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Thanks a lot for all the good info.
Now, let me throw a question:
What do you think of getting certifications from different agencies?
I have an OW NAUI C-card, and plan to get my AOW, Rescue and will see how far I can go.
Unfortunately, the schedlue with the local NAUI school does not really fit my schedule.
Instead of waiting several month to do AOW with NAUI,
I thought of going to PADI, SSI and progressing with my training with different agencies.
Training is training. For me - it seems to be the same.
What matters for me, is what I get out of the class.
Will this approach have disadvantages later on?
For example, if I decide to take a dive master course...
A friend of mine who holds a NAUI OW is planning on taking his AOW with PADI in the near future..PER PADI, it is not a problem with them (or the dive shop for that matter). I would think it would be somewhat simpler to stick to one org than bounce around, esp if you intend to go to DM or above. If you need to change though, now (ow to aow) would be the time. My thoughts anyway.
I did my OW and AOW through PADI and then switched to SSI because of the same situation you are facing. I am now a SSI Master Diver and doing my DiveCon (assistant instructor) classes. Here's the basic rules for switching agencies......
1. If you do your pre-OW classroom work with PADI, you have to do your open waters through PADI. If you do your classroom work with the other leading agencies (SSI, NAUI, YMCA, etc), you can do your OW with any of them. Except for PADI, they recognize each other.
2. Once you get your OW, you can then do your AOW with anyone. It can be a good idea to try a different agency with your AOW to get a slightly different perspective.
3. After you achieve AOW, you generally need to do all your specialities including your Rescue with the same agency that you eventually want to get your Master Diver rating from. If you think you ever might want to instruct, it should be with this same agency like Herman mentioned in his post. Hopefully it will also be with the same shop.
Of course in the end, it's the quality of the instructor that matters more than the agency.
..........it's very important to interview the instructor. Agency is merely one consideration. Find out what THAT particular instructor includes in his class, them compare. If you just want the card, go with the quickest, easiest & cheapest, but if you are interested in actually LEARNING something go with the class you find to be the most comprehensive. It's pretty common for a student who wants to expand his horizons to switch agencies (and instructors) for the advanced class only to find everything covered in the "advanced" class was something they'd already learned in OW. I've had former students complain to me that they didn't learn anything new in someone else's "advanced" class. When this happens, the class is a waste of your time.
PADI has certain pre-requisites for most of its courses, but in nearly every case, there is an equivalency to allow cross overs from other agencies. As far as I am aware, this holds with most other agencies, but I can't guarantee it for any specifics. The only PADI cert that requires PADI only pre-requisites is the Master Scuba Diver, the value of which has been argued to death on this board in the past, so I won't go there!!
I've done courses with PADI, DAN, IANTD and TDI and personally think it makes good sense to try different agencies as they have different emphasis on a variety of things. However, Walter's point is the most important: make sure you have a good instructor who will teach you what you need, not just what the course "requires". There are good and bad instructors in most agencies, and a bit of work finding the the right ones will certainly repay.
The big plus of doing courses with PADI is the badges make ideal beer mats!!!!
Best of luck with your diving, whatever route you take.
You want a good instructor and learn alot from the course. IMHO, for continuing ed for Rescue or AOW, the instructor is the key and you give 100% attention to the course.
RonC.
I'm a mixer myself.
I started NZUA/CMAS for my OW,Advanced and rescue in PADI amd rescue to instructor in NAUI.I intend to crossover to become an istructor in at least PADI.It can't hurt as it is all more training and the main agencies recognise one anothers certs.If there's an opening then go for it.As long as it suits you and you're happy with the instructor.As the others have stated,don't be afraid to research and ask difficult questions to satisfy your interest.
Cheers Big ears,
The Gasman
Hi Crystal. I agree with everyone on the board that you should find a good instructor. While the standards for each agencies should be strictly adhered to by dive professionals, not everyone conducts courses in the most effective way, depending on who and the attitude of the student.
Now, choosing who is and who is not a suitable instructor for you can be difficult. Some instructors would have great personality but not very good in other aspects, some can be grouchy but really give you value for money as far as education is concerned.
Perhaps what you can do is enjoy your open water certification first, join different shops or groups and don't just talk to the instructors, observe too. Maybe that would help give you a clearer picture.
As for doing certifications with different agencies, it may not be such a bad idea at all. You said you might consider doing a divemaster course in the future. Are you planning to work as a divemaster or just do the course for the sake of doing it? Because it you plan to work part-time or full-time, look around at the places where you want to work and find out the shop affiliations. It is probably safe to say that there would be more PADI dive centers out there. Know what I mean?
Let's say you do an AOW course with NAUI, of course you can do the next course with PADI. To find out more, talk to the local instructors near you.
Over the years I've accumulated various C cards from (in chronological order) YMCA, NAUI, IANTD, NSS-CDS, NASDS, PADI and SSI. I never had any agency rep from one agency have any heartburn over certs from other agencies. When selecting a course, I picked the instructor - the agency just came along with the instructor.
Rick
"You can have peace, or you can have Freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." (Heinlein)
"... they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep." (Ps107:24)
I'll join Walter, Ron & Rick on this one...the Instructor should be your primary concern. Know that some agencies allow their Instructors more lattitude in the content & structure of their courses, while other agencies are very specific in what is taught & how it is presented.
Ask your Instructor(s) for references & speak to as many of these individuals as possible for their feedback. Shop & compare as you would for any product or service. The time you invest doing your homework will go along way to insuring a positive outcome for your training experience.
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