A poll to help me out

[nturgeon]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the board but have been reading it for about a month now. I am not yet certified but hope to be soon. I can't decide if I should go with PADI or NAUI (the only two agencies available in my region). Ultimately, it will come down to cost and hope I get a good instructor. But it got me thinking, who on this board is PADI certified and who is NAUI certified? I don't want a PADI vs NAUI debate since I've read it all already . All I want are solid numbers just out of curiosity. Also, this poll is only for OW certifications (not AOW, Rescue, etc since I know that many of you may have certifications from both agencies).

Thanks!!

 

[jeckyll]

Well, if you are doing this to try and decide, I'd go to both shops and ask to meet the instructors who would be teaching you, get some references, find out how 'tough' they make the course and whom you are comfortable with. Then decide. I don't see how a poll will be useful, but that's just me.

Just my $0.02.



Bjorn

 

[SubMariner]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the board but have been reading it for about a month now. I am not yet certified but hope to be soon. I can't decide if I should go with PADI or NAUI (the only two agencies available in my region). Ultimately, it will come down to cost and hope I get a good instructor.

You hope you get a good Instructor? Whoa, NOT the best criteria to use!

A course is made or broken by the Instructor. Someone is teaching you very important skills, don't you think that price should be the LEAST of your concerns?

Personally, I'd be asking people, getting references, and checking up on them to find out who was the best Instructor, not who cost the least.

Something for nothing is worth nothing.

Bonne chance,

 

[ae3753]

You hope you get a good Instructor? Whoa, NOT the best criteria to use!

Agreed! The course should not come down to cost at all. It should come down to instructor.

Please read Walter's questions to ask instructor.

Best of luck.

-Don

 

[Jorbar1551]

Ive taken PADI for ow and had a great time. The class was easy, and for recreational diving, just go with padi. If you plan to go "tec", go with NAUI. I took the nitrox class with naui, and their tables are 100 times better than padis, plus the class requires you to learn more, and is more of a challenge.

 

[Supernal]

I'm taking NAUI for the pool part and PADI for the open water part. The only difference is (according to the NAUI instructor) that NAUI has a more rigid curriculum.

 

[spectrum]

Agreed! The course should not come down to cost at all. It should come down to instructor.

Please read Walter's questions to ask instructor.

Best of luck.

-Don

LOL, exactly what I was going to suggest!
Pete

 

[rascal1933]

Amen Brothers and Sisters good input so far!

Yes! Please do read Walters Post on Questions to ask Instructor
{Thanks spectrum}

Very well thought out ~with alot of good stuff.

Wish i had Walter's post to read,when i was looking to get cert.

Again Thank You Walter ~Great Job with Info.

Cheers!

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Welcome and I wish you all the best on your upcoming course. I too would go with the instructor that I thought (Maybe use some references as anaid to deciding) I would learn the most from safely.

 

[Skull]

I was certified OW NAUI , AOW NAUI and now am attending a Master Diver NAUI course .... my neighbor is going through the PADI OW cert process. I was reading the PADI OW course material / book and was pleasantly surprised just how identical it is to NAUI... I am sure it is the same for all of the diving cert agencies and clubs. Probably because it is all taken from the US Navy and (GB) Royal Navy diving guidlines and handbooks...which can be downloaded in .pdf format.

As to instructors -eh they all believe they're the right one for you... human nature really. What is important is that you the student are prepared to submerge yourself under water and breath through a man made device. Nothing prepared me for this until I first submerged and began breathing underwater .... that was the drug that hooked me and made we want to learn about this thing called SCUBA ...To be honest my instructor was a great diver but a really average teacher, a bit of a scatter brain.... Didn't really matter since I pushed him to teach me as much as I could get out of him. He had a vast knowledge of diving and alot of experience but really left the technical stuff up to me to understandand and read. Being an engineer I actually helped him with his mixed gas course since he was a little weak with physics and math. You're gonna find that it is a recreational sport and that as a hobby you will either love it or let it fade into your past. No instructor can instill a love for this sport in you only you can so I say sign up, get your head wet and take your first real breath of life .... underwater.

p.s. my instruction was one on one .... it cost a little more. But I can tell you having a one on one setting is infinitely better than a class full of folks. Also this idea of pool dives is dubious at best. No amount of pool diving is going to seriously prepare you for the ocean. Pools are for swimming and the skills you learn in a pool only vaguely simulate real ocean conditions and I MEAN VAGUELY.... if you can, get your instructor to teach you in the ocean all five OW dives ... I did and believe me it is the real deal ....period!! As they say sink or swim the ocean is the real proving ground .... so if you can't handle the ocean ... save your money...