beachbum250ex
New
SSI specialty diver wanting to go pro. What are the steps? How long does it take? My certification organization is ssi, would i need to go padi or naui? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
How to go pro
- Thread starter beachbum250ex
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koozemani
Contributor
The SSI site has the basic info. # of dives, # of specialty Certs, which Certs, etc...
I teach SSI, though assistant instructor (Dive Control Specialist).
The first step on the SSI Pro ladder is Dive Guide. To begin the program you must be 18, have a current medical signoff, be an Advanced or Master Diver, have at a minimum 40 dives and 25 hours bottom time, have experience in navigation, night, deep, and boat diving, and have completed the Stress & Rescue course.
And, of course, you'll have to find someone willing to take you on as a candidate. I assume that if you had an SSI shop nearby, you'd be asking your questions there. You can of course go pro with another agency if that better meets your needs.
SSI Dive Guides can lead certified divers on dives and can teach Snorkeling courses after passing the Snorkel Instructor module.
The next steps in SSI are Divemaster and Dive Control Specialist. SSI has more info on their website, or you can ask questions here (or in the SSI forum, under Q&A for Agencies).
Hope this helps,
Bryan
The first step on the SSI Pro ladder is Dive Guide. To begin the program you must be 18, have a current medical signoff, be an Advanced or Master Diver, have at a minimum 40 dives and 25 hours bottom time, have experience in navigation, night, deep, and boat diving, and have completed the Stress & Rescue course.
And, of course, you'll have to find someone willing to take you on as a candidate. I assume that if you had an SSI shop nearby, you'd be asking your questions there. You can of course go pro with another agency if that better meets your needs.
SSI Dive Guides can lead certified divers on dives and can teach Snorkeling courses after passing the Snorkel Instructor module.
The next steps in SSI are Divemaster and Dive Control Specialist. SSI has more info on their website, or you can ask questions here (or in the SSI forum, under Q&A for Agencies).
Hope this helps,
Bryan
wpbdivegirl
Guest
At this point you still have the option to switch agencies easily... I suggest you step up a notch or two. PADI or NAUI would be a better option. PADI the biggest, NAUi the best. Choose wisely young grasshopper
Some of the three main agencies have been mentioned and I would take a look as well depending on where you are thinking of teaching, the most recognized certifications in that area. With so much to choose from with regards to schools and courses, do your research and good luck with your future diving career! I'm not stepping into the PADI versus Naui versus SSi argument as they are all good agencies and I am sure you will here plenty of that down the road : )
if you plan to teach at the ssi facility then its ssi.
if you want to be able to have a better chance of finding a job at a lds then padi as they have name recognition and many more lds are padi.
With padi you can also be a independent instr,with ssi you cannot.
If it is a naui facility you have lined up to teach at then naui..agency affiliation really does not matter.It truly comes down to how good an instructor you can be and if you want to find work and make some kind of money at this .
Or just become the kind of instructor that may teach 1 or 2 classes a year and complain about the high cost of insurance and that what you make teaching barely cover insurance costs.
Make no mistake about it, becoming an instructor should be treated as a business,with the professionalism/ effort /time/expense that goes with it , to be successful.
if you want to be able to have a better chance of finding a job at a lds then padi as they have name recognition and many more lds are padi.
With padi you can also be a independent instr,with ssi you cannot.
If it is a naui facility you have lined up to teach at then naui..agency affiliation really does not matter.It truly comes down to how good an instructor you can be and if you want to find work and make some kind of money at this .
Or just become the kind of instructor that may teach 1 or 2 classes a year and complain about the high cost of insurance and that what you make teaching barely cover insurance costs.
Make no mistake about it, becoming an instructor should be treated as a business,with the professionalism/ effort /time/expense that goes with it , to be successful.
DevonDiver
N/A
​A few factors for the potential dive pro to consider:
1. Cross-overs. Once you become an instructor, you can cross-over your qualifications into SSI or NAUI, but there is no cross-over into PADI. Every PADI instructor has to do the IDC/IE. In that sense, there are advantages to getting PADI qualified first, then simply conducting cross-overs into any other agencies you are interested in.
2. Market. PADI dominate the global market for training. This means there are more PADI dive centres around the world...and consequently, more jobs for PADI instructors and more demand for PADI courses. Basically, it's generally easier to find work as a PADI instructor, than with another agency.
3. Working Options. PADI allows instructors to work independently, which allows the option of being freelance and doing ad-hoc work, such as training your family and friends. SSI demands that you have to teach through a scuba shop - the shop has to process your certifications. Not sure about NAUI.
4. Course Structure. PADI and SSI are virtually identical to teach. They are all generally structured by adherence to WRSTC standards. However, SSI offer slightly more flexibility to the instructor in course scheduling. Not sure about NAUI.
5. Instructor Support. I've found that PADI don't do much to support or value the individual instructor. They're a big company and instructors don't feature much in priorities - they value and support dive centres more. When I've taught for SSI, I had a much better relationship with the regional ownership/management and a lot more support from them. I enjoyed that relationship with SSI, but don't know if that quality relationship would be echoed in every region/situation. I worked in Thailand with SSI.
6. Cost. PADI are probably the most expensive mainstream agency to be a part of. Costs include annual membership, instructor materials and the cost of student materials to the instructor. SSI was a lot cheaper for me, in Thailand... and I got a lot of stuff as 'freebies' when I joined (instructor manuals etc). Again, not sure how NAUI do it.
1. Cross-overs. Once you become an instructor, you can cross-over your qualifications into SSI or NAUI, but there is no cross-over into PADI. Every PADI instructor has to do the IDC/IE. In that sense, there are advantages to getting PADI qualified first, then simply conducting cross-overs into any other agencies you are interested in.
2. Market. PADI dominate the global market for training. This means there are more PADI dive centres around the world...and consequently, more jobs for PADI instructors and more demand for PADI courses. Basically, it's generally easier to find work as a PADI instructor, than with another agency.
3. Working Options. PADI allows instructors to work independently, which allows the option of being freelance and doing ad-hoc work, such as training your family and friends. SSI demands that you have to teach through a scuba shop - the shop has to process your certifications. Not sure about NAUI.
4. Course Structure. PADI and SSI are virtually identical to teach. They are all generally structured by adherence to WRSTC standards. However, SSI offer slightly more flexibility to the instructor in course scheduling. Not sure about NAUI.
5. Instructor Support. I've found that PADI don't do much to support or value the individual instructor. They're a big company and instructors don't feature much in priorities - they value and support dive centres more. When I've taught for SSI, I had a much better relationship with the regional ownership/management and a lot more support from them. I enjoyed that relationship with SSI, but don't know if that quality relationship would be echoed in every region/situation. I worked in Thailand with SSI.
6. Cost. PADI are probably the most expensive mainstream agency to be a part of. Costs include annual membership, instructor materials and the cost of student materials to the instructor. SSI was a lot cheaper for me, in Thailand... and I got a lot of stuff as 'freebies' when I joined (instructor manuals etc). Again, not sure how NAUI do it.
Why NAUI ???
NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) is the oldest nationally-recognized diver training and certification agency in the world, formed in 1960. Traditionally, NAUI's standards have always been and still are higher than any other agency of its kind in the world.
All NASA astronauts are NAUI certified divers!
That should tell you something about NAUI.
NAUI always has and still does place more emphasis on rescue in its training....creating safer, more skilled divers. Anyone who knows the proper techniques and methods to rescue themselves or a fellow diver is ultimately a better diver for themselves and anyone they dive with!
NAUI allows its instructors to teach independent of any retail dive shop if they choose to do so, which means there are many NAUI instructors teaching today who are not obligated to direct their students to a specific facility for purchasing gear. More choices of where they choose to send their students for such purchases is often beneficial to those students.
NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) is the oldest nationally-recognized diver training and certification agency in the world, formed in 1960. Traditionally, NAUI's standards have always been and still are higher than any other agency of its kind in the world.
All NASA astronauts are NAUI certified divers!
That should tell you something about NAUI.
NAUI always has and still does place more emphasis on rescue in its training....creating safer, more skilled divers. Anyone who knows the proper techniques and methods to rescue themselves or a fellow diver is ultimately a better diver for themselves and anyone they dive with!
NAUI allows its instructors to teach independent of any retail dive shop if they choose to do so, which means there are many NAUI instructors teaching today who are not obligated to direct their students to a specific facility for purchasing gear. More choices of where they choose to send their students for such purchases is often beneficial to those students.
DevonDiver
N/A
Not wanting to disparage NAUI, or cause an agency vs agency slanging match, but a few issues:
CMAS is older and it is internationally recognised (not nationally). Formed in January 1959.
BSAC was founded in 1953. It maintains a status as a membership based 'club', rather than an agency. However, it does issue recognised certifications. It is also non-profit However, it's club status tends to mean that other agencies can make grandiose and inaccurate claims, based on some very technically precise differentiations in their statements.
Of course, 'not being American' tends to mean these two certifying bodies tend to get forgotten.
"of its kind" - that term really tends to create a flexibility of interpretation that can be misleading. i.e. It has the highest standards of any national, non-profit scuba training agency? Or any existing scuba training agency? Nationally? Internationally?
What standards? In what context? Are we talking about a comprehensive training syllabus? A policy approach to instructor standards, ensuring commonality and consistency on a global basis? A robust and internationally recognised Quality Assurance system? An office memo on politeness in the workplace? What???
They had to choose an agency to affiliate with. They made a decision at a point in time, that reflected national options. What were the other national
options available... I can't think of many?
British Military clubs choose BSAC... and it's patroned by the Royal Family.
Lots of institutions use CMAS.
PADI has accreditation with various College Credit schemes etc
Not wanting to be argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.... but it really doesn't.
That's a grand claim. Safer and more skilled than what? Or who? More emphasis than what? Or who?
PADI and SSI use a modular system. NAUI use a single-approach with front loaded skills. The modular system is generally preferred in many areas of teaching and training - so why is there a presumption that NAUI's front-ended approach is better?
Also, is this really comparing like-for-like? Are we comparing a PADI 4-dive OW graduate against a X, Y or Z dive NAUI graduate?
To make any claim on safety, you really need to produce some verified accident/incident statistics that show a correlation between agency training and incident rates. Can you do so?
Genuinely interested - can you explain the NAUI course syllabus structure, so that we can see how these skills are introduced and at what standards?
As do PADI. Even with SSI, I was never under an obligation to "direct students to a specific facility for purchasing gear". Such issues tend to be individual shop policies. Even independent instructors are likely to have commission based relationships with dive retailers - which will influence where they recommend students purchase from. Basically... this is a non-issue.
CMAS is older and it is internationally recognised (not nationally). Formed in January 1959.
BSAC was founded in 1953. It maintains a status as a membership based 'club', rather than an agency. However, it does issue recognised certifications. It is also non-profit However, it's club status tends to mean that other agencies can make grandiose and inaccurate claims, based on some very technically precise differentiations in their statements.
Of course, 'not being American' tends to mean these two certifying bodies tend to get forgotten.
"of its kind" - that term really tends to create a flexibility of interpretation that can be misleading. i.e. It has the highest standards of any national, non-profit scuba training agency? Or any existing scuba training agency? Nationally? Internationally?
What standards? In what context? Are we talking about a comprehensive training syllabus? A policy approach to instructor standards, ensuring commonality and consistency on a global basis? A robust and internationally recognised Quality Assurance system? An office memo on politeness in the workplace? What???
They had to choose an agency to affiliate with. They made a decision at a point in time, that reflected national options. What were the other national
options available... I can't think of many?
British Military clubs choose BSAC... and it's patroned by the Royal Family.
Lots of institutions use CMAS.
PADI has accreditation with various College Credit schemes etc
Not wanting to be argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.... but it really doesn't.
That's a grand claim. Safer and more skilled than what? Or who? More emphasis than what? Or who?
PADI and SSI use a modular system. NAUI use a single-approach with front loaded skills. The modular system is generally preferred in many areas of teaching and training - so why is there a presumption that NAUI's front-ended approach is better?
Also, is this really comparing like-for-like? Are we comparing a PADI 4-dive OW graduate against a X, Y or Z dive NAUI graduate?
To make any claim on safety, you really need to produce some verified accident/incident statistics that show a correlation between agency training and incident rates. Can you do so?
Genuinely interested - can you explain the NAUI course syllabus structure, so that we can see how these skills are introduced and at what standards?
As do PADI. Even with SSI, I was never under an obligation to "direct students to a specific facility for purchasing gear". Such issues tend to be individual shop policies. Even independent instructors are likely to have commission based relationships with dive retailers - which will influence where they recommend students purchase from. Basically... this is a non-issue.
DevonDiver
N/A
Some links with more info and facts on agency options. I won't pretend that they are un-biased.
Diving Agencies-Diving Informacion
Scuba Dive Agencies
Diving Agencies-Diving Informacion
Scuba Dive Agencies
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