C-Cards and Certifying Agencies
Which one should I get and will it be recognized wherever I go?
As a person considering diving you will hear all kinds of opinions on which agency to certify with. Here are some simple facts.
There are MANY certifying agencies and they are all pretty good as far as the information they will teach you. Keep in mind that it is not the Agency that teaches you... it is the Instructor. There are good and bad Instructors within every agency. Good and Bad PADI Instructors and Good and Bad SSI Instructors and so on.
Here is a short list of Agencies recognized around the World. Any of these agencies if offered in your local area provide SCUBA Diving Certifications and are reputable.
SDI/TDI - NAUI - PDIC - PADI - SSI - CMAS - ACUC - YMCA - BSAC - PSAI - IANTD - and others
Opinions about agencies run rampant both on this board and in your local hometown. If there is a PADI shop... you'll here Padi is the only way to go... same with SSI and the others.
REALITY CHECK... all of the agencies are recognized around the world... some slightly better than others due to time in existence and pure numbers of people qualified. Some newer agencies may draw a second look at a c-card but their legitimacy is easily verified with a quick glance at their website from anywhere in the world.
Find a good instructor in your area. Someone others have had a good interaction with and look them up. Nevermind what c-card they hand you at the end of your course. You will have received excellent training from a good Instructor and that is what matters. The letters on the c-card are worthless if they came from a bad Instructor from a "top" agency.
I hope this brief has helped... we want you to be a succesful and happy diver for a long time... Get Off the Couch... Explore Your World!
Which one should I get and will it be recognized wherever I go?
As a person considering diving you will hear all kinds of opinions on which agency to certify with. Here are some simple facts.
There are MANY certifying agencies and they are all pretty good as far as the information they will teach you. Keep in mind that it is not the Agency that teaches you... it is the Instructor. There are good and bad Instructors within every agency. Good and Bad PADI Instructors and Good and Bad SSI Instructors and so on.
Here is a short list of Agencies recognized around the World. Any of these agencies if offered in your local area provide SCUBA Diving Certifications and are reputable.
SDI/TDI - NAUI - PDIC - PADI - SSI - CMAS - ACUC - YMCA - BSAC - PSAI - IANTD - and others
Opinions about agencies run rampant both on this board and in your local hometown. If there is a PADI shop... you'll here Padi is the only way to go... same with SSI and the others.
REALITY CHECK... all of the agencies are recognized around the world... some slightly better than others due to time in existence and pure numbers of people qualified. Some newer agencies may draw a second look at a c-card but their legitimacy is easily verified with a quick glance at their website from anywhere in the world.
Find a good instructor in your area. Someone others have had a good interaction with and look them up. Nevermind what c-card they hand you at the end of your course. You will have received excellent training from a good Instructor and that is what matters. The letters on the c-card are worthless if they came from a bad Instructor from a "top" agency.
I hope this brief has helped... we want you to be a succesful and happy diver for a long time... Get Off the Couch... Explore Your World!
