NAUI Instructors and Nitrox Card

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renpirate

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
986
Reaction score
8
Location
Santa Rosa, CA
# of dives
1000 - 2499
Hey NAUI Peeps,

You may have had this experience where a dive op doesn’t accept your NAUI instructor card as proof for nitrox. Do you carry a nitrox card with you in addition to your instructor card, or do you ask them to phone NAUI? What is your experience?
 
Such an operation is run by idiots and I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

@Peter Guy was turned down for nitrox after presenting his trimix card. He then asked for trimix without helium but the morons still said no.
 
Hey NAUI Peeps,

You may have had this experience where a dive op doesn’t accept your NAUI instructor card as proof for nitrox. Do you carry a nitrox card with you in addition to your instructor card, or do you ask them to phone NAUI? What is your experience?
Does a NAUI instructor card include certification to teach nitrox, or that an additional cert an instructor must have?
 
Does a NAUI instructor card include certification to teach nitrox, or that an additional cert an instructor must have?
As a NAUI instructor you can teach a variety of basic courses. The idea is that they won’t certify you unless you are totally competent. I am not trying to dig on my PADI colleagues, we all know it comes down to the skills of the particular instructor. The big difference is that PADI is a corporation and wants to deliver a consistent product regardless of location, which means rote learning and strict adherence to standards. They do a good job, which is why they have dominated the dive industry. However, there is more leeway in NAUI, they don’t require authorizations for everything. I don’t need separate cards for everything. When I did my SDI crossover, they sent me 20 cards!

I should probably know better by now and just have ordered a Nitrox Diver card for myself. It is what it is, but it struck me as wrong when the PADI course director made a big deal about seeing my Nitrox card.

So, for all of my esteemed PADI colleagues, if a NAUI instructor presents their card, they are certified for Nitrox. Can any of you NAUI CDs back me up on this so they know?
 
Such an operation is run by idiots and I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

@Peter Guy was turned down for nitrox after presenting his trimix card. He then asked for trimix without helium but the morons still said no.
‍Us tech guys are a small group. Most divers are the warm water take care of me types, but that is where the money is, so I won’t throw too much shade. It’s just a pain when we don’t see professional courtesy.
 
I have not personally had an issue with it, though I don't actually have a basic diver card only a NAUI Nitrox Diver card. I have had friends that have had issues in south Florida though and they've had cards pencil whipped for them by buddies as a CYOA *one of them was a course director trainer....*
If you are a NAUI instructor you are rated at everything you can teach, which is the entirety of the recreational program including nitrox. The question is whether or not the shop recognizes it and chooses to honor it and for that it's just as easy to have someone pencil whip it for you or since you have SDI cards, ask them for a nitrox card.
 
‍ us tech guys are a small group. Most divers are the warm water take care of me types, but that is where the money is, so I won’t throw too much shade. It’s just a pain when we don’t see professional courtesy.
sure it is where the money is. But to have no clue to not accept a higher gas level certification blows my mind. I do understand that many in the industry live inside a bubble.
 
Since I always have my phone, I always have all of my C-Cards, incase I run into ignorant shops.

NAUI Instructors do have a lot of perks, so yes once certified you can teach everything up to DM as a program. If you want the individual courses, there was a 1 time fee of about $120 (true 3 years ago, I do not know if NAUI has removed this fee since). This opens you up for 40 different individual courses.

When I crossed over to SDI, I too was sent a truck load of C-Cards.

Just a side Note, I generally always teach NAUI Nitrox. In general All NAUI's instructor material (free), and Student Material or eLearning is far cost effective for instructors.

Flip side is, moving to SDI/TDI as tripled my students, as even in NAUI's home of Florida, people do not know whom they are.
 
Since I always have my phone, I always have all of my C-Cards, incase I run into ignorant shops.

NAUI Instructors do have a lot of perks, so yes once certified you can teach everything up to DM as a program. If you want the individual courses, there was a 1 time fee of about $120 (true 3 years ago, I do not know if NAUI has removed this fee since). This opens you up for 40 different individual courses.

When I crossed over to SDI, I too was sent a truck load of C-Cards.

Just a side Note, I generally always teach NAUI Nitrox. In general All NAUI's instructor material (free), and Student Material or eLearning is far cost effective for instructors.

Flip side is, moving to SDI/TDI as tripled my students, as even in NAUI's home of Florida, people do not know whom they are.

Sadly, NAUI has not been very good at competing with other agencies. I see fewer and fewer NAUI shops.

I am just going to have to remember to bring along one of my other cards. I should have known better, oh well.
 
I dont think NAUI is lacking in any way. PADI just sucks more shops into the scheme. Scuba is a dead sport and has not seen significant growth in many years. All the agencies are competing for market share. Thus the politics. As a international Public Safety Diver, Paramedic/Firefighter holding the rank of Division Chief, a persons certification in PADI, NAUI, SSI etc really does not measure up to be a hill of beans to me. Take you money to shop that will fill your tanks and knows your level of certification. . So....No I have not had any issue with showing my NAUI instructor card and getting Nitrox fills. Mostly becuase I deal with the NAUI Shops and staff.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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