Puzzled over NAUI certification "name changes"

[US Diver]

Hello all!

I received my NAUI "Scuba Diver" certification in 1985 and soon after a NAUI "Openwater" (Openwater 1) certification. After requesting an updated certification card a few years ago, I discovered that NAUI certifications underwent name changes in 1994. Here are the name changes:

Old Name-----------New Name


Openwater 1--------Scuba Diver
Openwater 2--------Advanced Scuba Diver
Advanced-----------Master Scuba Diver
Master--------------Gold Master Diver
Rescue--------------Scuba Rescue Diver
D.A.R.T.-------------Advanced Scuba Rescue Diver


According to this table, the category "Scuba Diver" didn't exist prior to 1994 yet I have my original NAUI "Scuba Diver" card right here in front of me. Is there something that I am missing or does NAUI have some major problems with standardization? I tried to get a clear answer through "official channels" but no one could provide me with an answer.

 

[SOFDiver]

I suggest you contact a NAUI Instructor, who can answer your questions. Your "new names" are not correct, as a NAUI Instructor I have never heard of " Gold master" diver.

 

[boulderjohn]

From the official NAUI web site:
NAUI Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.naui.org/replace_lost_card.aspx

 

[US Diver]

Thank you for your response. I checked the resources that you provided prior to creating this thread.

Like I touched upon in my initial post, the information on the NAUI website does not clarify what happened to the old (pre 1994) certification classification of "Scuba Diver" because it does not appear on the list of old names. I received a "Scuba Diver" certification and then an "Openwater" certification (both in 1985). If we follow the name conversion chart on the FAQ page literally, it means the the classification of "Scuba Diver" never existed prior to 1994. This is not correct because I have both my old cards here (I had my Openwater 1 card updated to "Scuba Diver" because it was a junior certification).

---------- Post added August 17th, 2014 at 09:21 AM ----------

For example, the following list would make complete sense:


Old Name-----------New Name

SCUBA DIVER-------BASIC DIVER <------hypothetical classification, missing from NAUI list
Openwater 1--------Scuba Diver
Openwater 2--------Advanced Scuba Diver
Advanced-----------Master Scuba Diver
Master--------------Gold Master Diver
Rescue--------------Scuba Rescue Diver
D.A.R.T.-------------Advanced Scuba Rescue Diver

My question is simply this: What happened to the old classification of "Scuba Diver"?

---------- Post added August 17th, 2014 at 10:50 AM ----------

The names are straight from the NAUI website.

 

[scjoe]

Although your list of new names comes from the NAUI site, terms like "Gold Master Diver" do not appear in the training progression area of the NAUI site. I suspect the list of names you are looking at is simply screwed up. That would explain why your old cert name does not appear.

 

[boulderjohn]

Although your list of new names comes from the NAUI site, terms like "Gold Master Diver" do not appear in the training progression area of the NAUI site. I suspect the list of names you are looking at is simply screwed up. That would explain why your old cert name does not appear.

If so, it is screwed up in two places. Someone who is a NAUI member should contact them about it.

 

[US Diver]

I have asked NAUI Instructors and attempted to contact NAUI Headquarters in the past. No one has any answers. It is as if the old classifications "Scuba Diver" and "Openwater Diver" never existed (they never wrote "Openwater I" on my original c-card).

---------- Post added August 17th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ----------

This is why concrete standards are so important. For example, if different NAUI administrators decided to add a little "flair" here and there, we could possibly end up with many variations of the same name (Openwater, Openwater 1, Openwater I, Openwater Basic, Openwater Guppy, etc.)

 

[Jim Lapenta]

And the real problem with that is what? Agencies change designations. Some of it is nothing more than responding to a changing market.

 

[US Diver]

That's absolutely no problem. But let's have a little organization thrown into the mix so that some of us aren't left in the dust.

---------- Post added August 17th, 2014 at 12:41 PM ----------

If you read my previous posts you will see that the classification of "Scuba Diver" (pre 1994) has been totally left out, meaning that there is no new classification for this old certification. No words can justify that.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

What was in your course? That is one way to compare and determine an equal rating compared to the designations used now.