PADI vs NAUI certifications, and onto AOW

[voop]

Also I heard that PADI rules do not allow you to use the word die, or death during a class.

Hmm, I just flipped through my PADI standards, and didn't see it mentioned anywhere. Nor do I remember having been told (during my IDC/IE or otherwise) not to say such things during a class, or indeed to have ever been given a list of "thinks I can say and things I cannot say". I also imagine that teaching a Rescue Diver class would be difficult without at least discussing "death" and "die"....

Nope, I don't think that PADI has that as a "rule"....

 

[scottyroz]

The biggest thing I always hear, is that PADI minimum standards are well below NAUI's. What I'm interested in, are the specific differences.

Sounds like brainwashing to me. Thats also a pretty bold statement to stand by if in the next breath you are asking for specific differences. I would not make a statement like that unless i knew for SURE that were the case. I would not be surprised if the standards were pretty close to being the same. Did not mean to start a war but i just dont like when people take hearsay for fact...

Back to the original post...i too believe its in the instructor as well as the dive shop that offers the course. If you trust the instructor and/or shop i would stay with them regardless of what they offer

 

[Detonate]

Excuse me, but where did I take hearseay as fact.

If you read my post, you'd see that I'm NOT taking hearsay for fact, and that I'm looking for someone to prove to me what I've heard in the past.

 

[RonFrank]

Hi.

I got NAUI certified a couple of years ago. While going through the certification, the shop (Beaches resort in Jamaica) had both NAUI and PADI. Not knowing a lot at the time, it was because the instructor/DM I had at the time was NAUI, so I went with the NAUI certification.

I had read the description on both PADI and NAUI on their web sites, but would like to know what the differences really are between their certifications. Also, to go to the next level for Advanced OW certification, what are the differences?

Thanks a lot.

By an instructor that is certified both PADI, and NAUI is that 1) NAUI does allow more freedom from the instructor stantpoint. What that actually means I have no idea. 2) NAUI does not require one to repeat the dives done in AOW as specialty dives. In PADI if one completes peak performance buoyancy in AOW it does not count as a speciality dive towards master diver..

I could be wrong on both counts, but that is what I have been told by instructors in our area.

What I have been also told and I believe is that the two programs are more similar than otherwise, and that the instructor is what makes the difference, and of course, what the student puts into the training.

 

[BDub]

Some differences between PADI and NAUI courses, that I am aware of:

PADI Open Water- 4 checkout dives
NAUI Scuba Diver Course- 5 checkout dives or 4 dives and 1 snorkel (I just do 5 dives)

PADI Advanced Open Water- 5 dives (deep, night, nav req'd, plus 2 electives)
NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver- 6 dives (deep, night, nav req'd, plus 2 electives)

PADI Master Diver- 5 Specialties and then pay for the Master Diver card (I believe)
NAUI Master Diver- A course requiring 8 dives (deep, night, rescue, navigation, and search and light salvage req'd, plus 3 elective dives) and several classroom sessions ranging from physics, physiology, seamanship, etc. This course can very much be tailored to the Master Diver candidate by the instructor, provided the req'd dives and academics are covered. Much of this course was very similar to the PADI Divemaster course I took a few years ago. The final test is very comprehensive and challenging.

This is just my own personal experience from assisting probably around 30 classes or so as a PADI Divemaster before becoming a NAUI Divemaster and eventually a NAUI instructor. The NAUI Divemaster is the equivalent of a PADI Assistant Instructor as well.

 

[uberspeed]

How does SSI compare? What about SDI?

 

[wolf eel]

I have to say again it is fun to have been away for a bit.
The difference is the instructor and thats it. P.A.D.I stays to one tune so all agencys are teaching the same. Repeditive teaching is a good thing. They do not teach about death and dieing because of how P.A.D.I came to be. It brought the world diving plain and simple if all you talked about was how fast you may could die the world would not be diving. Even though it can happen faster then most think.
Hey Cavegirl go and talk with the LDS you have and ask the instructor if the first thing they spew is hatred towards another agency find another LDS because the skills are the same its your choice choose who you feel you will learn from not just get your ticket.

 

[Hooked-Again]

I have been certified both NAUI and PADI and I do not recall anyone at PADI ever telling me not to say the word die. I have to say that both programs gave me similar information and skills. I would stress that it is the instructor that makes the difference not which program you chose.

 

[Diversion]

Some differences between PADI and NAUI courses, that I am aware of:

PADI Open Water- 4 checkout dives
NAUI Scuba Diver Course- 5 checkout dives or 4 dives and 1 snorkel (I just do 5 dives)

PADI Advanced Open Water- 5 dives (deep, night, nav req'd, plus 2 electives)
NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver- 6 dives (deep, night, nav req'd, plus 2 electives)

PADI Master Diver- 5 Specialties and then pay for the Master Diver card (I believe)
NAUI Master Diver- A course requiring 8 dives (deep, night, rescue, navigation, and search and light salvage req'd, plus 3 elective dives) and several classroom sessions ranging from physics, physiology, seamanship, etc. This course can very much be tailored to the Master Diver candidate by the instructor, provided the req'd dives and academics are covered. Much of this course was very similar to the PADI Divemaster course I took a few years ago. The final test is very comprehensive and challenging.

This is just my own personal experience from assisting probably around 30 classes or so as a PADI Divemaster before becoming a NAUI Divemaster and eventually a NAUI instructor. The NAUI Divemaster is the equivalent of a PADI Assistant Instructor as well.

The specialties in PADI AOW are 2 req'd (Nav, Deep) and 3 electives. The training is intro, you do not earn the specialty. Some instructors (the one I had) will count the work done on AOW intro specialties toward the full specialty cert if you finish all the remaining requirements for that specialty (and pay for the card...).

I also agree about the instructor. The instructor has more to do with the quality of your experience than the certifying agency. I have assisted many PADI instructors, and the divers they turn out have little to with PADI rules, but everything to do with how the instructor teaches and more importantly, relates to the students needs. Any shop that uses the claim of how they certify the *most divers a year* in their sales pitch should drop lower on your list.

 

[DiveGolfSki]

Hey Walter,

Ditto for me as well. It's a bit out of the way to the NAUI shop, but they offer intro classes to get a feel for tec diving without getting wet.

Cheers,

Jack

I agree with you Jack. NAUI, I hear, is light years ahead in terms of tech (NAUI Tech) and decompression (they've adopted Dr. Wienke's RGBM standards).

As far the recreational side, NAUI or PADI??? Everyone is spot on with the instructor view. Besides, it's kinda like arguing between Microsoft and Apple.