PADI vs NAUI

[Puffer Fish]

I went with NAUI just because it was the only one in the area. I suppose I would have done the same for PADI. However though I used NAUI, my other family members are PADI so I have seen both sides. I noticed NAUI is more aggressive. Maybe it was my instructor. They really put us through the ringer. Tide both regulators in a knot behind our take for example. I personally feel that what I had to go through allows me to take any emergemncy situation and deal with it ending with a good outcome with confidence.

Old school NAUI instructors can be a bit....ah...detailed in training...

 

[Puffer Fish]

Walter has a point looking a the minimum requirements...but when it gets down to decided what specific terms mean...at that point, it would only matter if you have a class of lawyers.

The mask and breathing skill issue. Walters interpretation of NAUI's mimimum is that they don't require breathing without a mask underwater. That gets into someone's understand of what mastering a skill means and how one goes about knowing that. I have also never heard or seen any NAUI instructor that did not have students breath thru their reg with their mask off.

The only significant difference I am aware of...and it is one that should not effect 99% of the new divers, is that NAUI allows a judgement call on issuing cards.. and most PADI seem to believe that if you pass the minimums, you get a card (again, there is some variation in what exactly is the minimum).

 

[Louma]

I went with NAUI just because it was the only one in the area. I suppose I would have done the same for PADI. However though I used NAUI, my other family members are PADI so I have seen both sides. I noticed NAUI is more aggressive. Maybe it was my instructor. They really put us through the ringer. Tide both regulators in a knot behind our take for example. I personally feel that what I had to go through allows me to take any emergemncy situation and deal with it ending with a good outcome with confidence.

Nathan - watch the date of the posts. This one ended in 2003 (though if you track PADI vs fill in the blank in the search function) you will see that it is very much alive today The basic discussion tends to go along the lines of "it is the instructor not the agency". Some people like vanilla and some like chocolate; some like fords, some like chevys . I'll say the real reason 99% of us "pick" an agency is it's the only one we know about in the area, or it's close, or a friend got certified by the local shop. Very few people, on their O/W certifications, actually shop. Welcome to the board.

 

[Brishar]

Walter was kind enough to post a excellent set of questions to ask a potential instructor before you sign up for instruction. While it was designed for open water, many of the points helped me make a better choice as my dive knowledge has progressed. I hold both NAUI and PADI certifications. If I hit the lottery tonight and no longer have to chase the almighty dollar, I would take the L A county course. Your thoughts and experiences may differ.

 

[Tomeck]

I think NAUI is a non-profit organization.

 

[rigdiver]

I think NAUI is a non-profit organization.

I know NAUI is not only non-profit, but also democratic. Just voted late last year on candidates for the board that I called and spoke with before casting my vote.
Democracy and the "loved-one" concept is what set's NAUI apart from the others.

 

[Walter]

NAUI is no longer truly non-profit. There is a non-profit NAUI that owns a for profit NAUI. The non-profit is democratic, the for profit is not. I'm a tad confused by their exact relationship, but I believe NAUI lost a great deal of its credibilty with the change. Standards have started to drop - 10 year olds, dropping the swimming requirement from 225 yds to a number of stroke cycles, what's next.

As far as I'm aware there is only one truly non-profit certification agency - SEI Diving which is also democratic, elections for the SEI board are underway now, all SEI Instructors are eligible to run (the deadline is past) and eligible to vote. Is anyone away of any other non-profit agencies?

 

[Puffer Fish]

Walter, NAUI worldwide is still non-profit. To my knowledge there is no connection whatsoever with "profit" and the change in standards. (if anyone knows of a connection between the classification of a specific section of NAUI and the standards, please speak up)

The complex issue of why the minimum standards changed may be due to economic issues, but not the filing status of the organization.

SEI is no more "non-profit" than NAUI is.

NAUI is no longer truly non-profit. There is a non-profit NAUI that owns a for profit NAUI. The non-profit is democratic, the for profit is not. I'm a tad confused by their exact relationship, but I believe NAUI lost a great deal of its credibilty with the change. Standards have started to drop - 10 year olds, dropping the swimming requirement from 225 yds to a number of stroke cycles, what's next.

As far as I'm aware there is only one truly non-profit certification agency - SEI Diving which is also democratic, elections for the SEI board are underway now, all SEI Instructors are eligible to run (the deadline is past) and eligible to vote. Is anyone away of any other non-profit agencies?

 

[Thalassamania]

Let me see: if you have to remove and replace your mask UW, aren't you breathing all the time?

Neil

That was the rationale for not including it as a separate "skill."

NAUI is no longer truly non-profit. There is a non-profit NAUI that owns a for profit NAUI. The non-profit is democratic, the for profit is not. I'm a tad confused by their exact relationship, but I believe NAUI lost a great deal of its credibilty with the change. Standards have started to drop - 10 year olds, dropping the swimming requirement from 225 yds to a number of stroke cycles, what's next.

As far as I'm aware there is only one truly non-profit certification agency - SEI Diving which is also democratic, elections for the SEI board are underway now, all SEI Instructors are eligible to run (the deadline is past) and eligible to vote. Is anyone away of any other non-profit agencies?

I don't know the exact reason for the for-profit version, I suspect its a question of legal status for various things. The non-profit nursing agency my wife works for has a for-profit sister agency (that's much smaller) so that they can legaly serve some patients that the non-profit can not. I suspect NAUI's thing is similar. 12 year old, 10 year old, while I do not favor it, it's not a big deal to me. The 15 cycle thing is directly my fault. Remember the "test" is not to swim 15 cycles, it is to display good watermanship. The rationale is that any instructor who is worth a damn can identify someone who is comfortable in the water in a few strokes, nothing more is needed. Now ... the recent downgrading of the Master Diver course from the stellar program (now called "Gold" something stupid) from it was designed to be ... that I do object to.

 

[mikemill]

I'm currently engaged in creating a non-profit organization (for computer programming not for scuba) so I had to do some reading up on the subject. First lets assume that non-profit also means tax-exempt (not true in every case). When forming and applying for tax-exempt status you have define what your tax-exempt activity is. Anything outside of those activities is subject to normal taxing. There are also a lot of rules on how the money taken in can be spent. So a NPO could create a for-profit organization to deal with those areas outside the tax-exempt activities. This simplifies things a lot as far as record keeping, taxes, and being able to spend money outside of the tax-exempt area.