Why Should I Join NAUI?

[cleung]

I'll be finishing up my NAUI Divermaster course soon and I understand that when I get certified as a NAUI DM, I'll be eligible to join NAUI as a member. The NAUI website really doesn't explain it but I would like to know what are the benefits of joining in the first place, ie. why should I join NAUI?

 

[DAJ]

It really depends on how you want to apply your DM cert. Did you get the cert for your own personal achievement or did you get it to work in the industry.

 

[Pressurehead]

It really depends on how you want to apply your DM cert. Did you get the cert for your own personal achievement or did you get it to work in the industry.

As above, and join Sign In | NAUI CORE

 

[RainPilot]

As a DM, you are considered a dive professional, in NAUI all dive pros are "members". That will give you voting rights for all NAUI issues, since NAUI is unique in that it is a non-profit where the members have voting power.

In other agencies, if you plan to keep your DM current, you will have to pay a yearly fee and (often) have to get insurance.

 

[sandanbob]

Does NAUI not have annual (or any?) fees to stay current as a Divemaster?

 

[The Chairman]

Does NAUI not have annual (or any?) fees to stay current as a Divemaster?

Yes, and you'll have to carry insurance.

 

[sandanbob]

I could have worded my question better, sorry about that. Is that "yes", they do not have annual fees? Or, yes, they do? And, is the insurance professional insurance, such as from V&B, or personal, such as through DAN?

 

[The Chairman]

Annual fees AND insurance are required to be a NAUI member. This is true for almost all agencies that I know of.

 

[cleung]

It really depends on how you want to apply your DM cert. Did you get the cert for your own personal achievement or did you get it to work in the industry.

I did it primarily for my own continued dive education and do not intend to work in the dive industry. Having said that, I do run a local dive group of certified divers and organize dive days for us. Since I happen to know the particular dive sites the best among the ones we frequent, by default I'm the diver who is doing the dive briefing and navigation in the water for the others. So the task is very much as a dive guiding divemaster would do which is the reason why I figured getting the formal training would be helpful. But so far I don't see how membership would benefit me unless I missed something. As a sidenote, we are located in Ontario, Canada where folks up here don't generally sue each other.

 

[tbone1004]

I did it primarily for my own continued dive education and do not intend to work in the dive industry. Having said that, I do run a local dive group of certified divers and organize dive days for us. Since I happen to know the particular dive sites the best among the ones we frequent, by default I'm the diver who is doing the dive briefing and navigation in the water for the others. So the task is very much as a dive guiding divemaster would do which is the reason why I figured getting the formal training would be helpful. But so far I don't see how membership would benefit me unless I missed something. As a sidenote, we are located in Ontario, Canada where folks up here don't generally sue each other.

I believe that Canada is treated the same as the USA as far as agencies go. In that case, if you are acting as a divemaster, then you need to be "current" with an agency and insured. That may be through an umbrella policy with your dive shop or as an individual, but if you are acting in that capacity you need to be insured and active with your agency, no different than an instructor, just cheaper.
I'm going to go out on a limb, albeit a sturdy one, and say that you're doing this with Dan's dive shop given your location and NAUI? If you are doing any shop sanctioned anything, you really need to stay current for the safety of that shop.

Being a NAUI member means you get to vote for the board of directors, but it's mainly if there was an issue in the water that you would have some semblance of defense.