Upcoming new diver here. Couple certification questions and med question.

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danman132x

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Location
Pensacola, FL
Hello all, this is my first post here. Me and a work buddy want to take our basic open water course in April. We live in Florida, and will be taking the course in Pensacola.

Just have a couple of questions. The course we want to take is a 2 weekend program. Fridays are course days, and the first sat/sun are pool days and the following are open water. They certify us through NASE. I did some research and it while it is legit, it doesn't seem as well known in places. The dive instructor at the shop is also PADI certified, but we must pay the price difference. What I'm wondering is if it's worth it to pay the 120ish extra price to have a PADI card over the NASE card. It's 219 for the course, but PADI would be over 300. I have to get the exact price once we call to schedule. Our first diving would just be locally, at various springs in the area before we move onto true open water such as the ocean, to get experience. Morrison springs in ponce de leon is where we go freediving at, and would plan to take it slow from there to get comfortable.

Even if I get the NASE, could I use that card to later get the PADI advanced without taking PADI basic?

Last question is a medical one. I have mild mitral valve prolapse. Anyone else here dive with it? My doctor said its okay in the past and doesn't hinder my life. I do need to work on a little more cardio, but I can do the basic physical requirements required. I would also get a doctors permission before I dive to be safe on the medical release sheets. I take propranolol, a beta blocker. Mild dose, 20mg 3x a day. Helps with blood pressure, but it is normal with the medication.

Thanks for looking, i'll be frequenting here more often.
 
I can't answer your questions, but suggest you also post in the medical forum.
 
Most places will accept NASE. I believe you can move on to AOW with PADI, SDI or SSI with a NASE OW card.

Before diving, I would get a diving specific physical by a dive doctor in your area. You can call DAN to get a list of local doctors. Bring the medical waiver form with you to have the doctor sign off on it before hitting the water.

I would not recommend hitting the pool without being checked out by a qualified physician.
 
I would get the Padi every time. The reasons are Padi is accepted all over the world and all padi shops can check your license online even if you are on holiday and forget your card. I am a dive center manager in Thailand Phuket Scuba Diving | Similan Islands | Thailand Divers and I did have a customer with a NASE card and one halfway through and wanted a padi instructor to sign certain skills off. I had to look online as not one instructor or course director here had ever heard of it including instructors from the U.S. The training is the same as is most scuba diving organizations. But padi is bigger than everyone else added together. It is a bit more money but it will make your life easier around the world with the padi license.

As for your advanced then yes you can do the padi advanced open water course without doing the open water first with your nase license. To be safe I would take your paperwork along so the dive center can see exactly what you have done as some countries are not so aware of the small companies like NASE and their requirements for the license.

As for the medical if your doctor says ok then I will say thats ok. But as you are asking then it says to me that you are unsure so there is no harm getting a second opinion. From what you say as it does not hinder your everyday life and you can do moderate exercise you should have no problems. But like I say a second opiion will put your mind at rest.
 
In a very very rarity, some shops will have no clue and say you're not legit because such and such agency went under years ago.
You can then show them the online website with the diver lookup tool or go to the shop next door.
Much of a rarity now days, especially stateside.

NASE is perfectly fine.
Don't know about your medical advice. I'll wait for someone more qualified to chime in.
 
What I'm wondering is if it's worth it to pay the 120ish extra price to have a PADI card over the NASE card.
The answer depends on whether the content of the course will vary, according to which agency the instructor uses to certfiy you. 'Recognition' of the C-card will probably not be an issue, certainly in the US. I would discuss the question with the shop and instructor and ask, 'What is the difference, between the two certifications, in the training I will receive?' The price differential you describe is substantial.
Even if I get the NASE, could I use that card to later get the PADI advanced without taking PADI basic?
Yes.
Last question is a medical one. I have mild mitral valve prolapse. Anyone else here dive with it?
I can't personally answer the question regarding prolapse. I can say that many divers regularly take beta blockers, are routinely 'approved' for diving by their physicians, and suffer no dive-altering side effects. As has been suggested, call DAN, get the name of a physician in your area who is knowledgeable in dive medicine, and have your medical performed by that individual.
 
It's not about the agency...it's about the instructor. NASE is widely accepted and will be no problem. And you can take future classes from PADI, or SDI, or NAUI, etc. My original OW was NAUI while later stuff was SDI or TDI.

As for the mitral prolapse; you MUST get specifically cleared by an MD. Calling DAN for a referral is smart. Do NOT start diving without this as it could put your life and the lives of others at risk.

assuming all goes well, welcome to a great world!
 
I think the DAN article on mitral valve prolapse pretty much sums it up. The vast majority of patients with MVP will be able to dive without issues. Those who require beta blockers need to be assessed for the reason WHY the beta blockers were prescribed (arrhythmias being the most important) and also for the effect of the beta blocker on exercise tolerance. I think the OP should have a chat with the physician who prescribed this medication, and explain to him the type of activity in which he engages. If the primary reason for the drug is blood pressure, there are better choices for divers.
 
If you want a card you'll not have problems with anywhere get a cmas card. Fact is most ops want to see a card that says Mastercard, visa, American Express, or Discover.
 
Hello all, this is my first post here. Me and a work buddy want to take our basic open water course in April. We live in Florida, and will be taking the course in Pensacola.

Just have a couple of questions. The course we want to take is a 2 weekend program. Fridays are course days, and the first sat/sun are pool days and the following are open water. They certify us through NASE. I did some research and it while it is legit, it doesn't seem as well known in places. The dive instructor at the shop is also PADI certified, but we must pay the price difference. What I'm wondering is if it's worth it to pay the 120ish extra price to have a PADI card over the NASE card. It's 219 for the course, but PADI would be over 300. I have to get the exact price once we call to schedule. Our first diving would just be locally, at various springs in the area before we move onto true open water such as the ocean, to get experience. Morrison springs in ponce de leon is where we go freediving at, and would plan to take it slow from there to get comfortable.

Even if I get the NASE, could I use that card to later get the PADI advanced without taking PADI basic?

Last question is a medical one. I have mild mitral valve prolapse. Anyone else here dive with it? My doctor said its okay in the past and doesn't hinder my life. I do need to work on a little more cardio, but I can do the basic physical requirements required. I would also get a doctors permission before I dive to be safe on the medical release sheets. I take propranolol, a beta blocker. Mild dose, 20mg 3x a day. Helps with blood pressure, but it is normal with the medication.

Thanks for looking, i'll be frequenting here more often.

Actually, I have never met an NASE instructor that was not very good, and NASE costs less, because they don't rip everyone off with a bunch of expensive course materials--NASE has this in no-cost pdf documents--(the costs actually go to training, as opposed to "Administrative profits for PADI) ....and as to choosing an "Agency", I would choose NASE over PADI every time. You can expect higher quality of training ( more likelihood with NASE that you will be trained to do skills in mid water, rather than kneeling on the bottom--which means you will have a better likelihood of getting better skills in your course).

On the other hand, it is THE INSTRUCTOR that makes the real difference....far more so than the agency choice.
Ideally, someone you have a good reason to believe is a good diver, that actually knows the proposed instructor--and knows how well they teach...this would be the person to ask.....

As a non-diver, there is almost no way to figure out who is a good instructor, versus who is a bad one. You won't know enough to see what is bad.....You should also know there are far more BAD instructors, than good instructors.

Also, it may be interesting for you to know that the Instructor that is also the OWNER of this Scubaboard site you are on, Pete ( NetDoc ) is, an NASE instructor :)
 
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