NAUI or PADI diving course?

[Pappajoe]

Hi I'm going on a 5 day Scuba traing course on Monday at Aqua Planet in Shelly Beach. I want to know which of the 2 to take.
Both are the same 5 dives traing and books.Both up to 18m max depth. And International accepted as well. Course is R2840 for NAUI and R3240 for PADI.
can you please give me some advice t help me make a desition plaese.

 

[Reefman]

Pappa, it's not so much the Organization training you, but your Instructor that should be the determining factor. You get good instructors and bad one's in every Discipline of Scuba. In my opinion, and I'm old school with Scuba diving - it's Safety FIRST! - NAUI would be the better organization in general to do the course with, however, I say again, it depends on the quality of the particular Instructor. Choose the one with the most experience... Scuba organizations have evolved very much in the last 2 decades into a big marketting machine - bent on sales turnover, rather than Safety of divers as a priority. It all started with PADI (Put Another Dollar In) and SSI followed soon after... NAUI and CMAS have remained pretty much steady in their Safety first approach.

Hope this helps

 

[Pappajoe]

Thanks Reefman Safety is also a big if not the biggest deciding point for me. If not you can get yourself and someone else into some serious trouble.

 

[robfisher]

I have to agree with Reefman on the instructor issue… I’m afraid that most dive operations are money based and I have yet to hear of anyone failing the course… I’m PADI advanced and have over 200 dives in my log book but gave up the sport a couple of years or so ago after too many close calls.

Make sure you are happy with the instructor and find a decent operation with decent skippers. We did our course at Aliwal Shoal and that beach launch can be a nightmare with an inexperienced skipper… luckily we found an old sea dog skipper who had about a gazillion hours of experience and knew the sea like the back of his hand and we only went diving if he was our skipper!

Scuba is an awesome pastime and we have dived all over the world (Comoros, Bazzaruto, Seychelles, Florida Keys, Maldives, Mauritius and Sodwana Bay. The two best spots has to be the Maldives and Sodwana Bay 9 Mile reef!

 

[Nepptune]

I'm gonna say go with Naui if you can for your OW... and tell Brent at Aqua Planet to give you the full intense course!!! ;-)
I'm a NAUI instructor, and while I think PADI is a better Association in terms of a business, NAUI offers a better course for OQ in my opinion.... its a little more intensive, and safety orientated as has been mentioned.... however it does of course depend on the Instructor, and conditions.... I taught in the Caribbean for a couple years, and you could certify somone PADI in 1.5 days...... thats impossible on NAUI.... PADI is a business.... NAUI i an Association ( its Non-Profit )
Now on the otherhand, if I were to do my instructors course agan, I'd opt to do the PADI cross over immediately, as they are MUCH bigger, and more popular around the world, thereby allowing me more places to teach....
On paper, NAUI makes you a better diver..... In reality, its all about your instructor.... if he grew up and learnt on NAUI, but is a PADI instructor, you'll get the best of both worlds...

Good luck, enjoy and say hi to the Raggies on Aliwal for me!

 

[robfisher]

Wow 5 messages in a forum without a NAUI PADI flame war… this is good going and really good advice from people who have obviously been there done that and got a t-shirt or two!

Pappajoe it looks like to asked for advice in the right place!

 

[Nepptune]

PADI - Pay and Die Instantly
NAUI - Not another Underwater Incident
PADI - Put another Dollar in
PADI - Proffesional Alcoholic Dive Instructors


The list goes on and on!!

5 years in the Caribbean.... been ther, got the t-shirt, stole the beanie.....

At the end, its alllll about your instructor!

 

[Pappajoe]

I'll let you know tomorrow morning who my instructor is. Thanks for the advice . I've like forever wanted to do scuba diving but the closest I get to it is snorkling. When I'm on the beach I put on suntan lotion kiss my wife and go to the rocks, tidal pools and bays. That is my life just to "fly" and look around you WOW.

 

[robfisher]

[color=#ff6633]Nepptune[/color] wrote:

At the end, its alllll about your instructor!

100% Nepptune!

 

[Reefman]

[color=#006600]Pappajoe[/color] wrote:

I'll let you know tomorrow morning who my instructor is. Thanks for the advice . I've like forever wanted to do scuba diving but the closest I get to it is snorkling. When I'm on the beach I put on suntan lotion kiss my wife and go to the rocks, tidal pools and bays. That is my life just to "fly" and look around you WOW.

This is probably gonna be one of the great things you do in your life Pappa... there is NOTHING that beats the Solitude, Tranquility and Peace of blowing bubbles Underwater... just you and your Maker...

A word of advice, Nepps will probably back me up here... your first few outings of donning a tight wetsuit, all the gear, equipment, instructions etc etc - you're GOING to feel claustrophobic... don't worry, EVERYONE does. As soon as you get used to the gear and equipment, that anxiety, stress and claustrophobia soon disappears - then you begin to REALLY enjoy it... so just hang in there... it's dinkum worth it!!

By the way... I'm a NAUI TRIMIX certified diver... been to 100m in Diepgat and Wright's Canyon in Sodwana to see the Coelocanth's... hectic stuff with 4 tins on your back, 4 regs, double redundant backups, 6 hour dive preps etc etc. T-shirts and stuff... nah, Trimix is just STUPID! Deeper and deeper til one day, you don't come back.

 

[Pappajoe]

Ek het al in die tank voor Aqua Planet se winkel geduik. Was nogal 'n snaakse gevoel gewees al die goed om jou voel so swaar buite maar as jy eers in die water is baie lig. Maar ook baie lekker voorsmaak van wat nog gaan kom. Ek het ook al kreef geduik in my 5mm 2 piece duikpak by McDoudles baai by Port Noleth op die Weskus.

 

[Pappajoe]

Ons NAUI instukteur is Karen Tredger van African Dive Adventures. Sy leer al mense van 1990 af. Baie geleer van veiligheid voor ons vir die eerste keer in die swembad in is met die toerusting.
Vandag in manusipaliteit se swembad met 3,5m diepkant, baie lekker gewees. More duik ons by Ushaka Marine World en by Veggies reef in Durban hawe (as die visie swak is gaan ons in varswater duik).