PADI - NAUI Certification Poll

Which agency do you call your own?

Sorry to post this in U/W Housing & Digicams, but it looks like more people visit this group more than the others.

-Lucky

A: doesn't matter

B: Both

C: Why are you asking?

PADI #158442

Master Scuba Diver Trainer

What is the relevance to uw digital photography?

Once, I was thinking about writing an outline for a distinctive specialty course for digital photography to be offered through PADI. Can you do that for NAUI or another agency?

Certifying agency usually doesn't matter until you get to the professional levels.

Since you have certs under both, then you know that there are major differences in the education between the two.

I was talking to a friend of mine at work about our dive experiences and such. When I asked her about her certification, she said PADI. I replied with 'Oh! I didn't know that! I am NAUI!"

Her response was "Oh you're one of THOSE guys."

Now she could have been joking around, but honestly, I was thinking the same thing.

When I talk to people in other forums and on the dive boat, I find that most who shoot video and stills are PADI certified. Why is that? Is it because PADI is more laid back than NAUI? Or is it just that more people are PADI certified and the numbers just fall that way?

Sorry for rocking the boat... Just curious!

A poll without relevance or context?

I should think that we would question why?

Essentially everyone that I dive with are NAUI and most shoot stills.

I fail to see why NAUI/PADI is relevant to photography? Photography was never a topic of discusssion during openwater class. Safety wise or otherwise.

Its fine to be curious, just give us some idea of what you want to know. We are plenty talkitive.

What is your cert level?

This is my personal thinking about the alphabet soup issue:

http://www.marscuba.com/train.html

The major difference is with the instructor, especially in upper level courses and leadership programs. At the OW level, there should not be any significant differences between the two agencies.

Each agency has been successful, to some extent, to brand differentiate themselves and that also is reflected by the instructors. My policy is to provide as much information to the prospective student diver and let the person make his or her own choice.

Here is a good link (hopefully). For some reason the code on the previous post was messed up.

Training Philosophy and Alphabet Soup

Ummmmm, sure, it's relevant, yeah, really it is.

Ok, maybe not relevant, but comprehensive, because NAUI and PADI are the only two certifying agencies, right?

Oh wait, must have forgotten all those insignificant agencies like SSI, IANTD, TDI, GUE, etc.

Yup, you guessed it, I'm neither. SSI and IANTD if it really matters. I wish my certification improved my photography, I can always use some improvement...

:-)

When I talk to people in other forums and on the dive boat, I find that most who shoot video and stills are PADI certified. Why is that? Is it because PADI is more laid back than NAUI? Or is it just that more people are PADI certified and the numbers just fall that way?

Ok, i started out as NAUI resort diver, then stwitched to PADI (Rescue) because NAUI was not available in Germany and i'm now doing specialties like Marine Biology with a local CMAS dive school.

Underwater i take pics and video.

My husband started out as BARACUDA/CMAS (German) 25 years ago and ended up as PADI (Rescue). He's taking videos only.

One of my friends started as CMAS (***), is now NAUI Instructor and takes photos only.

The reason, why many PADI certified divers also take photos or video is probably

1. because there are many PADI divers

2a. most dive bases offer PADI courses

2b. most dive bases also offer cameras for rent

2c. PADI has uw-photography courses as add on for AOWD.

Sabine