Certification scuba diving is essential if you plan to pursue scuba diving professionally. There are many certifications available depending on your interests and budget. PADI (SSI), NAUI, CMAS, CMAS and other popular certifications are all available to beginners. Find the right one for you. 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), a professional organization, is for diving training and membership. John Cronin was the founder of the organization, as was Ralph Erickson. There are many training requirements to become certified, including diving safety, underwater navigation, as well as dive operations. The PADI course teaches divers how to safely and effectively supervise a dive and explains 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 of these must be the Deep Dive Specialty Course. One must also take the Underwater Navigation Specialty Course. The three remaining must be selected from a selection. This certification is meant for rescue divers who need to be able to respond in an emergency situation underwater. The course typically requires two or three days of training, which includes theory, a pool session, and two open water dives.
SSI
A SSI training course is a good choice for deciding which certification you should pursue. Both SSI and PADI require a certain level skill. PADI courses are more rigid and require the student to complete skills in a specific order, while SSI allows students more flexibility. They can continue learning until they master a skill they don't like. 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 are available online and can also be bought or borrowed at a dive center. SSI can also issue an eCertification Card by creating an account online. The cost varies, but in 2018 most courses cost about 50 USD. A dive training course can be completed to upgrade your certification.
NAUI
The National Association of Underwater Instructors or NAUI is an association of certified Scuba Diving Instructors. Their primary mission is to create standards and education programs that are applicable to all scuba divers. NAUI certification allows you teach scuba diving and meets international standards. In addition to teaching scuba diving to people from all over the world, NAUI also provides training courses.
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". 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
Divers from all continents should search for schools that offer CMAS certification. There is no central list of approved dive schools. However, you can use a search engine to locate one. CMAS courses are equivalent to 5 days of diving and emphasize the importance of safety, including the use of 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 already hold another certification, the first step will be to complete an SSI course.
If you have a qualification from one agency but not from another, you can enroll in an equivalent course in another agency. You can refer to the table below if you have some experience with scuba diving. This table doesn't list all training agencies. If you are a CMAS 1 and 2 certified diver, you might have to start at a lower level. You should consult the new agency in this instance before you make a decision.