The announcement that SSI has been suspended by the US Recreational Scuba Training Council (RSTC) has prompted understandable questions across the diving community.
For most recreational divers, however, the practical impact is likely to be minimal.
Here’s what the situation means and what it doesn’t.
What is the US RSTC?
The US Recreational Scuba Training Council is an organisation made up of major diver training agencies operating in the United States.
Its role is to develop and maintain common minimum training standards and represent the recreational diving industry on standards-related matters.
Membership does not determine whether an agency can certify divers.
What is ISO certification?
ISO standards are internationally recognised benchmarks developed independently of the RSTC.
Many major diver training agencies choose to certify their training systems against ISO standards to demonstrate compliance with internationally accepted requirements.
SSI has confirmed that its training system remains ISO certified.
Are SSI certifications still valid?
Yes.
Nothing announced by either SSI or the US RSTC suggests that existing SSI certifications have been invalidated.
Certified divers can continue diving using their existing SSI credentials.
Can SSI instructors continue teaching?
Based on the information currently available, yes.
SSI professionals remain authorised to teach SSI programmes through authorised SSI Training Centres.
No announcement has suggested otherwise.
Will dive centres need to change anything?
For most dive centres, daily operations are unlikely to change.
Training, certification processing and diver recognition continue through SSI’s existing systems.
Why are SSI and the RSTC disagreeing?
According to SSI, the disagreement relates to proposed updates to standards governing the Assistant Instructor level.
SSI says it submitted a revision designed to align US RSTC standards with the more recent ISO standard.
RSTC Europe has accepted the proposal for inclusion in its next standards update.
The US RSTC has confirmed only that SSI has been suspended and has not publicly commented on the details of SSI’s explanation.
What’s the difference between suspension and removal?
A suspension generally means membership has been temporarily paused while an issue is addressed.
Removal usually implies membership has ended altogether.
The US RSTC has stated that SSI has been suspended, while SSI’s earlier comments referred to being removed from membership after disappearing from the published member list.
Whether the difference is simply terminology or reflects different interpretations of the council’s governance remains unclear.
What happens next?
Several outcomes are possible.
SSI and the US RSTC could reach an agreement resulting in reinstatement.
The suspension could continue while discussions take place.
Alternatively, the organisations could formally part ways if a resolution cannot be reached.
Until either organisation provides additional details, those possibilities remain speculative.
The bottom line
For divers, instructors and dive centres, the key message is reassuring.
There is currently no indication that SSI certifications have lost their validity or that recreational divers need to change agencies, repeat training or alter their diving plans.
The dispute appears to concern organisational governance and standards development rather than the recognition of SSI-trained divers.
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