While rummaging through some old papers, I came across a certificate issued to me by my first dive instructor at the University of Florida. Yes, that's right ? I actually received college credit for SCUBA diving! In fact, I'm almost embarrassed to say that I received both my Open Water I and Open Water II certifications through UF (I really did study Dad, I promise!).

The certificate got me thinking about what is probably one of the most commonly asked questions by those considering diving. That is, "what is the best SCUBA certification agency?" The program at the University of Florida offers certifications through both NAUI and CMAS (I have both). By far, the most common agency in the US, based on the number of divers certified, is PADI. The "Big Three" agencies are PADI, NAUI, and SSI. At DiveSpots.com, 62% of our members are certified through PADI, 21% through NAUI, and 17% are certified through SSI or another agency.

So which one is best? And, "will a certification with one agency limit me in any way?"

Most people seem to feel and believe that it's not so much the agency that's important -- it's the instructor that makes the difference. The general consensus is that all of the major organizations are qualified to provide the materials and certifications. But keep in mind that the organization does not teach you to dive -- the instructor does. Thus, it's important to find an instructor that is truly qualified, that presents the material thoroughly, and that makes you feel safe in the water.

There's a good post on Scuba Board on the topic of which certification agency is best. I particularly like comments of "Walter". He posts some good questions to ask when selecting an education center and instructor.

What are your thoughts?

Comments:

	Posted by d2reid, Jan-18-2006 @ 06:04 PM CST PADI is of course the most accepted. I have had some eyebrows raised with my Scuba Divers International (SDI) Nitrox certification. I have friends that dove prior to any certification, and still do. So why do you want to get certified? Is it knowledge? skill's? acceptance at remote dive resorts? Most often you need some type of certification to get equipment or air fills. Most of my ?skills? have been gained through cautious experimenting and many, many dives. I have recently been looking at going farther abroad, so I was forced into upping my ?certification? level because of acceptance at resorts and dive boats outside of my normal dive area. I was some what shocked to see people get AOW certified at the skill level they demonstrated. But in retrospect, they did perform the minimum skill level to pass the course. I have had several training/certifying experiences; the one thing that I learned is that certification does not make you an expert, it is only a license to learn without endangering yourself or others. Whatever the organization or the instructor, I believe it is necessary that the person taking the instruction be responsible for themselves and what they learn. My certification courses have been about 25% of my dive education.
	Posted by binswood, Feb-26-2006 @ 12:42 PM CST Your comments are right on. The instructor is the key along with the support of a good dive shop. I obtained my OW-I OW-II and Nitrox with IDEA (International Diving Educators Association) one the the "other" that you don't hear much about now but was the first in 1952 when it began as Florida Skin Divers Association then later changed to the Florida Scuba Divers Assocition. My Dive Shop is Central Mass Scuba in Worcester Massachusetts with Dive Master/ Instructor George Gilligan who has decades of teaching experiance. Great instruction and the confidence it gives you is the key, especially when you have 5 feet of visablility in 90 feet of water off Cape Ann Mass at 55 degrees F.
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