PADI vs NAUI

[Brendon]

Bottom line is, good instruction falls on the shoulders of the instructor and the student. Both must be prepared to learn from each other. Both must walk away from the experience having learned something about one another. If not, they have both wasted each others time and money.

All of the agencies suck in some form or another, non of which will ever hold a candle light to the standards most of us would see in place. Unfortunately all of the agencies at this time are perpetuating the downward spiral of minimum requirements. With that there will always be instructors with in all of the agencies that see this as the goal to achieve. It is up to us "The Diving Community" to see that the minimum standards are not viewed as the the goal. If we do not promote better training and condemn those who run on the bare minimum, nothing will ever change.

 

[BoltSnap]

Hmmmm ... depending on the instructors involved, I'd take that bet ... and I'm a NAUI instructor! Thing is, I know some PADI instructors who teach a kick-ass class and turn out some fine divers.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Sorry Bob, but this would be the very rare exception!! I have had the chance to travel to dive locations in 5 continents and I'd say ALL of the PADI classes I have seen are miserable at best. I can't believe the scam these folks are pulling on their clients/students in making them think that they are divers. There is simply no comparison. You can't make conclusions based on the extreme exception.

 

[Thalassamania]

Welcome back, we've missed you.

 

[oahu_diver]

Seems to me the diver is certified by the instructor...not the agency. So if a class is great, just good, or terrible, you should credit or blame the instructor. If the instructor is great, just good, or terrible then credit or blame the course director.

 

[Thalassamania]

Seems to me the diver is certified by the instructor...not the agency. So if a class is great, just good, or terrible, you should credit or blame the instructor. If the instructor is great, just good, or terrible then credit or blame the course director.

You'd be right if all agencies promulgated minimum standards that must be met and had no restrictions concerning what might be added, how it was to be added, the order of skills, the number of sessions, the texts to be used, the training aids to be used, and so on. Each of those sorts of restrictions shifts the praise or blame from the instructor onto the agency. Diving instruction has gotten so controlled, so regimented and so homogenized that the old saw about "it's the instructor, not the agency" is not really applicable except within very narrow confines.

 

[Cacia]

Seems to me the diver is certified by the instructor...not the agency. So if a class is great, just good, or terrible, you should credit or blame the instructor. If the instructor is great, just good, or terrible then credit or blame the course director.

Those course directors are really annoying....I rode a sled behind the north shore lifeguard rescue team jet ski in order to get past the big shore break at Kelly Slater reef fundraiser to do a fish survey, and they bugged me for a month about how unsafe it was, bad reflection on PADI, etc.
I think I would be fine without any scuba police. I can't figure out how it was their business, they sure seemed to think it was.
What type of sport/hobbies have hall monitors like this? ...it's not even like I'd have a victim, it's not a plane.

Nothing makes you think and plan higher standards that figuring out all by yourself that you could die if you plan it *wrong*

 

[archer fish]

padi and naui are both good agencies dedicated to making the dive industry better and safer for all. the "service" of teaching people how to dive has to be delivered to those who are paying. the instructor delivers the service and students vary in learning abilities. a good instructor will make considerations without compromising SAFETY and makes sure that the END RESULT is attained. THE STUDENT LEARNS TO DIVE WELL AND IS SAFE WITH OTHERS DIVING WITH HIM.

 

[BoltSnap]

How can an Instructor training program that is flawed and is setup merely to generate profits as opposed to having real substance produce "good instructors"? Once instructors are brain washed through this rubber stamp factory, it would be difficult for the graduates from this program to figure out what "good instruction/training" is all about (with some extremely rare exceptions).

 

[MarcelT]

How can an Instructor training program that is flawed and is setup merely to generate profits as opposed to having real substance produce "good instructors"? Once instructors are brain washed through this rubber stamp factory, it would be difficult for the graduates from this program to figure out what "good instruction/training" is all about (with some extremely rare exceptions).

I think that you are generalizing a bit too much. The course PADI design is good in my humble opinion. I am a PADI instructor by choice, because I like the teaching system. I do however try to stay informed on developments by other agencies such as SDI/TDI and CMAS. I do not agree with everything in the PADI system, but I think it offers enough flexibility to teach according to your own preferences.

Integrating leads for equipment and travel sales into the course is just a good way to keep the (cost leading) training affordable to the general public.

The quality of training depends for 99% on the attitude of the instructor. As an instructor, I always keep safety and skills above "earning money". If a student needs extra sessions, he will get them. Both my course director and the examiner from PADI also made a point of this - which I thought was very positive. I always ask myself "would I certify this student to dive with a buddy if he/she was one of my children/loved ones?" That helps you to prevent cutting corners and adhere to both standards and common sense. I take great pride in delivering quality training and safe divers. I find most instructors work in this way, being PADI, SSI, NAUI or other...

Of course you will always have a couple of rotten apples that want to earn a quick buck, but they usually go out of business quickly.

Marcel

 

[DevonDiver]

How can an Instructor training program that is flawed and is setup merely to generate profits as opposed to having real substance produce "good instructors"? Once instructors are brain washed through this rubber stamp factory, it would be difficult for the graduates from this program to figure out what "good instruction/training" is all about (with some extremely rare exceptions).

I disagree. I found the PADI IDC to be quite complete and succeeded in it's goals. I was a BSAC instructor prior to the PADI training and still found that I learnt a lot on the course.

IMHO, the real failure in the PADI Instructor 'sausage factory' occurs before IDC. Specifically, it occurs at DM level. The DM course should ensure an extremely high level of 'diver competance', along with a breadth and depth of experience. It doesn't. Neither is it independantly regulated beyond the instructor-student relationship.

The IDC is a teaching course, not a diving course. It goes wrong if sub-standard divers are allowed to enroll on it.