NAUI vs PADI

[MXGratefulDiver]

If the agencies' material was that different, then there wouldn't be, IMHO, the ability for instructors from one agency to be able to crossover and become an instructor for another agency so easily. Of course, some remediation might be necessary.

From an instructor's perspective, the difference is not so much in what gets taught, but in how it gets taught.

To place some context around my thoughts, I spent about a year DM'ing for instructors from NAUI, PADI, SSI, and YMCA as a self-imposed "apprenticeship" in order to decide whether or not I wanted to become an instructor. So I got some exposure to the different agency standards as well as the approaches used by various instructors.

Generally speaking, PADI teaches more by rote ... lots of emphasis on how to do a particular skills than on the theory behind why you're doing it. NAUI places more of an emphasis on the "why" aspect.

When you take a NAUI class you'll spend more time talking about, for example, Boyle's Law ... and how it pertains to the diving skills you'll be learning. PADI's material focuses more on the mechanics of what to do as you're descending/ascending to deal with pressure changes.

In effect, they cover the same topic ... but from different angles. In the end, how effective the training will be for you ... as an individual ... depends on whether you learn best by analyzing or by doing.

Ultimately I chose NAUI for my instructor training ... not because I thought they were necessarily better than PADI, but because NAUI's teaching approach leaves me more room to add material to the "required" curriculum, and to tailor the sequence of presenting the curriculum to what I perceive to be the needs and goals of my students ... whereas PADI requires the subject matter to be presented in a specific sequence. There is a logic to the PADI presentation ... but I prefer having the "freedom to teach" that the NAUI approach affords.

Ultimately, it really does boil down to the instructor/student relationship. If you really connect with an instructor ... if you can hear and understand what they're teaching ... and if they are diligent in how they teach ... then either approach will afford you a good educational experience.

One thing I'll offer, however is that the instructor isn't the most important consideration ... that would be your desire to learn, and your willingness to put effort into the course. During my "apprenticeship", I DM'd for about 20 Open Water classes. Without exception ... and regardless of agency or instructor ... the students who came out with the best skills were the ones who put the most effort into learning what they were being taught.

It's your money, your effort, and your safety that's on the line ... ultimately you have more control over how much you will get out of the class than either the agency or the instructor. That, of course, assumes that the instructor is competent and is presenting the material according to the policies and procedures of the agency he or she is teaching for.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[tndiveinstruct1]

Standards are what the agency requires (and sometimes prohibits) instructors to teach in their various courses. I do agree they reflect (if not necessarily define) an agency's philosophy.

Agreed. It is what the Agency requires, and as such, it is a business definition. It is NOT the SKILL or the MATERIAL as I stated in my previous post. See below for definitions of SKILL and STANDARDS.

These are standards. NAUI & PADI both require mask removal & replace. Yes, some of the standards are the same. NAUI requires the student to remove & replace the "scuba unit" unassisted. PADI allows the student to receive assistance on this skill if needed. Some of the standards are similar. NAUI requires students to be taught in water rescue breathing. PADI does not. Some of the standards are different.

Actually, I believe that the items you mention above are defined as SKILLS. My dictionary, as well as dictionary.com, defines skill as:

Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience

STANDARD is defined as An acknowledged measure of comparison for quantitative or qualitative value; a criterion

So NAUI's STANDARDS required the student to perform the SKILL unassisted. PADI's STANDARDS allows for help. But the SKILL remains the same. Which is what I was stating.

If an instructor can show a high degree of skill in teaching, has excellent dive skills, and is willing to meet or exceed the standards of the new agency, there's no reason to make them repeat everything from the beginning. Just because I am not blind to differences does not mean I'm blind to similarities. The ability to see one thing does not make one blind to others.

And that is what I was stating. If an instructor that meets the STANDARDS of the first agency, has excellent dive SKILLS, then there is NO reason he would have to repeat the entire course path.

Randy

 

[tndiveinstruct1]

I first got certified by PADI, then got an AOW certification from the same shop/agency. After diving wtih a number of "NAUI certified" divers on a dive trip, I noticed two things:
1) They seemed to be better divers, with better bottom times, better bouyancy control, and better beach diving skills.
2) MY PADI AOW certification didn't teach me anything; I ended up "rescuing" my dive buddy for the certification, didn't learn much, and certainly didn't feel "advanced."

I switched to a NAUI shop for the rest of my training and certifications (Rescue, Nitrox, Master Diver, and Instructor). The story then was that "NAUI was better than PADI," allowing the instructors to deviate from the material to reinforce points on the fly, or require students to demonstrate skills multiple times until they did so with proficiency, comfort, and ease.

The "NAUI" curriculum, for example, called for two separate ocean experiences PRIOR to every entering the ocean on scuba, while my first (PADI) experience in the ocean was on scuba. Similarly, they break their pool training up into four 2-hour sessions, rather than the one-day (8-hour) pool session that I went through to become PADI certified. The theory is that students have more time to "internalize" the pool sessions if they are broken up this way and spaced over three weeks.

I bought the "NAUI is better than PADI" story...until the shop switched to SDI for administrative reasons. They still teach the same way, using mostly the same materials and certainly all the same methods, but the students get an SDI OW card. If they want, for a nominal fee they can also get a PADI card. All this pretty much obviated the "NAUI vs PADI" story.

My $0.02 worth: it's the instructor/shop, not the certifying agency that matters. It's easier to find examples of "PADI mistakes", such as teaching students to enter surf with their fins on and walking backwards ... getting chronically knocked over by small waves ... because PADI is so darn big (something like 700,000 certifications/yr in the US). If you looked hard enough you'd probably find NAUI and SDI teaching errors as well.

Very well put.

Randy

 

[tndiveinstruct1]

From an instructor's perspective, the difference is not so much in what gets taught, but in how it gets taught.

To place some context around my thoughts, I spent about a year DM'ing for instructors from NAUI, PADI, SSI, and YMCA as a self-imposed "apprenticeship" in order to decide whether or not I wanted to become an instructor. So I got some exposure to the different agency standards as well as the approaches used by various instructors.

Generally speaking, PADI teaches more by rote ... lots of emphasis on how to do a particular skills than on the theory behind why you're doing it. NAUI places more of an emphasis on the "why" aspect.

When you take a NAUI class you'll spend more time talking about, for example, Boyle's Law ... and how it pertains to the diving skills you'll be learning. PADI's material focuses more on the mechanics of what to do as you're descending/ascending to deal with pressure changes.

In effect, they cover the same topic ... but from different angles. In the end, how effective the training will be for you ... as an individual ... depends on whether you learn best by analyzing or by doing.

Ultimately I chose NAUI for my instructor training ... not because I thought they were necessarily better than PADI, but because NAUI's teaching approach leaves me more room to add material to the "required" curriculum, and to tailor the sequence of presenting the curriculum to what I perceive to be the needs and goals of my students ... whereas PADI requires the subject matter to be presented in a specific sequence. There is a logic to the PADI presentation ... but I prefer having the "freedom to teach" that the NAUI approach affords.

Ultimately, it really does boil down to the instructor/student relationship. If you really connect with an instructor ... if you can hear and understand what they're teaching ... and if they are diligent in how they teach ... then either approach will afford you a good educational experience.

One thing I'll offer, however is that the instructor isn't the most important consideration ... that would be your desire to learn, and your willingness to put effort into the course. During my "apprenticeship", I DM'd for about 20 Open Water classes. Without exception ... and regardless of agency or instructor ... the students who came out with the best skills were the ones who put the most effort into learning what they were being taught.

It's your money, your effort, and your safety that's on the line ... ultimately you have more control over how much you will get out of the class than either the agency or the instructor. That, of course, assumes that the instructor is competent and is presenting the material according to the policies and procedures of the agency he or she is teaching for.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Some very good points there Bob. You and MyDiveLog stated the cases very well. It is ultimately up to the STUDENT to find a INSTRUCTOR that they can understand. All the standards in the world will not make a diver. It is the SKILLS that the student learns from their instructor that makes the diver. And if the INSTRUCTOR can't teach the SKILLS, then go find another INSTRUCTOR. And if the student doesn't understand the MATERIALS, then it's for naught as well.

Randy

 

[Walter]

The standards define which skills are required. Skills are part of standards. They differ greatly from one agency to another.