What training agency

[oahu_diver]

I'm just curious what training agency you used for your certifications. I'm confused about all the different agencies. Mostly NAUI and PADI. There's the long standing joke that PADI stands for Put Another Dollar In...but at least PADI is not ashamed to admit that it is a business and a business can't survive without turning a profit. NAUI proclaims to be a non-profit agency, but their classes cost the same (and sometimes more) than PADI classes. So, I'm confused about the non-profit status.

Anyone have any opinions on training agencies?

I'm posting this in the Hawai'i 'Ohana forum because I'm curious about the divers in the Hawai'i area.

Still trying to get an answer...how is NAUI non-profit if their classes cost the same? Do they donate to charities??

 

[Thalassamania]

NAUI is a 501c3 mutual benefit corporation, money left over (profits) can not be distributed to owners, because the owners are all the members (all NAUI instructors) who elect a Board of Directors. That has nothing to do with the price of courses, which are set by individual instructors or shops, not NAUI. This is contrasted with those agencies that are for profit corporations where profits go to the owners, and there are no members (despite that they may be called by the company) and there is not an elected BOD. But there, once again, that has nothing to do with the price of courses, which are set by individual instructors or shops.

You will find, in almost all agencies, a wide range of course costs, from the $199 shop courses, to courses offered by "name" instructors that will run up into the thousands.

 

[oahu_diver]

that makes sense since NAUI can be non-profit but the individual shop/instructors are not.

But I would assume that most shops develop their price by the cost of running the course. I would think that buying training materials from a non-profit organization would be less expensive and that cost reduction would translate into a less expensive course for the customer. But I guess that's up to the individual shop/instructor.

So what happens to the "money left over?" Does it just get rolled back into the company?

 

[Krazytomdiver]

Ten years ago in A/C Belize I thought PADI was the only dive organzation on the planet. Now as a retired dive guide it matters less than nothing.
Dive safe/Have fun!

"living life without a hard bottom'
kT

 

[Thalassamania]

that makes sense since NAUI can be non-profit but the individual shop/instructors are not.

But I would assume that most shops develop their price by the cost of running the course. I would think that buying training materials from a non-profit organization would be less expensive and that cost reduction would translate into a less expensive course for the customer. But I guess that's up to the individual shop/instructor.

So what happens to the "money left over?" Does it just get rolled back into the company?

NAUI does not require that you buy their training materials, they permit you to use whatever you think will work best for the course that you are running. Money that is "left over" is, in a nutshell, plowed back. That might mean developing new materials or that might mean paying off a little more of the mortgage on the office, etc.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Interesting sidetrack, regarding AAUS. One of those cases where an off topic or hijacked thread leads to really interesting info that may otherwise never been posted.

Back on topic, as a longtime Hawaii diver: I answered "Other".

I was certified by PADI, in 1976, but at this point I would be more likely to seek out an instructor or mentor who could teach me a very specific skillset, rather than choosing a specific training agency and following their pathway or chasing the next C-card.

This is not meant as a slam on any of the training agencies, just a reflection of where I am as a diver and what my interests are.

Best wishes.

 

[oahu_diver]

@ Thalassamania...

Do you have any other dive certification other than AAUS?

 

[Thalassamania]

AAUS does not certify divers. The individual institution does.

I have other certs from NAUI, PADI, IANTD, CMAS, TDI, DAN, and others; but those are not what I "dive on" day-to-day.

 

[oahu_diver]

Yes, the institution verifies the training, but doesn't the card come from AAUS?

 

[Thalassamania]

You need to understand the difference between certification and verification.

There is no AAUS certification card, however, full and student members of AAUS, who have met the training requirement at their home institution are eligible for a "verification" card. The card front has the AAUS logo, a picture of the diver, the date of issue and the name and logo of the certifying institution. The back of the card lists all Volume Two specialty training for which the diver qualifies. Once the diver's DSO has verified that an applicant qualifies, the applicant's name is added to a national registry of scientific divers that have met the training requirements of AAUS. This card is not intended to be used in lieu of a Letter of Reciprocity and Training Verification when requesting reciprocity from or transferring authorization to another AAUS organizational member.

This is a fairly new program, and most (if not all) institutions still issue their own diver cards, as they have since the beginning of scuba diving. It is oldest of those institutional cards (U.C. Berkeley, 1973) that I still have kicking about (I have similar cards from perhaps a dozen institutions) that I usually "dive on."