Divemaster... PADI Vs. NAUI

I will be starting divemaster very soon. I am torn between PADI and NAUI. Both seen like good programs. I have gotten very good prices for both. I am just wanting some advice here.

Would you rather follow a rigid program or would you like freedom to develop your own course?

Talk to the Instructors of each course, ask them questions, tell them what you think being a DM is. Listen to each,then make the decision based on which instructor fits you, not price or agency.

Or just go NAUI.

Also consider if you want to do this for fun or for work. If for fun than pick whichever. Both will be good programs so long as the instructors are good. If you want to do this for work, look at the options you have with each in the area you want to work. For example, in Central Florida NAUI and PADI both have a strong market, but that may not be the case in your area, or the area you might be looking to work in.

Also, I am not sure which dive agency you are currently certified through. If you go through the NAUI DM and are not a NAUI Master Scuba Diver, you will have to also take that class before they let you take the NAUI DM course. In the NAUI program the diving theory (physics, physiology, etc) is taught there. This may add cost that you are not aware of. With PADI it is taught at the DM level.

If you plan on going on to instructor, also consider if you would like to be an instructor for just one of the agencies or both. If both, ask around and see what the NAUI Instructor crossover is costing in your area. It may be cheaper to go PADI first then do the NAUI Instructor crossover course. Keep in mind that PADI doesn't really do a "crossover." You would have to go through the whole IDC like everybody else. So there is typically not a discount for crossover into PADI, unless the Course Director just wants to be very nice.

I went through the same thing you are pondering now. I just made sure to ask each instructor what the courses entailed, how they were structured, etc and made my choice from that.

Good luck to you, whichever route you choose.

Walter:

Would you rather follow a rigid program or would you like freedom to develop your own course?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure how this would apply here. Are you saying that in taking the DM course under NAUI he would develop his own course of what he is being taught along the way? I would have thought that NAUI already has it's own course that a person would be taught. Or do you mean that the instructor he will be learning from will have some freedom in the course material that is being taught?

Another thing to keep in mind is that a Padi DM you will be able to teach a few different classes. I know that you will be able to teach or do scuba experiences for people. Naui will not allow this till you are an instructor. I remember there being a few others that you can teach as a Padi DM but I don't recall right now what they are. I don't have my books in front of me. Maybe someone else can chime in and verify it for me.

Find a good mentor and go with whatever agency he/she is associated with....

BDSC:

I'm not sure how this would apply here. Are you saying that in taking the DM course under NAUI he would develop his own course of what he is being taught along the way? I would have thought that NAUI already has it's own course that a person would be taught. Or do you mean that the instructor he will be learning from will have some freedom in the course material that is being taught?

Click to expand...

or that as a (potential) future instructor he'd have the flexibility to develop his own courses.

BDSC:

I'm not sure how this would apply here.

Click to expand...

It applies. DM is almost always a transitional step to instructor.

BDSC:

Are you saying that in taking the DM course under NAUI he would develop his own course of what he is being taught along the way?

Click to expand...

No. Don't be silly.

BDSC:

I would have thought that NAUI already has it's own course that a person would be taught. Or do you mean that the instructor he will be learning from will have some freedom in the course material that is being taught?

Click to expand...

NAUI has standards for each of its courses. As long as those standards are met or exceeded, an instructor can develop his own course. PADI, OTOH, has very rigid standards, requiring specific skills to be taught at specific times. PADI instructors teach a PADI course, NAUI instructors follow NAUI stanards to teach their own course. NAUI is extremely flexible, PADI is extremely rigid. Some folks like to teach one way, others like to teach the other. When making this decision, it's important to know where you'll be a better fit. If you like to follow rules, go with PADI. If you are imaginative, creative and think outside the box NAUI is a better choice.

Of course, those are not the only two options. I personally wouldn't be happy in either agency, although NAUI would suit me better than PADI.

You will probably taken more seriously by experienced divers and professional organizations like the American Academy of Underwater Sciences or the local university with a NAUI certification.

If you want to be a dive resort slave or just teach people basic SCUBA than PADi seems to offer more opportunity.