Do you think a basic PADI certification will be sufficient if I plan to scuba dive the major coral reefs?

yup, but its always good to continue your training to become more comfortable diving under the guidence of a instructor. Most instructors will encourage there students to at least get some type of rescuediver training so you know how to handle a emergency.

The Advanced class is great, it fine tunes your skills that you learned in the basic class. Who will you be diving with? Your friends and loved ones. It is always a good idea to know how to rescue them in case you ever need to. The rescue class is by far my favorite class, it is so much fun!

The main thing is to feel comfortable, as one of the others has said. I do think continuing training is good, though the main thing if you plan on diving major reefs is to dive enough so you feel at ease. In other words practice

Hi, PADI is an excellant agency, however as in ALL new educational endeavors - there are GOOD teachers and BAD teachers. Find one whom is patient, pleasant and understanding. Ask for refs from prior students - if possible, and avoid those with big 'egos' and 'attitudes.' Find the right teacher and you'll have fun! Find a bad one and you will not enjoy yourself and/or wind up dropping out! I have seen MANY new people drop out of this sport because of an instructor whom was not patient and understanding of the students problems, concerns or fears during a OW course - and instead of 'working with the student' providing extra help, they got intimidated and dropped out. Good luck!