Certification scuba diving is essential if you plan to pursue scuba diving professionally. There are many options for certification depending on your preference and your budget. PADI, SSI (NAUI), CMAS, and many more are the most popular certifications for beginners. Find out which one suits you best! These tips and tricks will help you select the right program for you.
PADI
PADI is a professional association for divers training and membership. The organization was founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. The certification requires a wide range of training, including knowledge of safety, navigation, and dive operation. 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. This requires five dive courses with five different learning outcomes. Of these, two must be the Deep Dive Specialty Course and one must take the Underwater Navigation Specialty Course. Three of the other courses must be chosen from a given list. This certification is meant for rescue divers who need to be able to respond in an emergency situation underwater. Two to three days of training are required, including theory and two open-water dives.
SSI
A SSI training course is a good choice for deciding which certification you should pursue. Both SSI as well as PADI courses require a level of skill. PADI courses are more strict and require that students complete skills in a particular order. SSI, however, allows for more flexibility. They can continue learning until they master a skill they don't like. They can also train on vacation with SSI so they can obtain their certification in a matter weeks.
SSI offers online courses that allow you to log your dives instantly. 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. There are many costs, but the average cost for 2018 courses was 50 USD. Afterward, you can upgrade to a higher level of certification by completing a dive training course.
NAUI
The National Association of Underwater Instructors(NAUI) is a group of certified scuba diving instructors. Their primary purpose is to provide standards and education programs for scuba divers worldwide. 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.
Al Tillman, a Scripps Institute of Oceanography peer, organized the first NAUI training program in Los Angeles. In 1958, he and another oceanographer at the Scripps Institute granted provisional diving certifications. Scuba diving was popularized by Lloyd Bridges' 1960 movie "Sea Hunt". The National Diving Patrol was established in 1960. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was elected its first president. Today, the Navy SEALs and NASA use NAUI training programmes worldwide.
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. CMAS certification requires that you are at least 16 and have dived 25 times. You also need to have a medical certificate from a diving doctor. If you have an existing certification, you will need to take the 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 doesn't include information about all training agencies. This means that you may have to start at a lower grade if you already hold a CMAS 1 certification or 2. If this is the case, you should seek out advice from the new agency prior to making the decision.