How Much Consideration Goes Into Your Choice of PADI/NAUI/SSI etc. for New Divers?

[Laserjock]

If I were doing it now I'd be on the net researching it to death, and probably never get around to it due to analysis paralysis.

I think this is me now...though we are not in a hurry and we are so busy right now it just has not been the right time, still....I feel this way at times.

 

[jewelofnile69]

I am PADI OW and AOW certified. I am going to get my enriched air cert within the next month. I read threads on scubaboard often. I have seen the battles and the agency bashing. It is the instructor that counts. I looked around at different shops before I chose the one I ended up going to. After 4 years I am still going to the same shop. I did a tour of the shop, talked to the personnel and got a good feel for their capabilities even though I knew nothing about scuba training.

I am on scubaboard often. I often read posts of people that are PADI trained saying things like, "I wasn't taught that", "I didn't know that", "That was never mentioned in my class". In most cases I can go to the PADI OW manual and find the topic in the manual. If I think about it, all these things were covered in the class I took, or in the manual. I have come to the conclusion that getting certified is often not only what the instructor has taught but how much effort the student is willing to exert to learn the material presented.

It is difficult to teach people from all walks of life, with all kinds of different ways of actually learning something. In my case, internet based programs are not effective. I still need to learn the way that I was taught in my younger years, read the material, review it in a classroom, then practice it to put it into some semblance of a real application. I admit some are far more efficient at learning by reading it, I need to read it, ask question and apply it before it really sticks. Some learn by reading books, some learn by watching others, the rest learn by peeing on the electric fence for themselves. My point is that there are a lot of different approaches that can be used to teach, not everyone learns the same way.

Excellent post! Thank you for your insight.

It is very true that it is much about what the learner puts into the learning paired with whether or not a person can teach.

 

[Dive the World]

Ok, being that I have been reading this site for some time in hopes my wife and I will find the time to go ahead and get into a certification class I am maybe now a little confused.

Is there any place that has done a side-by-side-by-side comparison of the PADI/SSI/NAUI (and others) certification programs? I have seen now more than once in different threads subtle comments that seemed to suggest that PADI was almost a quickie or shortcut version of dive certification. Or at least that was my interpretation.

Just curious...

Hi,

I am a PADI & BSAC. I will be doing advanced stuff with another.

If you are are going to start from scratch - you need to know that all agencies will teach you basically the same thing - the equipment, clearing the mask, don't hold your breath...

If you decide to get certified - focus on the instructor - PADI is international - I got PADI certified and the instructor was great for OW - not so great for AOW - Fantastic for Rescue. It is the instructor - talk to them ask them questions - get recommendation - ask for recommendation from this forum.

It is a great hobby - at the least I believe everyone should a tleast do a try dive

 

[glen99]

I knew nothing about diving before certification. We got a phone call from my daughter's school saying they were going to start a scuba class and students and parents could be involved. We decided that it could be fun. Ended up being a SEI course and it was great. My wife and youngest daughter will have their checkout dives in 2 weeks with a PADI shop and they are also receiving great training. As has been said many times, the instructor and shop vibe make all of the difference. I walked into one shop shortly after being certified and within 5 minutes they were trying to sell me a $1200 reg set and told me that any regulator over 10 years old could not be trusted. Haven't been back to that shop...

 

[Casco]

I was certified by NAUI in the late 80's, while in High School. Today, after a while of inactivity, i am under PADI certificaction, mostly because my 13 yr old niece wanted to get certified. I can say that i am very impressed with the PADI training i am getting, compared to the NAUI i got before.

I totally agree that its the instructor that makes the difference.

 

[RVD]

I have SDI OW certification. Can I go to PADI to get my AOW or do I need to stay with SDI? I don't have anything against SDI but I am moving to a new city and the most convenient LDS is a PADI shop.

 

[OnTheDescent]

I am a new diver & I did a little (not much) research on different agencies. My husband is certified Padi. I went into a local dive shop & was so impressed with what I saw & heard. I absolutely dont regret it! Im SSI certified. My instructor was incredible. Noone in the class moved on to a different task until everyone got it! My class took three times longer than it was supposed to. Partly because of weather & partly because we werent ready. My instructor was very strict but fun. I plan to do my AOW and many other courses with the same instructor!

 

[Quero]

I have SDI OW certification. Can I go to PADI to get my AOW or do I need to stay with SDI? I don't have anything against SDI but I am moving to a new city and the most convenient LDS is a PADI shop.

You can switch, no problem. However, while convenience is an important consideration, make sure to go into the new shop and talk to your prospective instructor. You want to make sure you are comfortable with her/him and that you have confidence in his/her expertise to take your training to the next level. The selection of your instructor is much more important than the agency s/he is affiliated with. There are excellent instructors with every agency just as there are instructors who should be avoided in each one.

 

[graham_s]

I started diving (20 years ago :shocked2 when I was in the RAF in North Wales.
The Airbase had its own club, which was BSAC, and I started diving with them. The bonus of that approach is, of course, that the diving and instruction is pretty much all free.
I moved on to other bases (including a tour in Cyprus)
I didn't put any thought into it as it was (for me) the only game in town, although even if there had been a PADI school, I'd still have dived with BSAC as it would have been cheaper.
I am thinking of getting a PADI certification though, as it's easy to produce the card and dive.
I currently am about CMAS **

I do agree though, there are certain basic skills that will be taught no matter who the certifying agency is.
The fundamental skill set doesn't change, so It's mainly going to be down to the instructor.