If you want to dive professionally, certification is necessary. There are many scuba certification options available, depending on your needs and budget. Here are some popular certifications for beginners: PADI and SSI, NAUI and CMAS. Find out which one is right for you! Here are some tips and tricks to help you choose the right certification program.
PADI
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is a professional organization for diver training and membership. John Cronin & Ralph Erickson created the organization in 1996. The certification consists of a variety of training requirements, including the knowledge of 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.
After the PADI Open Water Course, students can obtain a rescue diver certificate. Five different courses are required to complete this certification. Each course has five learning outcomes and five skill sets. Two of these must be the Deep Dive Specialty Course. One must also take the Underwater Navigation Specialty Course. The remaining three must be chosen from a list. The rescue diver certification is for people who want to assist in emergencies underwater. Two to three days of training are required, including theory and two open-water dives.
SSI
A SSI certification course is a great choice when deciding what certification you want. Both SSI as well as PADI courses require a level of skill. PADI courses are more rigid and require the student to complete skills in a specific order, while SSI allows students more flexibility. If they find one skill too difficult they can easily move onto the next until they have it perfect. They can even train while on vacation with SSI and get their certification in a matter days.
SSI offers digital courses so that you can log your dives quickly. Manuals can either be downloaded from the internet or obtained at a dive shop. SSI allows you to create an online profile and obtain an e certificate card. Although the cost of courses varies depending on when they are offered, most courses cost around 50 USD. After completing the course, you can upgrade your certification to a higher level by taking a dive training class.
NAUI
The National Association of Underwater Instructors is an association of certified instructors in scuba diving. They are responsible for providing education programs and standards to scuba divers across the globe. A NAUI certification allows you to teach scuba diving to non-professionals, while meeting international dive safety standards. NAUI offers training courses and teaches scuba diving all over 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 granted provisional diving certifications in 1958. The 1960 film "Sea Hunt", starring Lloyd Bridges, sparked a lot of interest in recreational scuba diving. In 1960, the National Diving Patrol was founded, and Jacques-Yves Cousteau was named as its first president. The Navy SEALs (NASA) and Walt Disney Resorts (Walt Disney Resorts) still use the NAUI training program.
CMAS
Divers on all continents should find a CMAS-certified dive school. While there isn't a single list of certified dive schools, it is possible to search the internet for one. CMAS courses can be equivalent to five days of diving. CMAS emphasizes safety and the necessity of using a buddy. CMAS certification can only be obtained if you are 16 years or older, have at least 25 dives, and have received a medical report from a licensed diving doctor. If you are already certified, you can take an SSI course.
A qualification you have from one agency may not be recognized by another. However, you can still enroll in a similar course at 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 list all training agencies, so you may have to begin at a lower level if you hold a CMAS 1 or 2 certification. If this is the case, you should seek out advice from the new agency prior to making the decision.