PADI Open Water & NAUI Advanced??

[TravelDave]

I have a PADI Open Water certificate and am looking to do my Advanced Open Water certificate. One of the shops I'm looking at is a NAUI shop. Is there any problem with having the certifications from different organizations?

Any advantages to one AOW course over the other?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Drew Sailbum]

No problem switching back and forth between agencies. And if you should so choose, for rescue training you could choose yet another agency.

Just be sure to keep your various c-cards. Should you decide to take a divermaser level course you will probably be asked to provide copies of your c-cards as proof of having the required prerequisites.

Up until the professional levels you can generally switch back and forth between agencies by taking the next higher class from the next agency. Once you have done an instructor course with agency "A", you will have to do a crossover course to have an instructor rating in agency "B".

 

[jbd]

No problem with getting training with various agencies. Granted each agency would prefer that you stay with them but in the real world it isn't mandatory.

If you can, compare what each shop has to offer in their AOW class. Most require deep, navigation, and night or low viz dives then allow you to pick from a list of electives.

I'm a NAUI instructor and NAUI offers Underwater Hunting, having never done that, I wouldn't offer it. Another NAUI instructor may be very experienced in that and might not offer something else. My point is that you must shop around and see who offers what you want to learn to do.