PADI
5 Star Dive Center"Some diving retailers are so committed to the ideals of scuba training and customer service, that they exceed the industry norm and set the standard for excellence in their market.
The PADI 5 Star Dive Center emblem identifies those retailers.
For a retailer to achieve this status, the Dive Center must be outstanding in the area of providing excellent customer service. The facility excels in the use of the PADI System of diver education by offering continuing education programs regularly. Their staff are qualified personnel who are specialists in the area of equipment sales and repair." - PADI
PIRA
Gold Palm Resort"The PADI International Resort Association (PIRA) Gold Palm Resort membership classification is awarded to progressive PIRA Members that excel in providing quality services to traveling divers.
A Gold Palm Resort offers accomodations, diving and snorkeling excursions from a dive boat, and a complete diver education program.
In addition, a Gold Palm Resort is committed to ensuring the utmost in environmental awareness, safety, and above all, customer satisfaction." - PADI
Rodale's Scuba Diving Readers' Choice Awards, 2004:
Rodales
Scuba Diving, January/February '01:"Getting good advice on dive destinations is like squeezing into a decade-old wetsuit—difficult, exhausting and sometimes downright painful. Everybody's an expert, and there are so many people singing places" praises—glossy brochures, slick marketing offices, suave travel agents ... even friends and family join the chorus.
Wouldn't it be great to have a summary of the honest opinions and recommendations of more than 6,000 globe-trotting divers? Good news. You"re looking at it—the 8th Annual Top 100 Readers" Choice Awards. In our annual survey of RSD readers, you"ll find the destinations with the best marine life, water conditions, reefs and wrecks. You"ll also get the inside scoop on the best live-aboards, the dive operations with the friendliest crews, the resorts with the comfiest beds—straight from divers who"ve been there. .
As usual, this year's survey included a number of exotic destinations—from
Acapulco to Zanzibar. Unfortunately, we can't always report on them. To be included
in the Top 100, a destination must be rated by at least 25 divers. This ensures
the ratings are statistically valid, but it also means some high-scoring destinations
are left off the list.
We hope next year we"ll be ranking these destinations along with the rest. But for now, we offer this year's winners. Drum roll, please...
How We Got The Numbers
More than 6,000 RSD subscribers and web users rated their experiences on a scale
of one to five. Final scores represent the percentage of fours (very good) and
fives (excellent) awarded.
A minimum number of responses was required for a destination, operator, resort
or live-aboard to be included in these ratings."
