Become a scuba diver! Visit PADI.com to find a dive shop or dive resort and learn to scuba dive with PADI scuba diving experts who will guide you through scuba lessons anywhere in the world.
PADI (padi.com) has 347 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 2.5 out of 5.
Also known as
padi.com
Website
padi.com
Category
Extreme Sports
Location
Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
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The company replied to 80% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
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Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
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Seems like instructors are shady! I’ve had 2 PADI dives and both missed out key skills, no buddy check and neither mentioned about a safety stop or anything. One was in turkey and the other in gran caneria. I did my open water with them and ended up redoing it elsewhere as I didn’t feel safe diving
Response from PADIAug 22, 2018
Samantha -
Thank you for alerting us to your experience. If you could direct message us the name of those shops and the dates you were there that would be help us address your concerns.
Our dive training educational materials are to help divers explore safely but we don't own the shops and instructors that execute the training experience around the world. If we see/hear a concern we want to address it!
- PADI
AL
ALAN
Great concept but Padi can’t deliver.
Opted to do the e-learning as wanted to save the paper and thought it would be better. I wish I had not. Navigating around the site is a mind field and still have not be able to get to the touch tests. Customer service is non excistance. When you do manage to contact them they also seem not to have a clue how to navigate around the site. Also when they do respond on average in a week time they just ask you questions you have already given. So frustrating. Padi invest some money and get some proper developers and testers. Also educate your customer service staff.
Response from PADIAug 22, 2018
Alan-
Thanks for your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the frustrating experience. We are continually working to improve our product from customer feedback. We would like to address the concerns and understand which course you bought, the issues you had and whether you successfully completed the course? If you are in the US, you can direct message us at [email protected].
- PADI
WD
Walker D T.
Currently "trying" to do the PADI eLearning
I'm currently doing the PADI eLearning. Just stay away. Much of the course is incomprehensible because directions don't really exist. There is absolutely no support whatsoever if there is a technical problem, which I had. My dive center tried to replace the materials that were lacking from the online platform, but that made it even more confusing because nothing coherently connected. I tried PADI's customer support and it is worse than a joke. After reams of emails, screen shots, and asking for another product the dipshit just kept sending the same instructions without even looking at the emails I wrote. I think their online platform is such garbage and the organization so disjointed that they are completely overwhelmed with support issues and can't deal with any of it.
Response from PADISep 12, 2018
Walker -
We appreciate you taking the time to provide detailed feedback. If you message us at [email protected] to let us know the eLearning training you took and when, we'd like to address your concerns and help you finish the course if its not yet completed.
We sincerely apologize for your experience. We continue to work on product improvements to help make the course material flow easy to understand.
- PADI
ST
Stefan
Read this if you want to avoid frustrations with PADI
I am myself a diver disinterested in the politics of diving. But you should be aware of this: if you chose PADI, you chose the monopoly that is interested in one thing, and one thing only: money. Mind you, this is a comment about the company, not the individual dive stores trapped in the system. But if you ever have the choice, find a different dive center, CMAS and the like. You will also want to do this to avoid personal frustrations, because all of PADIs learning modules are now e-learning modules. They will tell you this is for your own good, to be flexible, etc., but in reality it is just another strategy to earn extra bucks. You are your own teacher, which they sell you for the convenient price of 85 US$ (at present). What do you get for this - an entirely useless app - so confusing that you will wonder time and time again how they could even consider launching this thing. Essentially, it is a solid block of text with a few colourful pictures in it, along with videos that fail to provide any sense of pedagogy or learning focus, and, of course, packed with sales' arguments. The German version we used is incomprehensible in parts - I have been a diver for 20 years, and I thought I had seen it all. Yet, I was unable to even understand what they "want" in terms of an answer. Anyway, this is still harmless stuff, because when you are through with all of their exercises, chapter exams and final exam - all of which require renewed registration - the real frustration will be the realisation that none of your results were registered. So, could you do it all over again, with a new password and code? Frankly, they should pay any diver for using this worthless format.
Response from PADISep 12, 2018
Stefan-
Thank you for your feedback and addressing your concerns using the eLearning training tools. We are improving the tools and taking user feedback like yours to ensure a better experience.
Many dive centers still have paper books and they can also be used for your dive theory training if you prefer an offline experience. The self study prior to the in water instruction is to introduce you to diving, specifically the terminology, equipment, what you can expect from your training. The in person instruction applies your learning and your instructors walk you through the concepts you read and learned.
We'd like to help you complete your dive study and training to earn certification if it wasn't completed. Please direct message us at [email protected] with your information. Thank you.
-PADI Support
BE
ben
the platform is Shiiite
the platform is Shiiite! they haven't moved on from the 1990s. given the £££ they charge, outstanding. ended up not doing the course.
Response from PADISep 12, 2018
Ben-
Thanks for alerting us you didn't have a great experience. As we move out of the 1990's, we're addressing user feedback to the platform. Since you didn't finish the course, we'd like to help you complete it if you're still interested. The underwater world is changing at a fast rate and we want everyone to see it as soon as possible.
You can direct message us at [email protected] to let us know what your started and when.
Thank you.
- PADI Support
MO
Morten
Stealing our money
Stealing our money. Did the dive master. Afterwards they contact me. Can approve my efr. My efr is Danish government approved. But not to padi. So now I have to pay to get a padi approves PADIEFR course... money hungry... never representing padi again!!!
RQ
Rob Q.
PADI sucks I will never be associated …
PADI sucks I will never be associated with them again I have a master certification through them and decided 10 years ago to get my dive master certificate. I had my master card delamanate almost the day I received it they wanted 60 some dollars to replace something that was clearly a defect . I run a travel agency and that was the main reason I wanted the certificate mainly if someone wanted a specialize corse I could offer that to them . Because of there rediculas outrageous price for a replacement card it cost them hundreds of new students . I tell everyone new people avoid PADI I get asked all the time for recommendations I tell people any agency will do you well with the exception of PADI and tell them I would avoid them at all cost.i guess with an extraordinary amount of 1 star reviews that speaks for it self . I even posted on my face book and other media that I have nothing to do with anything associated with PADI .
JW
Joseph W.
Stay away at all costs
I was going to Thailand for a holiday and I thought I would do a diving course so looked up diving and found elearning, do the class work at home so I don't have to sit in a classroom and just go straight into the practical so I payed £190 for the course and passed it, but when I went to the diving schools (and I tryed 3 diving schools) I still had to pay for the course as PADI pays the diving schools for every person they get though there centre plus what you pay the centre for the hole course so I had to pay double, so just pay for it all at once
Response from PADISep 12, 2018
Joseph-
Thank you for alerting us to your experience in Thailand. We apologize for this experience.
The self study eLearning prior to the in water instruction is to introduce you to diving, specifically the terminology, equipment and what you can expect from your training. The in person instruction applies your learning and your instructors walk you through the concepts you read and learned.
We'd like to understand if the dive shops told you paying for book or eLearning course training again was required or if they only told you that in water training was now required for your certification. We'd also like to know where in Thailand you visited so we can ensure divers are provided the right information prior to their travels. You can direct message us at [email protected] if you are still interested in diving.
- PADI Support