PADI vs NAUI

I am looking at taking a class I see that some shops are offering PADI certification and others are offering NAUI cerification. What is the difference?

My goal is to be able to go on vacation and dive without having to follow an instructor. Understand decrompression, safety and diving technics to have an enjoyable and safe dive. What should I get? OW PADI? NAUI?

Thanks!

lucioles --

Which agency you go with isn't really important. They all have pretty much the same standards of training. What is important is that you get an instructor that will take the time to teach you well and a shop that will treat you fairly.

I suggest you read some of the recent threads here and use that information to get a sense of the things you need to ask about and look for.

they are both recognized worldwide and will fulfill your goals. you will probably get strong opinions on both agencies and many more. i learned recreational diving from the navy but got no c-card. years later i took the naui open water to get a cert card. and i am now a padi owsi. i dont want to upset a bunch of people, but for what you want, they are to similiar to argue. go with the lds that seems the most professional, cheapist, has the hottest instructors or whatever. i dont think it really matters for what you are looking for. both are recognized professional agencys. im sure many disagree with me.

"They all have pretty much the same standards of training."

There are actually very large differences between the two. OTOH, those differences can disappear because of how individual instructors conduct their classes. It's always best to interview potential instructors to see what they teach. Agency is merely one factor to consider. Keep in mind, there are other options. NAUI and PADI are merely two of many recognized agencies. Look here for another option.

Instructors matter ... but there are some differences in the agency.

Don't look for cheap if you want a real education ... you typically get what you pay for, and the cheap courses will only provide you with a barebones minimum education (and sometimes they'll even cut corners on that).

I am currently in a position where I can compare both the NAUI and YMCA OW programs ... this month I'm DM'ing for an OW class for each. I think they're both good programs ... but the YMCA program is more intensive. While they both teach basically the same curriculum, the YMCA provides more class time and more pool time ... they'll also make you work harder to get that C-card (given comparably consciencious instructors). I have no experience with PADI ... but last weeka friend of mine who was recently PADI certified sat in on one of our NAUI classes (this one covered decompression and physiology) and said our class went into a lot more detail than his did ... take that single data point for whatever you think it's worth ... most likely it reflected the differences in instructors rather than in agencies.

If you have the option, shop around ... check out what each program offers. Cost should be a secondary concern, unless all you really want is a C-card with minimal effort ... which I wouldn't recommend given that in scuba ignorance can kill you.

Interview the instructor ... if the shop LDS has a problem with that, keep shopping. One of the first questions you should ask is how many dives (not counting training classes) this instructor has done ... instructors who have gone quickly from OW to instructor will typically lack the experience to put the curriculum into perspective ... they'll often give you little that you can't get from reading the book, and there's a whole lot more that an instructor should be providing. Also ask how often the instructor dives, not counting training classes. Typically the best instructors are those who just love to dive ... because their passion shows up in how much emphasis they place on turning out good divers rather than simply in cranking students thru the mill.

Best of luck ... frankly, there are good and bad instructors out there in every program. I personally like the YMCA curriculum for Open Water ... but then I was fortunate enough to have an instructor who teaches well beyond the minimum requirements.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

http://reef-divers.com/padi_ow.pdf

I have posted the curriculum for the PADI O/W diver class at the link above. It is a pretty extensive list of things the divers must do before certification.

*IF* the instructor ensures that s/he covers all this stuff the diver will have a good solid base.

Also, I agree that if you choose NAUI you will be properly trained *IF* that instructor follows the NAUI curriculum.

First, please understand that there are more players than just NAUI and PADI. In fact, of all the major players, PADI is the most recent.

For the record, John Cronin, the former NAUI instructor who started PADI, has recently died. He was a great pioneer in recreational scuba diving, and he built a world-wide empire unrivaled by his predicessors in NAUI, YMCA, or SSI. Enough said.

Second, please note that there are many instructors currently in NAUI, YMCA, SSI, and PADI that cross-certified from other agencies. And that really muddies the difference between them.

Ultimately, your diving skill will depend on your specific instructor, not the agency he/she is certified with.

Ultimately as well, the quality of your gear and your diving opportunities will depend on the dive store that you will frequent.

If I myself were rating these particular diver instruction programs, I would rate them like this:

NAUI
SSI
YMCA
PADI

But they each have their pros and cons.

First, gear. Where I live, the very best gear is available at an SSI store. That store also has their own on-site pool. That store and their instructors are just as good as any other store around, but their gear is probably superior. They offer ScubaPro, Zeagle, Sherwood, Oceanic, and more. That is practically the whole spectrum of gear. They do a lot of business, and so they can afford to carry a lot of different lines.

The main danger to avoid is from a store that only offers a few lines, and then they pressure you into buying their specific brands of gear alone, without giving you a choice. And if they dont have an on-site maintenance technician, then they can be a hazard to you, if they sell you gear that you cant easily get repaired or maintained locally.

Second, instructors. I classify SSI and YMCA instructors as fairly similar. They both use a fairly rigorous fixed program for training, and they both work hard and give you a lot of diving time to train you. Thats not to say that PADI instructors dont. There are a lot of extremely good PADI instructors out there teaching. Some of them even crossed over to PADI from NAUI or SSI or YMCA.

So what about PADI? Their main advantage is that they are the giant, especially internationally. When you go to book your international travel, you will have more resort choices if you book through PADI. Ouch! I hate that! But its true. And dive travel is a big part of scuba diving.

PADI's best instruction is in their Rescue class and also in their DiveMaster program. Nobody teaches a better rescue class than PADI. And nobody's divemasters are better trained than PADI's.

Finally, what about NAUI? We tell people that WE are the best training agency. We take great pride in that. Then we attempt to prove it by customizing our dive traing for each individual student in our classes. And we give them an many dives as they need to get them where they want to be. I am biased, so dont take my own word for it.

You have to choose for yourself. Shop around. Take a few courses from each. Then make up your own mind for your own reasons. It will mostly depend on the local instructors and the local stores available to you. Only you can find out who is the best in your neighborhood.

DeepTechScuba,

I'll have to differ with your opinions on rating the agencies. YMCA and SSI are not alike in philosophy. I haven't studied SSI standards, so I can't really comment on SSI's quality. I have studied the other 3. IMO, YMCA is a better program than NAUI, which is, IMO, a better program than PADI. I base that on how comprehensive the standards of the 3 agencies are. On what are you basing your ratings? Agency is merely one consideration as individual instructors for any agency can make a course better or worse than an average course found in that particular agency. While I'd look at the agency, I certainly wouldn't vase my decision on it.

When you say, "Nobody teaches a better rescue class than PADI. And nobody's divemasters are better trained than PADI's.", I'm led to believe you haven't compared rescue or divemaster courses.

The statement, "When you go to book your international travel, you will have more resort choices if you book through PADI.", is simply misleading. You can book at a PADI (or any other resort) regardless of the agency through which you are certified. There is one resort on Roatan that doesn't accept SSI, but that's a fluke.

This may seem like a very simplistic way of looking at it ... but when I was doing a bit of research on it I found NAUI to be a little more technical .. I was advsd that if I ever wanted to incorporate diving into my career NAUI was the way to go .. it is more recognized amongst police forces, firefighters...etc.
I found PADI to be more widely recognized (as previously mentioned) in the dive travel industry.
This seems to be the best way to go if you just want to be a strictly recreational ,weekend and holiday diver

Ask other divers in your area which shop is the best to deal with and for recommendations for an outstanding instructor.

I'm much more concerned with the quality of the instructor than the agency they represent.