NAUI – National Association of Underwater Instructors

Website: www.naui.org

The National Association of Underwater Instructors, more commonly called NAUI, is one of the world’s premier scuba training organizations.

For over 40 years NAUI has focused on their philosophy, “Dive Safety Through Education.” NAUI has achieved global respect as the world’s largest non-profit dive training organization.

NAUI really cares about its divers and wants you to be safe, which is incredibly important seeing how diving is an inherently dangerous adventure sport. By learning the material and not cutting corners, you’ll be underwater staring at reef sharks and floating upside down next to an Angelfish in no time. And you’ll be doing it safely.

NAUI courses are long and detailed, but that’s why they are number one in education. With a solid dive education, you can enjoy the underwater world confidently.

The NAUI Recreational Route

• Scuba Diver – This is the first level of diving. You learn diving fundamentals and you will earn an open water certification that allows you to dive anywhere in the world.
• Experienced Scuba Diver – If you have military, commercial, or scientific dive training, you can jump straight into this course and get an internationally recognized recreational diver certification.
• Advanced Scuba Diver – This six-dive continuing education course allows you to learn different types of diving. Navigation, night, and deep dives of 130 feet/40 meters are required. Then you get to choose 3 of the following: Search and recovery, boat diving, dive computers, hunting and collecting, underwater mapping, non penetrating wreck dives, data collection, diving in currents, altitude diving, salt water, fresh water, shore dives, photo or video, or dive computer.
• Master Scuba Diver – Here you continue to develop your skills. This is an eight-dive course. The first five dives are required to be emergency procedures and rescues, deep decompression dives, limited visibility or night, navigation, search and recovery. Then you may select three of the following dives: skin diving, review basic scuba, air consumption, boat or shore dives, hunting and collecting, or a you choose a special interest.
• Specialty Diver Courses – These dives allows divers to earn a certification where they can participate in specialty dives without supervision. Dives focus on night dives, underwater environment, search and recovery, hunter and collector, photography, archeology, ecology, rescue, advanced rescue, survey and penetration wreck dives, dry suit, ice, deep, cavern, cave, enriched air nitrox, recreational hookah diver, advanced skin diver, equipment repair and maintenance, computer, industrial orientation, river, modeling, diving accident assessment, helicopter emergency extraction, field neurological exam, manatee or stingray experience, oxygen administration, public safety, rapid search and recovery, high altitude, blackwater rescue, kayak diver, fish identification, boat diver, marine naturalist, or shark ecology.
• Technical Diver Courses – Technical diving certifications focus on air mixes and deep dives. Some of the courses offered are Technical EANx Diver, Extended Range Diver, Gas Blending and Oxygen Service, Technical Wreck Penetration, Trimix Diver 1 and 2, Semi-closed and Closed Rebreather, or Technical Support Leader.

The NAUI Professional Route

• Assistant Instructor – A great way to develop your teaching skills with the help of a full instructor.
• Divemaster – A job where you take people on dives to your local reefs.
• Instructor – If you really know your stuff and want to share your knowledge, this is the job for you.

Be sure to check out NAUI’s website, https://www.naui.org. It has links to find instructors, search for NAUI dive facilities, obtain dive insurance, post resumes, seek jobs, download education materials, and much more.

If you want to get wet and swim with dolphins or turtles then choose NAUI to train you.