2 questions. 1. Cont. ed 2. Dive tables

[fire5man]

Ok, I am looking to take that next step and take another class. Right now have a NAUI SCUBA diver. All the dive shops around that I go to are PADI or SSI. Whats the best organization to go with for continuing education? I would also like to get my wife to be certified before are honeymoon in 10/08.


How about Dive tables. My cert. is NAUI and I dive with mostly PADI cert. divers. I noticed some differences in both tables while reviewing my skills today. Then I noticed that SSI uses the same table as NAUI however one can understand SSI tables better then the NAUI one.

Anyways whats the best to use? Whats the safest?

Thanks.

 

[contender]

Ok, I am looking to take that next step and take another class. Right now have a NAUI SCUBA diver. All the dive shops around that I go to are PADI or SSI. Whats the best organization to go with for continuing education? I would also like to get my wife to be certified before are honeymoon in 10/08.


How about Dive tables. My cert. is NAUI and I dive with mostly PADI cert. divers. I noticed some differences in both tables while reviewing my skills today. Then I noticed that SSI uses the same table as NAUI however one can understand SSI tables better then the NAUI one.

Anyways whats the best to use? Whats the safest?

Thanks.

Since you have a NAUI certification why not just stick with NAUI. I am sure you can find a NAUI shop or instructor close by. Of course since I am a NAUI instructor, I think they are the best agency to go with. I am also an instructor with 2 other agencies as well and have nothing bad to say about them. Having said that, I think the instructor is more important than the agency, there are bad instructors and good ones in any organization. Find an instructor that you are happy with and go for it. As for the tables, I am not sure there is a safest, since decompression is not an exact science. You need to use your judgement on that, you know your body better than anyone else, so you can pad the tables with conservatism to any degree you wish.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Ok, I am looking to take that next step and take another class.
Thanks.

GUE You're welcome.

 

[dalelynnsims]

If your looking for NAUI we do this and Lake Rawlings, our training site is well within your area. WWW.BrunswickScuba.com or e-mail me direat at dalelynnsims@hotmail.com

 

[jscott099]

I agree with Contender. I am not a NAUI but I am a PADI and SSI instructor. I see very little difference in continuing education opportunities. Look for a dive shop and instructors that turn you on. Try one or two from each or mix and match. Glad to see you pursuing additional education.

 

[burnboy]

I would also have to concur with the above two people. I got my Open Water Cert through PADI. My AOWI and Rescue Diver with NAUI and my professional certs through SSI. ALL three of them are good organizations. Find a good shop or instructor you like and they will continue to make diving fun for you.

As for tables, once you pick an instructor, learn the tables for that agency as well as buying a dive computer.

 

[battles2a5]

Yep, find a good instructor and a good shop. I got NAUI open water, PADI Advanced, SSI Rescue, PADI DM, and now I am going through TDI for tech. They are all good agencies, pick the one that you are comfortable with and where you can forge relationships with the divers you wish to emulate.

As for the tables, they all help you calculate NDLs (or beyond w/ training) and residual nitrogen. The numbers and methods may vary, but they are all similar for the most part. If you are really interested in how they work, start doing some research on decompression models. Once you have a grasp on the fundamentals and learn the basic differences between the models (various iterations of tissue vs. bubble-based) you will come away with a much greater appreciation of how diving (theoretically) effects your physiology.

 

[Diver180]

It's nice to see that the OP question was answered without bashing. My hat (hood) is off to you guy's. I agree with the answers above. 1st. Good Inst. 2nd. Good shop. And a distant 3rd. Agency..... Dive Safe.

 

[Tigerman]

As far as the tables goes, Id say that if there are differences in the tables two divers use, you should ideally use the one thats strictest as that would be the one with the largest margins.

And I agree to look to the instructor first, then the shop, and then if practical the agency. Whichever agency you want to proceed your training with should acknowledge your current certification and be able to put you in the apropriate "next step" course..

 

[TSandM]

I guess the question is, what do you want to GET out of continuing education? Once you have answered that question, you will have a better idea of where you want to go to get it, and which classes you might want to take.

I think most divers could benefit from improving their buoyancy control, and learning how to move through a dive site without disturbing the bottom or the structures. I think most divers would benefit from honing their emergency procedures (eg. learning to do things like mask clearing/replacement or air sharing while in the water column, and without losing buoyancy control). I think many would benefit from improved situational awareness (better buddy skills, better navigation, better monitoring of gas supplies, etc.) I think basic dive classes are woefully inadequate in teaching dive planning ("Plan your dive and dive your plan," but how do I plan a dive?) and your questions show that you were left a little confused about decompression.

There's only one class I know that addresses just about all of those things in one place, reliably, and that's GUE's Fundamentals class. There are issues with taking it, though, having to do with changing equipment.

Otherwise, I could recommend NWGratefulDiver's AOW class, but it's a long way from you. There's a fellow who I believe is in CT who is teaching what sounds like a fantastic buoyancy class, but that's a long way from you, too.

One thing I don't think you can go wrong with from any agency is a Rescue class. My PADI Rescue class was definitely the best PADI class I took, and well worth my time.

So, anyway, think about what you'd like to learn or improve, and that will give you a better idea of what classes you might benefit from taking.