NAUI vs. PADI Advanced

[Texas_Aggie06]

all probably be taking my advanced sometime next year. i've been wondering if i should go the NAUI or PADI route.

[fire diver]

I would recommend spending some time on each agency's website. They have a full breakdown of the thier courses entail. You can see for yourself what each requires and does or does not do.

One of the main differences between agencies is the progression of thier courses. Some agenecies have a LOT of small steps leading to one goal. Others have much few steps, but in the end the outcome is the same (basically).

FD

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by RoadRacer1978

You beat me to it. That is probably the deal with my LDS. Although the other 2 were mandatory as well... lol.... I know some of it has to do with logistics though. You can't always do a certain type dive in the enviroment you are in and have available to you.

Everyone in my class paid a little extra and did 2 additional night dives and got our night cert while we were at it.

When I took PADI AOW all but one dive was pre selected by the shop...the 4th. was S&R, plus Deep,Night and Nav.,,,I forget what I picked as my only option.

[pnevai]

First NAUI is a not for profit orginization, so thier focus is on things other than just the bottom line. You can find the NAUI Credo and Members Code of ethics on the link below. This is what the organization believes and stands for. No such info anywhere on the PADI site that you will find.

On that page you will also find a list of NAUI instructors and shops that have been diciplined or had their NAUI membership revoked for policy violations etc.

As a NAUI DM or Instructor in active status you are a NAUI member. If for some reason NAUI decides you violated standards they can suspend or revoke your membership, that means you can no longer provide NAUI certifications or provide any NAUI training. You are in essence fired. PADI from what I understand has little say in diciplining instructors that are screwups, they certainly do not make public thier policies in this matter.

http://nauiww.org/credo.php

[RoadRacer1978]

Ours was Deep, Nav, S&R, Night and Peak Performane Bouyancy.

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by pnevai

First NAUI is a not for profit orginization, so thier focus is on things other than just the bottom line. You can find the NAUI Credo and Members Code of ethics on the link below. This is what the organization believes and stands for. No such info anywhere on the PADI site that you will find.

On that page you will also find a list of NAUI instructors and shops that have been diciplined or had their NAUI membership revoked for policy violations etc.

http://nauiww.org/credo.php

This is a first....ROTFL!!!! Yep that will make ALL the difference in your O/W training....how silly of me to think other.

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by RoadRacer1978

Ours was Deep, Nav, S&R, Night and Peak Performane Bouyancy.

Now that you mention it that was the one I picked...PPB....thanks for jolting my memory.

[pnevai]

Originally Posted by texdiveguy

This is a first....ROTFL!!!! Yep that will make ALL the difference in your O/W training....how silly of me to think other.

I do not understand what you find so funny, I gather that you never went through a NAUI class. Having completed the NAUI Instructors training course, I went through the entire NAUI program. There is a difference the way NAUI does things. Being a non profit, the organization can not be motivated by $$$ so thier standards and cirriculum is driven by ethics more than money. As all active DM's Instrucors and Assitant Instructors have to be members, they are subject to re-evaluation and have to renew their membership anually in order to retain active status. PADI does not require instructors to renew thier instructor certs nor are they subject to re-evaluation as far aas I know. They have no real requirement to stay current, there is little incentive for PADI certified professional to advance the program other than self motivation.

All of NAUI board members and officers are active NAUI members and are elected into their positions by and only by active NAUI members. They are not hired, marketing executives that may never have donned a scuba tank. For these reasons the quality of the instruction and the program can and is more closely monitored and contriolled. Because of this you will also find far fewer NAUI facilities and Instructors. NAUI is not about mass producing divers, instructors or DM's the organization is not set up that way and as they can not declare profit from it anyway, everyone can focus on providing a quality product.

If PADI decides to start certifying 5 year olds then the instructors have absolutely no say in that policy or program they can only refuse to give the course. Whiile PADI could not do anything to indivvidual instructors, they could pull a LDS's PADI 5 star rating from the shop etc. In NAUI if the membership disagrees with NAUI policy they can vote the changes down or not elect people back on to the board of directors. The NAUI ITC I took had very high standards, 4 of the 12 people enrolled inthe Instructors Training Course did not pass the course and were not certified. I wonder what the attrition rate is for a typical PADI IDC?

Our water skills swim requirements were conducted in open water out in the ocean with the waves and varying currents, no 475 yards or 900 yards in a pool. You had to do a tired swimmer transport without any equipment (fins, mask or BC) in the open ocean as well as the scuba diver tow. There is no points system as there is in PADI where you can blow one or another water skill and still pass. It is do or die. Instructor and AI trining for NAUI is no nonsense and physically grueling so it weeds out yhe vast majority of the incompitants.

swim quals. for DM

As NAUI in some way is like a professional member organization, requireing some tough standards to be met by it's members. The members tend to make sure that individuals not up to thier standards are not allowed in. As far as DM's Instructors and AI are concerned you can think of it as a exclusive club, If I was given no slack in getting my credentials I am certainly not going to give you any more slack that I got. I doubt that this attitude has changed much since I went through it. At times the ITC felt like a brutal frat hazing ritual where the instructor trainers took relish in abusing the candidates.

[texdiveguy]

pneva... I still don't get the fact of a Mission Statement/Credo making NAUI any better than other agencies for scuba training....for profit or not. I read your frustration that everyone does not see NAUI as the 'best' training agency.....I persl. think they offer some 'fine classes'....just as PADI or a number of other training agencies do. Heck I went from PADI's O/W Diver program through PADI's DM course,,,it was not always a pie of cake,,,nor was it a boot-camp. The OP asked about PADI vs NAUI AOW....you can do a search and dig up thousands of them on SB or now even a few probably on this site. IMO I thought PADI had a good over all program, none are perfect. NAUI is no better than other training agencies.

[TxScubaBear]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record here- it's not so much the agency as the instructors that you'll benefit from. I did OW with PADI, the LDS was ok but the instructor was super. I did AOW at ST who does NAUI- the class was super and the instructors were fantastic! Personally I felt the NAUI AOW was more thorough, as was the instructors.