NAUI "Sport Diver" Certification from 1977

[scrane]

I have a NAUI "Sport Diver" card dated 01-77 from Coral Reef Marine Center, Guam, MI. Registration # S-6958.The course consisted of a deep dive, a fresh water cave dive, a night dive , a rescue dive, and a uw navigation dive. As far as I can see it is analogous to today's " Advanced Scuba Diver" certification. Unfortunately I cannot find any information on this level of certification or if NAUI recognizes it.

Does anyone have any information on this certification level or perhaps belong to this seemingly exclusive group? I have been passing it off as AOW for decades, but would appreciate knowing if NAUI can verify its status.

 

[Charles2]

You can check on your card on the NAUI website - Verify Certification | NAUI Worldwide. Dive Safety Through Education
You can also send them a note with your question. They are usually pretty quick to respond.
Let us know what you find out.

 

[scrane]

Thanks,
"Verify Certification" does not work on these older cards because, for some reason, NAUI did not retain records. I got a replacement card for my "Basic Scuba Diver" only because I was able to submit a copy of my original paper certificate.
But, thanks to you I sent an email to NAUI and received a response confirming that the old "Sport Diver" is equivalent to today's "Advanced Scuba Diver".

 

[Charles2]

NAUI "Verify Certification" sometimes behaves a little funny. If your instructor did not enter your name exactly as another instructor, then your cards will not show up during the verify process. Perhaps one of your cards includes your middle initial and another does not. I wrote to headquarters and asked that they combine all of my certs into one name and now they all show up when I "Verify Certification".

 

[scrane]

I have tried "Verify Certification" with the exact data from my OW printed certificate from 1974 and my Sport Diver card from 1977 and neither was in the database. I have heard that many records were accidentally destroyed when the NAUI office changed location in 1997. NAUI issued me a replacement OW card recently only after I submitted a copy of that old 8 1/2 x 11 printed certificate ( and $36.00 !).

 

[scrane]

I received verification from NAUI that their old "Sport Diver" certification is now officially recognized as "Advanced Diver".

 

[Oldbear]

Yea....

 

[scrane]

If anyone cares, I recently followed up on this, and my "Sport Diver" certification is now in the Naui database and a search of Naui's "verify certification" key has me listed as an "Advanced Diver".

 

[GJC]

I had a Sport Diver card from 1980. NAUI had no record of it but they were willing to send me a replacement Advanced card after I sent them a copy of my Sport Diver card (and card replacement fee).

I got the replacement card to avoid having to have long explanations of what a Sport diver card is when booking dives with places that require Advanced.

 

[scrane]

This was my thinking also. Now I have to decide if its worth $45.00 to get a card with an easily recognizable certification level or carry around my paper trail and use Naui's website as the clincher.
Anyways I am happy that I am legal at 100 feet.