NAUI Master Scuba Diver: what exactly is it

[Coldwater_Canuck]

Out of curiosity I started looking at the NAUI Master Scuba diver program, after seeing it mentioned on here. Now I have no background with NAUI so have only been pounded by PADI's promotional items about their "Master Scuba Diver" which is really different.

I guess there's 3 main questions I have.

1.)
The course looks to me somewhat like an Advanced Open Water course in that it's a bunch of specialties. Now with AOW (at least for PADI) the relation between it and specialty courses is fairly obvious: the "adventure dive" is supposed to be the first dive of the specialty.

So my question is, how does Master Diver fit in with specialty courses? Is it supposed to be taken after a number of specialties, be taken in place of specialties (teach same material), or be taken before specialties? For example, how does the navigation portion match up with a navigation specialty? Does the deep dive also give you the 130 foot limit like the deep diver course, etc?

2.) Who is this geared towards? Is it generally for people with 100s of dives or is it more just something to do after AOW?

3.) Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to require a Rescue course as a pre-req, and while I see there is a rescue dive included, it would make NAUI Master Scuba the only MSD cert not to require a dedicated rescue class. Is there a reason for this?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TMHeimer]

From what I've read, it's sort of like PADI Divemaster course without the teaching aspect. I believe Rescue is part of the Naui MSD, as opposed to a pre-req. with PADI. Naui has some pretty tough swim requirements for MSD, much like PADI DM. Also, I believe there is a written test for Naui MSD. PADI MSD is 50 logged dives, Rescue diver and any 5 specialties.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

The NAUI Master Scuba Diver certification is not at all the same as the PADI and SSI Master Scuba Diver programs. Essentially, for PADI (as I understand it as I am not a PADI instructor) and certainly for SSI, the Master Diver "certs" are essentially cards bestowed on divers who have completed Stress/Rescue Diver and logged 50 dives (if memory serves).

The NAUI Master Diver is actually a course. It comes after AOW and before Rescue Diver. It involves things like emergency procedures and rescue and deep/simulated decompression diving. There are a minimum of eight open wate dives.

There is quite a bit more, these are merely some examples. I would not call the course anything similar to a divemaster course, as PADI's divemaster and SSI's divecon courses are professional level leadership courses.

Jeff
NAUI Instructor #50834
SSI AOWI #27375

 

[Web Monkey]

The NAUI Master Scuba Diver certification is not at all the same as the PADI and SSI Master Scuba Diver programs. Essentially, for PADI (as I understand it as I am not a PADI instructor) and certainly for SSI, the Master Diver "certs" are essentially cards bestowed on divers who have completed Stress/Rescue Diver and logged 50 dives (if memory serves).

SSI Master Dive requires OW + 4 complete specialty classes and 50 dives. One of the specialties must be Stress and Rescue. Also each of the specialties requires a number of dives (depends on the class).

Terry

 

[OldNSalty]

So it sounds like this course might actually be worth while. Does it help if you decide to go down the DM/Instructor path one day?

 

[annasea]

As a NAUI-trained diver, I was curious about the answer. According to the NAUI website... Master Scuba Diver.

Jeff Toorish, here's a link to NAUI's training progression.

 

[Web Monkey]

So it sounds like this course might actually be worth while. Does it help if you decide to go down the DM/Instructor path one day?

SSI or NAUI?

Can't speak for NAUI, but the classes required for SSI Master Diver are also required for DiveCon & Instructor, so it's certainly not a waste. And regardless of what you do with it later, Stress & Rescue is an excellent class.

If you only plan on taking one extra class past OW, it should be Stress & Rescue.

Terry

 

[OldNSalty]

Yep-Already done the rescue and the advanced but wasn't interested in master diver if all it amounted to was a recognition of past classes and dives.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

The NAUI Master Scuba Diver certification is not at all the same as the PADI and SSI Master Scuba Diver programs. Essentially, for PADI (as I understand it as I am not a PADI instructor) and certainly for SSI, the Master Diver "certs" are essentially cards bestowed on divers who have completed Stress/Rescue Diver and logged 50 dives (if memory serves).

The NAUI Master Diver is actually a course. It comes after AOW and before Rescue Diver. It involves things like emergency procedures and rescue and deep/simulated decompression diving. There are a minimum of eight open wate dives.

There is quite a bit more, these are merely some examples. I would not call the course anything similar to a divemaster course, as PADI's divemaster and SSI's divecon courses are professional level leadership courses.

Jeff
NAUI Instructor #50834
SSI AOWI #27375

Thanks Jeff, but as a NAUI instructor would you be able to answer the specific questions I asked in the first post? I've read up the description on NAUI's site, but I'm not quite clear what level the dives are aimed at and how this fits in with specialties and other courses.

 

[Thalassamania]

Master Diver is NAUI's highest level of non-leadership certification. The NAUI Master Diver should be every bit as knowledgeable about diving and every bit as competent in that water as a NAUI Instructor, the only difference should be the how to teach stuff and the topics concerning how NAUI operates.