PADI vs. NAUI

[z969942]

Then why don't you read the 10,000 posts that are already here, instead of starting yet another thread that will serve no purpose.

Don't hurt his feelings!

 

[WannaLaguna]

Jeff,

PADI and NAUI are both good vehicles to get you where your going just be careful who the driver is.

Now, not that I am suspicious or anything but am I the only person who noticed the diveguy.com reference in Jeff's Avatar and the PADI logo on said website? plus he is a new member ( not that anything is wrong with that - welcome)

OK so what is the deal here - enquiring minds want to know? Is this a post, an Advertisement or a troll? ( not that I mind fishing as it's often very entertaining and he has the guts to post his name in his profile).

Hi Brian,

I must say reading your response was quite entertaining. I wanted to respond to you and all other conspiracy theorists out there that (as Mdance mentioned) I am very serious about pursuing a professional status as an instructor and was only wondering what agency produced the most qualified talent. No ulterior motives, no evil plots to take over the world, just looking for information. ; )

I completely agree with what everyone seems to be saying "it comes down to the individual instructor, no matter what card he or she carries in their wallet."

As far as my site goes and the imagery that is on it; I have worked with PADI through my lds and that is who I am certified with. The site is purely for my future students as an informational site I will not be hocking merchandise or anything of that sort....although you have planted a seed.. : )

I am extremely passionate about this industry and the education of highly qualified divers. It will be my mission to promote a sport that is fun and more importantly safe. To educate both divers and non-divers about issues related to our underwater environments and how to preserve them for future generations of divers.

As far as the guts to publish my identity on my profile..?? Why wouldn't I? I want to meet as many people as I can that feel the same way about our sport.

Cheers everyone and Happy *SAFE diving.

 

[Dive Source]

Hi Brian,

I must say reading your response was quite entertaining. I wanted to respond to you and all other conspiracy theorists

Just call me Mulder!

Actually I have seen some intersting Trolls around the board before and I just had to ask (hope I didn't offend you - not my intent).

It's great to see the passion you have for the sport and if you are on your way to Kingston sometime please drop in and say hi and I will give you a more frank evaluation of what I think about how NAUI and PADI treat their professionals.

(I can't post it here as they may be watching...I know I'm being followed... what who said that ? ...cobra to raven, come in over...the mission has been comprimised....abort...abort...)

 

[sparky30]

I'll agree that the instructor can be much more important than the agency. What I don't like about PADI is, in their attempt to reach the masses and simplify, I think they've overdone it. I'm not sure we need to know the names and details of the gas laws (Boyles, etc), but I for one like to know the why, not just the what (ie never hold your breath). Some of what they leave out though. I have yet to meet a PADI OW diver who has a clue about tnak markings. It's fine till they get an lp steel and then they're paniced because the tanks not full. But my biggest beef is the weekend course. Unless they've really stripped down the content (maybe they have, I haven't done a PADI course), I can't see how you can learn and retain it all in a couple of days. On the dive professional side, a PADI instructor will certainly have nore options.

I took my open water on a weekend course.. we had one long night and two 3/4 days of class room. The open water work followed the following weekend.. basically they were really long days.. Lots of fun.. Personally I prefer the compact teaching style. I retain information better that way, but that's just me.. We did cover tank markings in detail. as well as the difference between steel and aluminum cylinders, and why you shouldn't hold your breath.. I have to admit, I didn't understand the 'why' of dive tables until I took the TDI nitrox course. and by 'why' I mean, why rec divers are limited to 130 ft, etc..You are correct, in that respect PADI only teaches the 'how'. I think they are a good place to start. As you get into the sport, you can change training agencies. No everybody wants to be a tech diver. Its a good basic course.. But that's just my opinion.

 

[David P]

I just had my orientation meeting last week and the first class tomorrow. My instructor is a certified, LAC, PADI, SSI,.... I cant remember what else, but he is giving NAUI certs (unless you want another cert, still the same class). He didnt really bash PADI, but said that he had some issues with them. The main thing being their dive tables. He is of the impression that they are to liberal with their time frames. He prefers the NAUI tables which are based on the NAVY tables. He said that he spoke with some people that run a local decomp chamber and they stated over 99 percent of people they treat are PADI trained divers. However, I would have to say, "what percentage of local divers are PADI, whether they have to use a decomp chamber or not"?

 

[Scuba_Steve]

He didnt really bash PADI, but said that he had some issues with them. The main thing being their dive tables. He is of the impression that they are to liberal with their time frames. He prefers the NAUI tables which are based on the NAVY tables.

I think this is a pretty lame reason. I hope he realizes that the NDL's are not a line drawn in the sand, and are affected by other factors that the diver has under his control as well. (Ascent rates etc). I'd much prefer to overstay an NDL and have a controlled ascent than chew through the water column with 3 minutes to spare on the NDL

He said that he spoke with some people that run a local decomp chamber and they stated over 99 percent of people they treat are PADI trained divers. However, I would have to say, "what percentage of local divers are PADI, whether they have to use a decomp chamber or not"?

I would think this would be fairly normal, since most Rec divers are PADI.

 

[Walter]

The PADI RDP is fairly liberal with respect to NDLs, but they are extremely liberal with respect to repetitive diving. It's likely the man is not referring to NDLs when he says the tables are too "liberal with their time frames."

 

[Scuba_Steve]

Hmmmm. Where can I get a copy of the NAUI dive tables to look at?

Not that's it's going to change my diving personally, but it's worth a look, just the same.

 

[ScubaCanada]

Jeff,

When I took my training for basic & advanced NAUI, I checked around with friends, and also asked several instructors from NAUI & PADI about the difference and was basically told the same thing:

"Both are good, but NAUI tends to tell you why you are doing/learning something, and PADI only tells you how to do it."

Also, NAUI is actually the most respected of the two, due to the above philosophy as well as previous PADI registration requirements (send in fee and get certified by mail) when they started.

Padi is now more well known due to massive marketting on their part. They have also increased the quality of their training course content in the recent past, mainly due to the influx of registration funding. (my opinion)

So today, it is just a matter of how you want to learn:
1. why & how
2. how

BTW, i went with Naui.

Hi Brian,

I must say reading your response was quite entertaining. I wanted to respond to you and all other conspiracy theorists out there that (as Mdance mentioned) I am very serious about pursuing a professional status as an instructor and was only wondering what agency produced the most qualified talent. No ulterior motives, no evil plots to take over the world, just looking for information. ; )

I completely agree with what everyone seems to be saying "it comes down to the individual instructor, no matter what card he or she carries in their wallet."

As far as my site goes and the imagery that is on it; I have worked with PADI through my lds and that is who I am certified with. The site is purely for my future students as an informational site I will not be hocking merchandise or anything of that sort....although you have planted a seed.. : )

I am extremely passionate about this industry and the education of highly qualified divers. It will be my mission to promote a sport that is fun and more importantly safe. To educate both divers and non-divers about issues related to our underwater environments and how to preserve them for future generations of divers.

As far as the guts to publish my identity on my profile..?? Why wouldn't I? I want to meet as many people as I can that feel the same way about our sport.

Cheers everyone and Happy *SAFE diving.

 

[Frank Kohler]

come on i want to flame. no but i like NAUI. i like them because i feel that they cover the information better.