ISO rigorous (NAUI) Master Diver course

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NootFish

Contributor
Messages
175
Reaction score
131
Location
USA
# of dives
200 - 499
I'm looking to learn theory/practice and improve skills (interests include dive medicine and getting a firm foundation if/when I start doing technical diving.) I want a course/instructor that I'm not just giving money to in exchange for a card. Also interested in doing rescue course because I want those skills.

Preferred location is somewhere with warm water where I can go and focus on diving for 1-2 weeks.

I'm PADI AOW and Nitrox with about 90 dives.
 
You will have high odds finding a great instructor in South Florida. That area will easily meet all the requirements you are looking for.

Caveat: If you really want to challenge yourself, why not train somewhere in the Northern US. Whether it be the PNW, New England, or the Great Lakes region? Those areas are challenging in their own aspects. You would be in cold water (drysuit, that you would probably need training on as most tech dives are long in duration) with limited visibility (at least in most of the New England areas.) While clear blue water is ideal it really provides no benefit when you can see 100 ft in all directions. I'm a fan of prior practice prevents piss poor performance. If you are going to do it, do it all the way.

I learned in the terrible Northeast. While not optimal. It provided me with an extremely strong foundation. Doing a tech dive in 4-6ft of visibility with 40 degree water and raging currents are wildly different than 150ft Vis with 80 degree water. If you train in those conditions it makes dealing with those conditions so much easier.

For example: when I took my an/dp class I trained in New England. We then went to FL and did some diving. The instructor however, would not sign off on the course until I had completed a check out dive to course standard in conditions back home.

Just my $.02
 
Just my opinion...skip the Naui Master Diver cert and enroll in a Naui Dive Master course. I have the Master Diver Certificaation and have found that other than to me it means absolutely nothing and depending on where you live if you present the MSD card with $2.50 you may get a cup of coffee.

I had a very rigorous instructor/class and feel the knowledge and experience was great but if I could do it again I would invest my money in DIve Master training. Master Diver certification does not open any doors for you, it is basically a glorified AOW card from a cert presentation standpoint.

Part of the problem is that Master Diver means something different depending on the agency who provided the certification. Padi Master Diver certification is more ubiquitous do to the vast number of PADI instructors and operations around the world, their MSD is not difficult to obtain, in contrast to the NAUI course of instruction for MSD which is a specific training course....unfortunately nobody cares. With MSD you can't even assist with students in an OW course.

Dive Master training is much more beneficial in my opinion as it actually opens doors for you. You will learn everything in the MSD course plus other info. You will then have the option to help instruct AOW, at least the in water skills, and you can work as a paid guide/DM. This is a much more respected certification that actually means something other than being a piece of plastic that you carry in your dive log or wallet.

Again, just my 2 cents on the subject.

-Z
 
Just my opinion...skip the Naui Master Diver cert and enroll in a Naui Dive Master course. I have the Master Diver Certificaation and have found that other than to me it means absolutely nothing and depending on where you live if you present the MSD card with $2.50 you may get a cup of coffee.

I had a very rigorous instructor/class and feel the knowledge and experience was great but if I could do it again I would invest my money in DIve Master training. Master Diver certification does not open any doors for you, it is basically a glorified AOW card from a cert presentation standpoint.

Part of the problem is that Master Diver means something different depending on the agency who provided the certification. Padi Master Diver certification is more ubiquitous do to the vast number of PADI instructors and operations around the world, their MSD is not difficult to obtain, in contrast to the NAUI course of instruction for MSD which is a specific training course....unfortunately nobody cares. With MSD you can't even assist with students in an OW course.

Dive Master training is much more beneficial in my opinion as it actually opens doors for you. You will learn everything in the MSD course plus other info. You will then have the option to help instruct AOW, at least the in water skills, and you can work as a paid guide/DM. This is a much more respected certification that actually means something other than being a piece of plastic that you carry in your dive log or wallet.

Again, just my 2 cents on the subject.

-Z

Why care about "opening doors" here? It is all about, first and foremost, the diver and their knowledge and skill not prestige or "opening doors" manure. The Divemaster is a leadership course for those that want to work as divemasters in the dive industry whereas the "Master Diver" level is about attaining instructor level knowledge and skills.

One other factor to consider, the NAUI "Divemaster" training course requires "Master Diver" level knowledge and skill.
 
This is a much more respected certification that actually means something other than being a piece of plastic that you carry in your dive log or wallet.

Respectfully disagree. No dive certification is going to earn you “respect”.
 
....the "Master Diver" level is about attaining instructor level knowledge and skills.

The above statement is true of NAUI but not necessarily for PADI, and I don't know about other organizations.

The reality is that a master diver certification is just a card that indicates you have been through a course of instruction. It does not give you anything except personal satisfaction. There is no practical or functional reason to obtain this certification unless you like drooling over plastic cards that say you are "certified"....except it does not certify one to do anything more than their AOW certification permits. One can gain the skills, knowledge, and experience on their own, there is no reason to take this class, especially when there are other courses of instruction that one can learn the same skills and knowledge in, plus more, and come out the other side with functional certification to take advantage of if one chooses.

-Z
 
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Respectfully disagree. No dive certification is going to earn you “respect”.

You have made the wrong inference. I never stated that the individual with the card earns respect by having the certification. I implied that certain levels of certification come accompanied with a certain amount of "street cred"...it is up to the individual to live up to that street cred or not.

When someone states they are a dive master or presents a dive master certification card, it immediately engenders certain thoughts and expectations about that person, their experience, and their diving. Those thoughts and expectations are subject to modify based on how that person conducts themself before, during, and after a dive.

The same is true when someone presents themself as a dive instructor especially if they have the C-card to match their claim.

-Z
 
The reality is that a master diver certification is just a card that indicates you have been through a course of instruction. It does not give you anything except personal satisfaction. There is no practical or functional reason to obtain this certification unless you like drooling over plastic cards that say you are "certified"....except it does not certify one to do anything more than their AOW certification permits. One can gain the skills, knowledge, and experience on their own, there is no reason to take this class, especially when there are other courses of instruction that one can learn the same skills and knowledge in, plus more, and come out the other side with functional certification to take advantage of if one chooses.

-Z

Your entire statement is grossly misinformed and most simplistic to the point of being wrong. With your "logic," we should just get rid of all training, training agencies and instructors and just "gain the skills, knowledge, and experience on their own."
 
Just my opinion...skip the Naui Master Diver cert and enroll in a Naui Dive Master course. I have the Master Diver Certificaation and have found that other than to me it means absolutely nothing and depending on where you live if you present the MSD card with $2.50 you may get a cup of coffee.

On the NAUI website Master Scuba Diver is a requirement for taking Dive Master. Since the tech page dosen't come up, I can't see if it is a requirement for tech, although it implies it is on the certification progression chart.


Bob
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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