Whats the difference?

[Spoon]

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

it really boils down to the capabilities and competencies of your Instructor. if all instructors were created equally then i would say it did not matter.

 

[Spoon]

love your pic! terrapin station always makes me feel good

 

[GreenDiverDown]

You got my attention. Where does it say THAT?

I agree, Neil. That particular comment is without any factual basis.

Nor would I agree with the assertion that "there's a big difference in training."

 

[Wayward Son]

My wife took PADI OW a few months ago. Her instructors made people do skills until the instructor was satisfied that the skill was accomplished, and during the OW dives they were more demanding.

The basic schedule of the course did not allow much time for this. As a result many students did not pass with their class & were inserted into other classes. But the ones I saw who had difficulties of any sort were not passed until they sufficiently demonstrated all required skills.

 

[Heffey]

I certified OW with PADI and NAUI.

I found the NAUI OW dives to be much better than the PADI OW dives.

The PADI dives were simply a tour in which I had to do a skill every now and then and then I was certified.

The NAUI OW dives were a real continuation of the learning process. We really worked on the dives. The instructor emphasized getting our weighting figured out on our own, working on buoyancy control, anti silting fin kick techniques and being a good buddy team. Instead of simply passing off a few skills we were being guided through the transition from dependent student to being an independent diver. In fact my final was a solo dive (no instructor), just me and my buddy. What an empowering dive.

Simply put, I got certified through PADI and I became a diver through NAUI.

I don’t know if these differences were organizationally based or just differences in instructors.

 

[Rick Murchison]

What's the difference between a PADI cert and a PADI cert????
or a NAUI or YMCA or PDIC or SSI or NASDS or any other cert???
Well, that depends on who's teaching and who's taking the course.
Over the years I've seen the product of many a scuba certification course - I think from just about every certifying agency there is in the States, including the LA one... and guess what? I've seen horrible divers come out of every one of 'em. And great divers too.
I have my opinions about which course tends to produce better divers, but the reality is that on any given day the agency is all but irrelevant, the facility is all but irrelevant, the part of the country is all but irrelevant... the instructor is 49% of everything; the student is 49%.
Rick

 

[GreenDiverDown]

What's the difference between a PADI cert and a PADI cert????
or a NAUI or YMCA or PDIC or SSI or NASDS or any other cert???
Well, that depends on who's teaching and who's taking the course.
Over the years I've seen the product of many a scuba certification course - I think from just about every certifying agency there is in the States, including the LA one... and guess what? I've seen horrible divers come out of every one of 'em. And great divers too.
I have my opinions about which course tends to produce better divers, but the reality is that on any given day the agency is all but irrelevant, the facility is all but irrelevant, the part of the country is all but irrelevant... the instructor is 49% of everything; the student is 49%.
Rick

Right on, Rick!

 

[pants!]

the instructor is 49% of everything; the student is 49%.
Rick

Is the other 2% the agency?

 

[matt_unique]

What's the difference between a PADI cert and a PADI cert????
or a NAUI or YMCA or PDIC or SSI or NASDS or any other cert???
Well, that depends on who's teaching and who's taking the course.
Over the years I've seen the product of many a scuba certification course - I think from just about every certifying agency there is in the States, including the LA one... and guess what? I've seen horrible divers come out of every one of 'em. And great divers too.
I have my opinions about which course tends to produce better divers, but the reality is that on any given day the agency is all but irrelevant, the facility is all but irrelevant, the part of the country is all but irrelevant... the instructor is 49% of everything; the student is 49%.
Rick

100% correct R.

 

[pt40fathoms]

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.

Really?

Could you point me in the direction of where you got that information. It's contrary to what my copy of the PADI instructor guide tells me.