Cmas 4 *

[Red Sea Shadow]

DIVER
CMAS SEI Diving
1 Star Diver Open Water Diver (age 15+)
2 Star Diver Advanced OW (age 15+ w/ 20 logged dives)
3 Star Diver Advanced Plus Diver (age 16+ w/ 50 logged dives)
4 Star Diver Master Diver + DRAM Rescue Diver + 100 logged dives
INSTRUCTOR
CMAS SEI Diving
1 Star Instructor Divemaster (age 18+ w/40 logged dives)
2 Star Instructor Instructor (age 19+ w/ 100 logged dives)
3 Star Instructor Instructor Trainer (age 21+ w/ 200 logged dives)

3* Diver certificate is a pre-requisite to enroll in a 1* Instructor course. So how comes the required number of dives for the instructor level (40) is less than that of the diver level (50)?

[Red Sea Shadow]

And congratulations to SEI by the way. It's a step on the right track.

[Jim Lapenta]

I have to honestly say I do not know but will find out. I have not yet had time to fully read up on all of it.

[DCBC]

3* Diver certificate is a pre-requisite to enroll in a 1* Instructor course. So how comes the required number of dives for the instructor level (40) is less than that of the diver level (50)?

The Three Star (***) Diver must have a minimum 50 dives at the time of certification of which 20 dives should be at the 30 meter range. The One Star Instructor must have held a 3 Star (***) Diver Certificate for at least 2 years, been a member of his Federation for at least 5 years and have carried out at least 100 dives (under varying conditions) since obtaining a 3 Star (***) Diver Certificate. In other words, a minimum of 150 dives prior to certification as a CMAS One Star (*) Instructor.

[DCBC]

Just as a point of infromation:

Scuba Educators International, Inc has completed an agreement with Underwater Society of America
regarding CMAS certifications. Effectively immediately, we will begin issuing CMAS diver and leader
certifications. The cards are purchased by USOA from CMAS and the front side will show the
international CMAS logo, the diver or leader level and a hologram. The back side of the cards will be
printed at the SEI Diving office and will show both SEI Diving and USOA logos in addition to the diver or
leader information similar to our current cards.
Underwater Society of America holds a seat on the Technical Committee of CMAS international and
therefore SEI Diving will become the training arm for USOA. To be sure both our instructors, SEI Diving,
and USOA is covered by liability insurance, each instructor MUST list “Underwater Society of America”
as an additional insured on their insurance. We must have that certificate in our file before we can issue
cards. Diver levels do not expire but instructor levels will expire in five years from date of issue as long
as the instructor maintains insurance and is current with SEI Diving.
Here are the equivalent levels:
DIVER
CMAS SEI Diving
1 Star Diver Open Water Diver (age 15+)
2 Star Diver Advanced OW (age 15+ w/ 20 logged dives)
3 Star Diver Advanced Plus Diver (age 16+ w/ 50 logged dives)
4 Star Diver Master Diver + DRAM Rescue Diver + 100 logged dives
INSTRUCTOR
CMAS SEI Diving
1 Star Instructor Divemaster (age 18+ w/40 logged dives)
2 Star Instructor Instructor (age 19+ w/ 100 logged dives)
3 Star Instructor Instructor Trainer (age 21+ w/ 200 logged dives)

Currently the SEI OW diver is between CMAS * &**. Due to the number of dives required (20 logged). The AOW I train who has the required number could be issued a CMAS ** if they wanted one because of the minimum number of dives I require to start AOW along with OW checkouts and AOW checkouts guarantees a min of 20 dives by the time they are finished. Didn't intend it that way but glad it works out.

Congratulations Jim! Nice to know that the cat is out of the bag.

Regards,

Wayne
CEO, Canadian Sport Diver Federation (CMAS Canada)

[Jim Lapenta]

Thanks Wayne and thanks for the clarification.

[Red Sea Shadow]

The Three Star (***) Diver must have a minimum 50 dives at the time of certification of which 20 dives should be at the 30 meter range. The One Star Instructor must have held a 3 Star (***) Diver Certificate for at least 2 years, been a member of his Federation for at least 5 years and have carried out at least 100 dives (under varying conditions) since obtaining a 3 Star (***) Diver Certificate. In other words, a minimum of 150 dives prior to certification as a CMAS One Star (*) Instructor.

Thanks.

Totally agree on the 3* Diver thing, but for the 1* Instructor, I believe these are local federation requirements. As you know for sure, CMAS has its standards and the local federations are free to either abide to those standards as is or come up with their own higher standards.

As far as I know, as per CMAS standards, to enroll in a 1* Instructor course, all the candidate needs to be is 3* Diver and 18 years old.

[DCBC]

Totally agree on the 3* Diver thing, but for the 1* Instructor, I believe these are local federation requirements. As you know for sure, CMAS has its standards and the local federations are free to either abide to those standards as is or come up with their own higher standards.

As far as I know, as per CMAS standards, to enroll in a 1* Instructor course, all the candidate needs to be is 3* Diver and 18 years old.

You are correct. CMAS establishes minimum standards and each federation lays down their minimum. As long as this meets international, its the way it is within that Federation. To compound this, it's impossible for anyone to be certified without a Three Star *** Instructor signing the instructor certification. These Instructors are at liberty to require a higher standard than the Federation before they choose to certify the Diver as an Instructor. My point is that it's not necessarily true that you can be certified as a One Star Instructor by being 18, having 50 dives and a Three Star *** Diver Certification. One thing is for certain; I'm not likely to sign your card if that's all the diving experience that you have.

[KPA Kragujevac]

Ha, ha, this is interesting...Notorious CMAS...I thought that they are unclear and confusing only in my country.
First of all let me state the following:main reason the CMAS federation operates well in some countries are following (all this from a personal experience):
1.Cheap annual instructor licensing: 50$ in my country, and minimum of 5 divers trained.Bargain compared to PADI.
2.Allowing national diving councils do do whatever they like, in terms of regulating Instructor and higher (three star) diving courses.In short, you can produce as many one-stars as you want , but you must not over-saturate the market with two or three star divers , good forbid Instructors that you cannot control efficiently.You see, in CMAS apart from fulfilling the requirements for a specific category and passing the written and practical exam, you need RECOMMENDATION from your own club president.On the official site of my country CMAS representative, there is a denied request (put there for example I suppose) of validating the instructors license acquired in Egypt.Translated bluntly it means "There is no way around us!If we say you cannot be an instructor, that is final."Satyr calld them Dinosaurs, ours here call themselves "ScubaSaurus".They are 60 Y old on average, and each has its successor ready.Many of the divers has just given up and went to some other federation.
3.Club diving.Better suited for a countries with no major diving locations.Also better suited for poor countries.If you want to start diving all you need is to pay for the course, and become member of the club.Cheap ticket to enter the very expensive sport.You will get equipment from club and dive for a fraction of a cost.CMAS diver needs to have at least 10 dives a year to renew rank.Also club organizes diving camps on sea, and you only pay the accommodation.When you tell a CMAS diver in my country he needs to pay PER ONE DIVE he amount of money he spends for a year's membership he laughs.But thats the way it is.
Good things about CMAS:
1.Good training.Even basic (one star) training is something that many federations don't get into after third certified rank.Diving and gearing up in the 5m depth is a cinch for a diver but for a person just starting, is a tremendous stress.How many ordinary people even think about diving to that depth?Practical and theoretical TECHNICAL knowledge of equipment (even ancient and not in use) and medicine.How many of you can explain schematics of a valve group WITH reserve?Diving medicine?Buddy breathe?It is all there.Not everyone can pass it sadly, and many do not, which discourages them to dive altogether.Not much woman either.Here I have to disagree with Satyr , final exam for an one star diver is an open water dive with instructor (at least here).And that open water is a lake 10m deep with zero visibility and 5c bottom water temperature.So in conclusion, whoever passes is a good diver material.
2.Price.You cannot beat it.CMAS was never meant to be money-making business.
3.Club diving.When things among people work fine, there is no better experience then going diving with your club.Setting up a diving camp, maintaining daily chores, filling tanks, operating boats having all the fun in between, windsurfing, water skiing, making BBQ in the evening...We all live for our club divings.Finding dive buddy?They are all around you.You make around 15 to 25 dives in a 12 day period on top locations, for an accommodation fee?Only in club diving.
I am most interested to hear your experiences from all over the world regarding CMAS.It was a great idea of great late Costeau, it just needs a little polishing.

[ijdod]

Thanks.

Totally agree on the 3* Diver thing, but for the 1* Instructor, I believe these are local federation requirements.

That's not just the case with instructor certifications. Pure CMAS 1* is not Open Water (as we generally know it), but actually a step lower. Yet many national Federations give a "full" OW training, but with a CMAS 1* equivalent printed on the back of the c-card.

In Europe CMAS has had its day. The EU in its wisdom have decreed that diving organisations must be accredited European Underwater Federation (EUF) to be recognised in the EU.

This isn't new. The EUF qualifactions are essentially the same as he CMAS stars, and many national federations comply, as do PADI, BSAC, NAUI and SSI, to name a few. I seem to recall, but I couldn't confirm, that it's intentional that CMAS itself is not listed, but rather the national federations themselves.