PADI vs NAUI

[Goose75]

I assume that skinautique has already found the answer but for others who may be viewing with the same question, here is my two cents.

You are new to diving and probably just interested in recreation for now. Both will take care of that admirably. Instructors and shops can vary in how much service they give you. Pick based on how you feel about those two variables. When you know more about what diving attitude and skills you want, you can take additional training in whichever one suits you best.

 

[AllenSmith]

Hello,
My wife, son and I are going to take SCUBA lessons very soon. We have both NAUI and PADI centers near us. Can anyone explain the differences,if any, between the two.
Thank You

Although instructors vary, the NAUI open water course is usually more rigorous than the PADI open water course. The NAUI course is better for someone who wants to do a lot of diving right away. The PADI course teaches you enough to get a little experience and then decide if you want to go further. If you want to do deep dives or night dives, you then take the PADI advanced course. Personally, I prefer PADI's gradual approach. Because of it, I have advanced, one step at a time, to Master SCUBA Diver. My wife took the NAUI open water course and was thoroughly turned off by its demands.

 

[cowboyneal]

Is this like the weekly argument? Personally, I think PADI would win in baseball but NAUI would probably take them in soccer...Actually, and just as a commentary, I do not think a certified open water diver or advanced open water or whatever they call it now has taken a rigorous anything, whether it be PADI, NAUI, YMCA, SSI or whatevertheyouknowwhat...I say get about 100-200 dives under your wetsuit including drift dives in 12-16 foot seas and fast currents, and some blackout condition lake dives, and a few night dives when no one had any business being out there at all (and there was not anyone else except for you and the 2 other nuts you went with) and then throw in a few surge dives where you almost lose your arms trying to hang on for life...then get lost a few dozen times, lose the boat a few other times, get stuck drifting on a broken boat for 6 or 8 hours at sea a couple times and a bunch of other configurations (these were just a few examples), and then you have some rigorous training going there...just in my opinion...

CN