PADI open water but got NAUI card

[Amberjack]

Something similar happened to me. I did my classes and pool work here with PADI instructors, but did a referral on the open water dives in Mexico with a NAUI instructor so I ended up with a NAUI card. There were only two dive shops in the town we were in - one only had NAUI instructors that I liked more than the the PADI guys in the other one.

It doesn't seem to be all that unusual - several of the people in my OW class here were going to Cuba for their referrals and apparently there aren't PADI instructors there, so they were all going to end up with NAUI cards. It didn't seem to matter to the LDS doing the class and pool work.

 

[freediver]

In May I completed my PADI open water course, and did the PADI test with the PADI manual. Yesterday, I went to pick-up my diver card and they handed me a NAUI card.

I signed up for a PADI course, I am sure, and when I asked the guy behind the counter he said my instructor was a NUAI instructor. I didn't have time to discuss my concerns because I was running late and had to leave, but I signed up for a PADI open water course, and was fully expecting to get a PADI certification.

He assured me there is no difference and that it really doesn't matter what certification you get. I don't know if I should be mad or not.

Is there a difference between PADI and NAUI?
Will I be able to take specialized courses, adventure courses?
Is NAUI as accepted as PADI and will I be able to book dive in most places?

Well, congratulations on completing (?) your training, whomever it was with!
I actually do have some concerns with this issue. You signed up and fully expected one avenue of training and ended up certified through another agency? It would appear that there were some violations in the process of your training. If you were NAUI certed, did you even have the opportunity to look over NAUI materials? Perhaps, this was an accidental oversight but based on the response from the counter guy, it seems irrelevant. My concern is if you were to continue with this facility in any form or fashion, what other "surprises" are in store for you?

 

[Ice9]

Is there a difference between PADI and NAUI?
Will I be able to take specialized courses, adventure courses?
Is NAUI as accepted as PADI and will I be able to book dive in most places?

I wouldn't sweat it. As I understand, these certs are interchangable. NAUI and PADI are pretty close on the OW cert, except that NAUI includes some basic rescue stuff. I know the instructors at my LDS are certified under NAUI, PADI and SSI. Each one has a bunch of different certs from these agencies. Seems to work well for them...

 

[ffestpirate]

Not a problem. I have both certs, and I've found that both orginizations are more than happy to take my money without fretting about which cert I have

 

[lamont]

Is there a difference between PADI and NAUI?

yes, but not really for BOW classes. there's the NAUI rescue requirement which slightly exceeds the PADI standard, so maybe you shouldn't have the NAUI card, but this puts you in exactly the same situation in terms of training as millions of PADI OW divers.

Will I be able to take specialized courses, adventure courses?

yes, your NAUI OW class is good for any PADI/NAUI/SSI/etc specialty course.

Is NAUI as accepted as PADI and will I be able to book dive in most places?

yes, NAUI should be recognized anywhere PADI is and the OW cards are interchangable.

imo, you don't want to raise a fuss over this. if you did a PADI curriculum and got a NAUI card without passing a NAUI test you don't want to have to go through the NAUI class all over again or go through a PADI class all over again. if you're worried about it take either a PADI or NAUI Rescue course (which is, you know, a good idea anyway...).

if you're worried about the PADI brand-name and world-wide recognition, make sure to get a PADI AOW card, which is really the card that boats are likely to want to check. nobody cares about your OW card.

oh yeah, and the biggest differnce is that NAUI-trained divers sometimes feel they're just a little bit better than PADI-trained divers, you may find that you like being a member of that club after awhile...

 

[solidgas]

Thanks for the responses. I felt the dive shop I got my cert from was very professional and I would still go there. The classes were informative and fun. I took the whole experience as a great one. Just surprised to see the NAUI card is all.

I feel better knowing I can still get addition training, with either PADI or NAUI.

Now I am off to Hawaii, to do some diving with friends and family. That's what it is all about anyway. I would have been bummed being left on the beach.

 

[cerich]

As I think on this more, dont instuctors have to send paper work to the agency before they issue a card? How could NAUI issue a card if everything was done PADI?

Because they don't actually see the paperwork beyond he actual registration on which the NAUi instructor certifies they have met all standards, which was NOT the case here.

The NAUI instructor was completly wrong to issue this card.

 

[AlexMDiver]

I think you should get the card for which course you took. It is standard procedure that you of course have to actually do the course and read the book to get the card. So there are some irregularities here (they messed up). So what I would do is ask them to get you a PADI card. Then you might end up with both cards, but at least one card is the one where you actually did the course. Whether they are virtually the same, and interchangeable for future courses, or Naui being better is besides the point. (who cares if naui is better, if it is PADI that you actually did!).
If Padi were to hear that you get their C-cards for doing a whatever-alphabet-soup course in reality....they won't be too happy I presume.
Practically it will not make a big difference, but it is wrong nontheless.

I also agree with the opinion expressed above about what else the LDS might interchange as "all the same stuff". Does this happen with gear, equipment maintenance, with your air (aw...it is 100% O2, but really it breathes the same...don't sweat it)
You don't want aqualung parts in your scubapro reg. Ok, exaggerating here, but I would set this right with the shop.

 

[lamont]

I think you should get the card for which course you took. It is standard procedure that you of course have to actually do the course and read the book to get the card. So there are some irregularities here (they messed up). So what I would do is ask them to get you a PADI card.

since a PADI instructor cannot sign off on them having completed the PADI materials, to stick with actual standards this probably means having the student run through the entire PADI course again. they might be able to get a PADI instructor to issue a card based on the statement of the NAUI instructor that they student completed the PADI materials, but this isn't really fixing the standards-violation issues, its just another violation...

Then you might end up with both cards, but at least one card is the one where you actually did the course. Whether they are virtually the same, and interchangeable for future courses, or Naui being better is besides the point. (who cares if naui is better, if it is PADI that you actually did!).
If Padi were to hear that you get their C-cards for doing a whatever-alphabet-soup course in reality....they won't be too happy I presume.
Practically it will not make a big difference, but it is wrong nontheless.

i doubt that either PADI or NAUI would be happy.

i'd be more concerned with the skills being done kneeling on the bottom, though, which actually could have an effect on diver safety, enjoyment and reef protection and is entirely within the standards. agency standards != reality.

I also agree with the opinion expressed above about what else the LDS might interchange as "all the same stuff". Does this happen with gear, equipment maintenance, with your air (aw...it is 100% O2, but really it breathes the same...don't sweat it)

You don't want aqualung parts in your scubapro reg. Ok, exaggerating here, but I would set this right with the shop.

or maybe the shop is responsible and cares about things which are actually going to get divers hurt and due to circumstances wound up violating the letter of the standards in issuing cards (maybe their PADI instructor just quit last week and the NAUI instructor picked up the class but couldn't get material on short notice? who knows...) and they made a bad call on convenience (getting people their class) vs. standards. in actual real life underwater PADI and NAUI OW cards are worth exactly the same and the dive shop may have made a decision based on that.

really this isn't a red flag, its just a yellow one. if you actually do get a fill of 100% and tox at 30 feet and die, then i would suggest switching dive shops...

 

[mike_s]

Well if I test drove a Ford Pickup and then went into a dealership and bought it, signed the paperwork, wrote the check, etc and they brought me Chevy pickup truck, I'd be concerned they were trying to pull something on me.

They are both pickup trucks, but it wasn't what I ordered and paid for. I don't think i'd be happy with them doing that.

you should definately go talk to the shop owner.

This has nothing to do with whether PADI or NAUI is better than one or the other.