For professional diving, you will need certification. Various scuba certification programs are available to you depending on your preferences and your budget. PADI (SSI), NAUI, CMAS, CMAS and other popular certifications are all available to beginners. Find out which one suits you best! You will also find some helpful tips and tricks on how to choose the best certification program for you.
PADI
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), an organization for professional diver training and membership, is known as PADI. John Cronin was the founder of the organization, as was Ralph Erickson. The certification includes a range of training requirements including underwater navigation, scuba diving safety and dive operations. PADI is a course that teaches divers how they can safely and effectively supervise dives and the nuances involved in underwater navigation.
Students who have completed the PADI open water course will receive a rescue diver certification. There are five courses that require divers to be certified. They each have different learning outcomes and skills. Two of these courses must be Deep Dive Specialty Courses, while one must be Underwater Navigation Specialty Course. The remaining three must be chosen from a list. Rescue diver certification is intended for those who wish to help in emergency situations 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 certificate is a great option when deciding on the right certification. Both SSI as well as PADI courses require a level of skill. PADI courses are more rigid, and require students to master skills in a specific order. SSI permits more flexibility. If they find one skill too difficult they can easily move onto the next until they have it perfect. They can get their certifications in a matter hours with SSI because they can do it while they are on vacation.
SSI offers digital courses so that you can log your dives quickly. The manuals are available online or can be purchased or borrowed from a dive center. 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 goal is to offer education and standards for scuba divers around the world. The NAUI certification permits you to teach scuba dive to non-professionals and meets international dive 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. In 1958, he and another oceanographer at the Scripps Institute granted provisional diving certifications. In 1960, the film "Sea Hunt" starring Lloyd Bridges generated great interest in scuba diving as a recreational activity. The National Diving Patrol was established in 1960. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was elected its first president. The Navy SEALs (NASA) and Walt Disney Resorts (Walt Disney Resorts) still use the NAUI training program.
CMAS
Scuba divers from every continent should seek out a school that offers CMAS courses. Although there is no single listing of accredited dive school, you should still be able search engines to find them. CMAS courses cover 5 days of diving. They emphasize safety and the need to have a buddy. You must be at minimum 16 years old and have completed 25 dives. A medical certificate from a doctor is required to be eligible for CMAS certification. If you already hold another certification, the first step will be to complete an SSI course.
You can take a course equivalent in another agency if you hold a qualification from one agency, but not another. The table below can be used to refer to scuba diving experience and if you are interested in more advanced courses. 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. In this case, you should seek advice from the new agency before making the decision.