PADI was started by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson in 1966.
Founding of PADI
Cronin, originally a NAUI instructor, partnered with Erickson to create PADI. A key motivation was to innovate diver training.
Reasons for Starting PADI
- Modular Courses: They aimed to break down diver training into modular courses, moving away from the single, universal course that was common at the time. This approach allowed for more flexible and accessible training.
- Innovation: Cronin wanted to form his own organization with Erickson and to break diver training down into several modular courses instead of the single universal course then prevalent.
