PADI SSI or NAUI??

[a_eclipse_guy]

I knew I would get a few answers like the first few!!
I think on_two_wheels has a good point!

I didnt choose to be a padi diver based on padi but my LDS is a padi dive shop so thats what I went with.
So I guess really there isnt much difference??

Has anyone looked into these GUE guys? From what i have seen so far they seem to be top notch!

 

[divemaster dave]

SDI is excellent. I don't think there is really huge differences between the agencies. You will find quality instructors in all of them. And your card is still accepted worldwide. My advice would be to find a LDS with good instructors and stick with whatever program they have.

 

[DevonDiver]

I didnt choose to be a padi diver based on padi but my LDS is a padi dive shop so thats what I went with.
So I guess really there isnt much difference??

The differences are minimal. The main differences are not noticeable to students, but tend to affect instructors more: such as how to conduct certain skill demonstrations or what skills appear in what order on what dive of the course etc etc

PADI is the most prevalent agency in the world - so the certification is known and understood globally. Also - they have a very good online certification database that other agencies don't have. This is very good for those occasions where you forget your cert card!

On the downside, PADI has a very standardised and popular instructor training scheme - and is often the first stop for wannabie dive instructors. While the instructor course is complete, standardised and well assessed - the shear quanitity of new instructors created each year means that any student has to be careful about their choice of instructor. It IS possible to get a PADI instructor with as little as 100 dives and 6 months experience!

Whilst other agencies may also suffer from this, it is less likely. Either way... it pays to ask some questions about your instructor before signing for a course.

Has anyone looked into these GUE guys? From what i have seen so far they seem to be top notch!

GUE are excellent, but expensive. They are well known for only training highly experienced and high standard instructors. The agencies history stems directly from technical and cave diving activities, which led to a strictly standardised system of skills and gear configuration. Over time, they developed this standardised system to include recreational diving.

Initially, this was in the form of the 'Fundamentals' course, that assessed and train potential cave and technical divers to a very high standard of 'core' diving skills.

The progression into entry level 'open water' training will see courses that have a very high emphasis on standardised gear configuration, high level core skill assessment, highly detailed dive planning and rescue techniques, amongst other things.

GUE is certainly the 'Rolls Royce' of scuba diving instruction. It fills a specific niche, that may or may not be ideal for everyone.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Depending on where you are there is also the oldest course in the US which is the LA County cert. Not sure but I think it is 14 weeks or better. The YMCA course was also recognized as one of the best. That program closed in 2008 right after I received my Silver Instructor card from them. This led to the Scuba Educators International Diving program that I teach for. It was based on the Y program but has been upgraded and is still undergoing changes and revisions in areas like specialties. It is a 32 hour course- 16 pool and 16 classroom- with a base philosophy of skills and education before anything else. In fact some of the OW requirements have been toughened up as opposed to be reduced as they have been in other agencies.

Majority of instructors are independent and not only free to add to the required materials, but encouraged to and to test on those additions. And now we are also able to offer CMAS certifications. CMAS is the oldest (?) international certification. We still include rescue skills in OW class along with teaching tables, computers, and decompression procedures.

The OW class I offer is not designed for the casual once a year vacation diver. I train so that students can go out the next weekend without me around a dive in our local lakes and quarries with poor vis, cooler temps, and limited resources. And I'd trust them to take one of my kids with them and dive. Knowing that my son or daughter would be in competent hands. If I would not be ok with that they would not be getting a card and I'd have to evaluate where I went wrong in training them.

Even if it appeared that they were not paying attention I'd have to figure out what it was about my teaching that did not hold their interest. Those who simply did not want to try would not get a card until their attitude changed. I saw this as DM for another agency where the instructor had to issue a card even though the student displayed a scary attitude towards safety and had really poor skills.