PADI vs NAUI

[divemed06]

I'm PADI. I have 7 "official" buddies/friends that I would trust my life with and who are very skilled divers. 2 are PADI, 1 is NAUI, 2 are SSI, 1 is ACUC and 1 is PDIC. We all had really good instructors and we all take the sport seriously. That being said, sure we have certain differences of opinion when it comes to certain things but who doesn't. Whatever you decide, choose a good instructor (talk to the various instructors and try to gain a sense of how they would teach), take your training seriously, always try to learn more than what is "required" (at least knowledge wise) and have fun!

 

[GQMedic]

*tilt*

NAUI, SSI, SDI, SSA, YMCA, PADI, PDIC, Joes Scuba Agency..
Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota... What's your pleasure?

 

[AliKat]

Well, not to sound like a broken record, but I have to agree with most everyone else here...interview the instructors. I wish someone had given me this advice when I started!

I have gone from OW through DM and have had 5 different instructors, all PADI. And although 4 out 5 were great instructors, if I didn't know they were PADI, and had to guess by their teaching techniques, I would guess they were all from different agencies. But, I will have to admit, one of the most thorough ones, was a crossover from SSI; and she and her husband (also SSI trained) are two of my all time favorite dive buddies.

So again, interview the instructors. Things I would have looked for had I known 11 years ago; patience (my OW instructor had none), will they NOT certify someone (I probably should not have been certified, but didn't know it at the time), and how long is the course. There will be a lot of opinions on this board about minimum times, but I think most will agree, avoid the weekend wonders. You just can't get properly certified in one weekend.

And, depending on what is available in your area, don't limit yourself to PADI and NAUI. Check them all out.

 

[freedive]

I agree that the INSTRUCTOR makes ALL the difference in the world when selecting where to become certified, although here is another reason to consider SSI for your certification:


**Top Marks for SSI**

The award-winning open-water training materials of Scuba Schools International recently received high praise when reviewed by a panel of divers for Rodale’s Scuba Diving magazine. The SSI open-water training system was also awarded a gold medal by Skin Diver magazine in the early 90’s. The reviewers highlighted the Open Water Diver Video for its “professional appearance” and summary of key points from the student manual. When the Open Water Diver materials were introduced in 1990 it was the only training system that incorporated full-motion video. In 2001 SSI’s open-water training system was reviewed by the American Council on Education and recommended for college credit reinforcing the quality of SSI’s Open Water Diver program.

Hope this helps

 

[James connell]

This is a recomendation??????

freedive once bubbled...

The award-winning open-water training materials of Scuba Schools International recently received high praise when reviewed by a panel of divers for Rodale’s Scuba Diving magazine.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Very few people could actually learn to scuba dive properly in two days ... and nobody can learn everything you need to know academically from a CD.

That's why you need to shop around ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[japan-diver]

I would have to agree with most of what was said, the agency of your instructor is not the most important but the quality of your instructor is. Interview and ask the instructors the following questions:

How long have you diving? (Like to see a couple years here in the answer)
How often do you dive? Would like to see a few times a month here
How long have you been teaching? Would like to see a few years here also.
Will the instructor have certified assistants (not just divemasters in training)in the water with him/her?- Should be at least one

Other questions about safety record, extra dives if needed, has the instructor ever not-certified someone- (the answer here should be yes-if an instructor has taught for awhile he/she has had customers that shouldn't be certified and he should have told them so)
The course should be longer than two days, and time should be spent in lecture, pool and open water.

Your instructor and shop should have professional air and not be afraid to answer any and all questions about the course and there instructors.

 

[captjohnr]

Anyone that would use my website as bad advice is a Jackass, I do not know this person and he does not know me, but using my site as a bad example shows his incompetence. What courses does he teach? Is he an instructor? I think he is just a "deadhead" fan that dives, so anyone that would take his advice is a Jackass, likewise. Scubatampa.com

This ... http://www.scubatampa.com/faqs2day.html ... is an example of what you should avoid.

Very few people could actually learn to scuba dive properly in two days ... and nobody can learn everything you need to know academically from a CD.

By comparison, this ... http://www.bubblesbelow.com/Education Pages/Open Water/OW Std Group.htm ... is also a PADI OW class.

Note the differences in format, class time, and pool time.

That's why you need to shop around ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Doc]

Anyone that would use my website as bad advice is a Jackass, I do not know this person and he does not know me, but using my site as a bad example shows his incompetence. What courses does he teach? Is he an instructor? I think he is just a "deadhead" fan that dives, so anyone that would take his advice is a Jackass, likewise. Scubatampa.com

NWGrapefruit Diver? He's the Deadhead Jackass that taught Jerry Garcia to dive.

Or he's the instructor that taught that guy from Jackass to dive.

One or the other.

Something like that.

2 days? No kidding? Do you get the patch? Can we "touch" that Manatees? (know what I mean?)

This is really great. Finally- we're going to find out what certification is better, YMCA or Orange County. How's my Chicago Park District Cert rate?

 

[AndyNZ]

Anyone that would use my website as bad advice is a Jackass, I do not know this person and he does not know me, but using my site as a bad example shows his incompetence. What courses does he teach? Is he an instructor? I think he is just a "deadhead" fan that dives, so anyone that would take his advice is a Jackass, likewise. Scubatampa.com

Miaaaaaow. Someone with a sense of humour breakdown? Or maybe just a bit tetchy?

I'd have to agree with Bob's original point of view - hoping that a student will pick up everything they need theory wise on their own is pretty optimistic. Don't get me wrong, the PADI O/W CDROM is an awesome addition to the learning tools, but it's still only part of the arsenal. Where's the reinforcement of the knowledge learned? Where's the application? Where's the instructors verification of student knowledge?

And doing four dives each day - it doesn't matter to me that two of them are C/W, that's going to be tiring on the students. In my experience, tired students just don't retain what they learn.

Learning to dive in two days is feasible, for some - but for the majority it's too short.