What is the best way or organization to get certified for scuba diving?
PADI or NOWI? it is confusing????
already a free diver but need to get certified for the tanks…and am very curious about what it might be like to have nitrox and be able to stay under longer….
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padi
Well, its NAUI for one, and Im a NAUI Divemaster. I would go with NAUI, the courses are WAY more comprehensive, better structured, and take more into account. You’ll be a way more informed diver, aka more trustworthy. And if you go with NAUI, all specs on tanks and gear ect… will be covered. Just sign up for a course, and have fun dude! By the way, PADI may be a little bit larger, but NAUI has been doing it longer, and like I said before, is a better orginization with more respect with international dive shops. Hope this helps
It may depend on where you live. If you are in the UK, BSAC is your best route. PADI or NAUI are about the same, here in North America. Each has about the same curriculum and level of instruction. PADI is gaining a lot of steam over NAUI. It’s hard to find a NAUI shop, pretty easy to find a PADI shop. In my opinion, one is no better than the other, but PADI is better at marketing and seems to always be developing new courses and certs. I don’t bother to pack most of my PADI cards now anyway, I usually just use my IANTD cards as they are of higher standing. I didn’t mention them as an option for you, although they do offer Open Water, as they are a little hard to find a facility offering it. If the shop is IANTD it usually caters to above Advanced, as the one I go to. You mention Nitrox and bottom times. Common misconception. Nitrox doesn’t necessarily mean you will have a longer bottom time, just more time before deco in most dive profiles. It has it’s disadvantages as well. Diving past 120 ft with a 32 mix will get you dead in a hurry, but normal air nope. You won’t be doing any Nitrox on your open water in any event.
Edit: This is for Don. Notice I said there isn’t much difference between PADI and NAUI, there’s not really in what their courses offer and the finnished result. I make my opinion unbiased even though I was originally PADI trained. I mentioned BSAC by itself, because I consider it to be a superior cert org. I’ve dived a mixed bag of PADI,NAUI and BSAC in Scapa Flo. All were advanced wreck divers in their respective cert org’s and found the level of training to be superior with the BSAC divers. BSAC’s OWC is pretty well on Par with PADI or NAUI’s advanced standing. Their advanced cert , is far tougher and requires a bit more knoledge to pass and is equivalent in any practical sense, to both PADI’s Rescue and NAUI’s Master. I was fortunate enough to have a BSAC instructor at hand, when doing my PADI resue. He actually stepped in, and was teaching the PADI instructor a few things on the course, that weren’t covered in PADI curriculum, that were indeed useful and ought to be taught.
There are differences in the organizations, but the most important thing is getting a good instructor.
Here is a list of questions to ask instructors:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1459130&postcount=2
Find the best instructor you can and get as much bottom time as possible.
If you would like more information about PADI vs NAUI, please see the URLs included below. Lots of interesting reading.
Yes, it’s all about finding a good instructor no matter which agency you select. I’ve see good and bad from both the organizations you mentioned. As a second to finding a good instructor try to get a ‘feel’ about the agency’s style. You will find PADI, NAUI, SSI, SDI, ect. all have very different styles. Find the one that fits you best.
The organization you choose is no more important than who you had for driving class back in high school. Did that instructor make you the driver you are today? Doubt it. The Course materials are all about the same, they all have to meet the same standards.
NAUI and PADI don’t really teach diving anyway, just underwater survival.
Master that, it is important.
But remember, the diver you become depends entirely on you. You learn diving on your own, like everyone else.
Find a class that fits your schedule and budget, and don’t sweat the name of the agency.
Don’t worry about nitrox at this point either, just dive air for a while, advance when you feel you have the need.
Most of all, don’t let gear snobs fill your head with nonsense. listen, nod politely, and make your own decisions. Remember, every dive center knows the very best gear for you- Whatever brand they sell, of course.
SSI Nowi is like for grandpas no offense but I recommend SSI I´m a Dive master SSI into technical diving with Trimix cave diver certified but anyway is your money do what you want.