Newbie, Which to choose PADI/CMAS

[RedSea Dude]

Hellos guys ))
well am new to the sport and new to here also so i whope i would find helpful people here )
my first question here what is the difference between PADI and CMAS and which one to choose ??????? ppl would tell me they are almost the same but which one should i choose and why????
thank you fellows )
have a nice day

 

[jfmurfy]

Hellos guys ))
well am new to the sport and new to here also so i whope i would find helpful people here )
my first question here what is the difference between PADI and CMAS and which one to choose ??????? ppl would tell me they are almost the same but which one should i choose and why????
thank you fellows )
have a nice day

Hello RedSea Dude,
Been diving for 6 years an have never heard of CMAS... PADI of course...is world re-knowned

John

 

[miketsp]

I'm not an instructor but I've witnessed a lot of courses and checkouts done by most of the major agencies so feel I can comment.

Obviously there must be differences from school to school and region to region but from what I've seen the biggest difference is that PADI will put you through a production line in small (easy to pay for) steps. In general the US based agencies don't encourage harassment (forced stressfull situations).

You won't see much difference at the CMAS 1 star level/ PADI OW. The difference really is what comes next.
CMAS tends to have less speciality training options - so there is a wider coverage of material in the 2 star course compared to AOW. Rescue & first aid are part of the course. You can see this at
http://www.diver.ru/educ/cmas/Diver_and_Instructor_Training.pdf

And in my experience the CMAS 2 star course will get the student accustomed to being in and handling stressful situations.

 

[scubajoe]

Welcome to the board!

Joe

 

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

Welcome to SB!! :happywave Put us in your computer's favorites and check in often. This is a great place to learn, compare, argue Look around our various forums - everything from New-To-Scuba to Instructors-Only to Dive Medicine.

don

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And don't forget to wash your hands after handling meat, poultry or fish.

 

[Azotomix]

I am PADI with rescue certificate.
Here in Italy CMAS is well known as well as in France.
From what I know with the PADI school you can get you OW in one week anywhere in the world. CMAS I don’t think so. They are a little bit more severe and go more in details.
When you speak with some CMAS people (of course not all of them, I have many CMAS friends) they think that PADI’s diver are bad divers. They think they are the best. I do not know why but this is the reality...
From my opinion it only depend in how good e serious is your instructor.

PADI is much more spread and the only think I really don’t like is that they push you to do always more and more certificate. Most of them you do not need if you do not want to become an Instructor.

I did only up to Rescue because the rescue course together with the First medical aid certificate was very interesting.

Go for PADI and get a good instructor. Whatever school you will get you will enjoy the underwater world.

BY THE WAY BENVENUTO A BORDO!!!

Ciao

 

[murphdivers286]

Welcome Aboard!!!!!

Becarefull, it's addictive!!!

Good friends and good info. What could be better?!?!?!?!

P.S. - Don't forget to fill out your profile.

I never heard of CMAS. I'm PADI AOW and Nitrox. I don't know if you left your c-card at home during a trip if CMAS has the ability to confirm your cert over the phone or net like PADI. I have enjoyed my training with PADI, and I'm looking forward to future training with them.

NO matter which one you choose, DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Walter]

It depends on your goal. If you want it fast and easy go with PADI. If you want a better education go with CMAS.