For professional diving, you will need certification. There are many scuba certification options available, depending on your needs and budget. PADI, SSI and NAUI are just a few of the popular certification programs available for beginners. Find out which one suits you best! We offer some useful tips and suggestions to help you choose the right certificate program for your needs.
PADI
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is a professional organization for diver training and membership. The organization was founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. There are many requirements for certification, including knowledge about scuba diving safety, underwater navigation and dive operations. PADI teaches divers how safely and effectively to supervise a dive, and the nuances of underwater navigation.
Students who have completed the PADI open water course will receive a rescue diver certification. This certification requires students to take five different dive courses, each with its own learning outcomes and skill set. Two must take the Deep Dive Specialty Course, and one must complete the Underwater Navigation Specialty Course. Three of the other courses must be chosen from a given list. The rescue diver certification is for people who want to assist in emergencies underwater. It usually takes two to three full days of training. This includes theory, two open water dives, and a pool session.
SSI
A SSI training course is a good choice for deciding which certification you should pursue. Both PADI and SSI courses require a certain level of skill. PADI courses require students to learn in a certain order. SSI offers more flexibility. If a skill is too difficult they can always move on to the next until they are proficient. They can also train on vacation with SSI so they can obtain their certification in a matter weeks.
SSI offers digital courses, so you can log your dives easily. Manuals can either be downloaded from the internet or obtained at a dive shop. You can also get an e-certification card from SSI by creating an online profile. There are many costs, but the average cost for 2018 courses was 50 USD. The next step is to complete a dive training program.
NAUI
The National Association of Underwater Instructors, (NAUI), is an association of certified scuba divers. Their primary mission is to create standards and education programs that are applicable to all scuba divers. NAUI certification lets you teach scuba divers to non-professionals while also meeting international safety standards. NAUI offers training courses as well as teaching scuba diving to divers from around the globe.
The first NAUI training course was held in 1959 in Los Angeles by Al Tillman, a peer at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. He and another Scripps Institute oceanographer were granted provisional diving certificates in 1958. Scuba diving was popularized by Lloyd Bridges' 1960 movie "Sea Hunt". In 1960, the National Diving Patrol began to be established. Jacques-Yves Cousteau, its first president, was appointed. The Navy SEALs use NAUI training programs, NASA and Walt Disney Resorts globally.
CMAS
Scuba diving enthusiasts from every continent should look for a dive school that offers CMAS certification courses. There is no central list of approved dive schools. However, you can use a search engine to locate one. CMAS courses provide 5 days of training and emphasize safety. To be eligible for the CMAS certification, you must be at least 16 years old, have logged 25 dives, and have a medical statement from a diving doctor. If you already hold another certification, the first step will be to complete an SSI course.
If you have a qualification in one agency, but not in another, you are eligible to enroll in an identical course in another agency. If you have some experience in scuba diving and are interested in pursuing more advanced courses, you can use the table references below. The table does not include all training agencies. You might need to start at the lower level if your CMAS 1 or 2 certification is required. In this case, you should seek advice from the new agency before making the decision.