Whats the difference?

[DaveLair27]

Any significant difference between a NAUI cert and a PADI cert?

 

[AquaHump]

Welcome to the board!!!!

I think you will find that most people will say it all comes down to the instructor

 

[drglnc]

I only have experience from padi but i have been told that naui is more extensive and intense training, and geared for for the tec diver padi is very much geared to the recreational divers.

 

[ChrisA]

Any significant difference between a NAUI cert and a PADI cert?

Very little. Each agency accepts the other's. For example you can do NAUI OW and then PADI AOW. if you like. More differences between shops and instructors then between those padi/naui.

 

[Walter]

There's no difference in the certs. There's a big difference in the training.

 

[TheYellowSubmarine]

Any significant difference between a NAUI cert and a PADI cert?

There is a HUGE difference. On the cards, PADI is spelled P A D I, and NAUI is spelled N A U I.

 

[ScubaSixString]

I only have experience from padi but i have been told that naui is more extensive and intense training, and geared for for the tec diver padi is very much geared to the recreational divers.

if you want to go on what you've heard, i've heard that if you EVER plan to dive outside the US , go with PADI, as NAUI isn't recognized by some OCONUS dive ops


so much for what you've heard.

If you plan to go tech.....the tech agency will make sure you are up to snuff

 

[Walter]

if you want to go on what you've heard, i've heard that if you EVER plan to dive outside the US , go with PADI, as NAUI isn't recognized by some OCONUS dive ops


so much for what you've heard.

If you plan to go tech.....the tech agency will make sure you are up to snuff

You heard wrong. There's no problem with recognition even with smaller agencies and NAUI is not one of the smaller agencies.

 

[MyDiveLog]

Any significant difference between a NAUI cert and a PADI cert?

There are a number of posts comparing PADI to NAUI, so I won't belabor the point. I'm a NAUI and SDI instructor and, for another thousand bucks, could easily be a PADI instructor as well. My first few classes, when I was beginning, were PADI classes.

My POV is that the instructor, not the agency, really matters most. Having said that, there are minor differences in the approach of the agencies:

PADI tends to be more formulaic in their approach, mandating the use of specific material, in a specific order, for their instructors. Students are required to demonstrate skills (mask clearing for example), but cannot be required to repeat the skill if the instructor believes they need more repetition. PADI, probably because they are the largest and most successful agency, are more geared towards marketing. You can buy a certification card from PADI for just about anything related to scuba.

NAUI is a lot like PADI, except that they give the instructors more latitude in customizing material and pool/ocean sessions to address issues. because NAUI's roots are non-profit, the culture of NAUI is different from PADI (although this seems to be changing). I learned to be an instructor from a NAUI shop that truly teaches "old school," placing more time and emphasis on 'watermanship' and 'shorkeling skills' than I ever got while taking PADI's OW course.

SDI is the 'new kid on the block.' Unlike PADI or NAUI, SDI teaches the use of dive computers and minimizes the emphasis on teaching dive tables ... which is how nearly all divers dive. SDI is also the only agency to support on-line classroom education, which I like; students can complete their class work on-line if they like, working with an instructor only for pool and ocean work.

 

[neil]

.......... but cannot be required to repeat the skill if the instructor believes they need more repetition.

You got my attention. Where does it say THAT?