PADI vs NAUI

[strainul]

Hi, I am new to diving and new to this board. I know the question PADI vs NAUI has been asked many times before, and I have read those threads. Still, I couldn't find an answer to my question. So, please don't beat me over the head with "do a search", I did. I found many friendly and helpful answers, but everyone talks about how the instructor matters and the agency does not as long as it is a widely recognized one. I agree on the instructor part, but I am still confused over the agency part. Is there any good reason to choose one over the other?
I just received my certification this summer while on vacation in Mexico. I have 4 OW dives in my log, so I am clueless and dangerous, I know. My instructor was certified in both PADI and NAUI and couldn't really give me a reason as to why to choose one over the other. He said he would be teaching me the same things, the only difference would be the card I'd be carying. I chose NAUI because it was a bit cheaper. Now I wonder... Will it be more difficult to get a tank? Are there "PADI only" shops that will turn me away because I carry a NAUI card? Would a PADI owned decompression facility not help me because my card does not say PADI?
Again, is there any good reason to choose one over the other? Is there any good reason to get both?Thank you all!

 

[rookers]

The short answer is no, there is no good reason for you to choose one over the other. The PADI shop will happily rent you gear, fill your tanks, take you to the dive site and drop you in the water. They may even pick you up and take you to shore again. Get comfortable with the people involved at whatever place you do business with and mostly ignore the agency.

 

[Footslogger]

In some cases it comes down to what is available ...plain and simple.

When I got certified in south Florida (1971) the only dive shop in the area had a NAUI affiliation ...so NAUI it was !!

Later on afer several relocations I found myself in the Atlanta area and could only find PADI shops ...so PADI it was !!


'Slogger

 

[talonraid]

It shouldn't matter which agency is on your certification card, especially well known ones like PADI, SSI or NAUI...I doubt any dive shop will turn down your money when you go to get air, or sign up for a dive because you don't have their name on your card.

I went throught the same dilemma when I was deciding on OW classes. I finally chose a shop that had a great recommendation from some of my friends. Interestingly enough it had been a PADI shop for years and had recently switched over to SSI. It was the same instructors teaching the SSI program that had been certifying PADI divers before. And for the record, I think it's really the instructors that make the difference.

Also, since getting cerified by SSI I have moved away from the original dive shop that certified me. The local SSI shops in my new town do not impress me. Their are two decent PADI shop here that have already offered speacialty classes and said the original certification agency makes no difference.

I hope this helps.

 

[cerich]

Hi, I am new to diving and new to this board. I know the question PADI vs NAUI has been asked many times before, and I have read those threads. Still, I couldn't find an answer to my question. So, please don't beat me over the head with "do a search", I did. I found many friendly and helpful answers, but everyone talks about how the instructor matters and the agency does not as long as it is a widely recognized one. I agree on the instructor part, but I am still confused over the agency part. Is there any good reason to choose one over the other?
I just received my certification this summer while on vacation in Mexico. I have 4 OW dives in my log, so I am clueless and dangerous, I know. My instructor was certified in both PADI and NAUI and couldn't really give me a reason as to why to choose one over the other. He said he would be teaching me the same things, the only difference would be the card I'd be carying. I chose NAUI because it was a bit cheaper. Now I wonder... Will it be more difficult to get a tank? Are there "PADI only" shops that will turn me away because I carry a NAUI card? Would a PADI owned decompression facility not help me because my card does not say PADI?
Again, is there any good reason to choose one over the other? Is there any good reason to get both?Thank you all!

Not really, I teach for both as well. I suspect that your instructor really did teach the same for both as you got a NAUI card and only did 4 dives. NAUI require 5 and your instructor broke standards.

NAUI and PADI cards are both well known and you'll never have an issue.

Welcome to the rest of us bubbleheads and keep on diving and having fun, that's what is important!

 

[rawls]

I have most of my certs through PADI and have been happy with them...I have my tech certs through TDI and am happy with them...Both of my instructors are fantastic. My LDS...Discovery Diving in Beaufort, NC throws in an offshore dive with certification...No extra charge...
I have no experience with NAUI but I have heard it is a great organization...I guess the bottom line is...no...it doesn't matter...

 

[Walter]

Now I wonder... Will it be more difficult to get a tank?

Absolutely not. It's equally easy to rent or buy a tank with either card.

Are there "PADI only" shops that will turn me away because I carry a NAUI card?

Nope, they are in the business of catering to divers and accept lots of different cards from lots of different agencies. Any shop that did so would be giving business to the competition. It ain't gonna happen.

Would a PADI owned decompression facility not help me because my card does not say PADI?

There are no agency specific decompression facilities. If there were, it still wouldn't be an issue.

Again, is there any good reason to choose one over the other? Is there any good reason to get both?Thank you all!

Possibly, but you have to define what you consider to be a good reason. Judging from your questions, I believe your answer would probably be no.

 

[webjr]

is there any good reason to choose one over the other?

An agency is good for only 2 things.

1. Printing cards.
2. Support material. (manuals,videos,etc...)

As everyone else has pointed out, a card is a card is a card....
As for the manuals and videos, I've heard that PADI publications
are superior to all others. Since I've never worked with both, perhaps someone crosstrained in both could chime in with a review of both agencies manuals and such?
That's the only thing I could imagine that would make one agency
"better" than another.

 

[strainul]

Wow! Thank you all so much, this has been really helpful and it put my mind at ease.

Not really, I teach for both as well. I suspect that your instructor really did teach the same for both as you got a NAUI card and only did 4 dives. NAUI require 5 and your instructor broke standards.

I appologize, I did not count the skin dive where my instructor has asked me to bring him a coin he threw in 15ft deep water ...and didn't allow me even a mask...
I've been skindiving since I was 5 and I went up to 30ft when I was young and fit. I boasted this to my instructor and he challenged me (read "punished"). Still a walk in the park...the water was crystal clear and the sun was shining just right.:14:

[edit] Oh, yeah, I also forgot the "orientation" dive...using the compas and finding the place where we started... I was so excited about the reef dives, this was "just" teaching and it only lasted about 15 minutes at about 15-20 ft. He did break protocol though, because we reached 72 ft on my 4th dive, and if I remember right, I shouldn't have gone past 60 at this stage. I figured since it was just the 2 of us and my third dive lasted 47 minutes on one tank(and I am a smoker), he felt confortable enough with me to take me that deep.

 

[Crawl79]

As a traveling diver and not really having a LDS because I'm never home I have cards from different agencys (PADI, SSI) and have not had any trouble anywhere in the world. I like PADI because they certify people all over the world but taking the SSI course I liked the way they took experience more seriously and had minimum experince for their advanced courses.