Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, or SCUBA, diving certification is available from a variety of organizations around the world. Many of these organizations provide a range of certifications, from basic permissions that allow a person to go on simple ocean dives without an instructor to more advanced and specialty certifications in areas like deep ocean, night, and cavern diving. While the organizations are generally autonomous, they all have similar basic scuba certification requirements and recognize each other’s certificates for organization-sponsored activities and clubs for certified divers.
PADI, or the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, is a well-known international scuba diving certification organization. The open water diver course is the most common PADI basic diving certification, which can be taken anyone over the age of ten who is in good health and can pass a swimming test. This course usually includes time spent in a classroom or online learning about the technical aspects of diving, as well as hands-on training in both a closed water setting, such as a pool, and an open water setting, such as a lake or ocean. After successfully completing all of the training, student divers are usually given a diving certification card, also known as a “C-card,” which allows them to dive to depths of up to 60 feet (about 18.3 meters) without the presence of a certified diving instructor.
PADI also offers a variety of other certifications that allow divers to dive deeper or in more difficult conditions. It offers certifications that allow divers to dive to depths of up to 100 feet (30.5 meters), as well as certifications that allow divers to dive on shipwrecks, caverns, and under ice. In general, PADI and most other diving organizations require additional coursework and hands-on training for each new diving certification.
NAUI, or the National Association of Underwater Instructors, is another well-known international diving certification organization. NAUI offers a basic certification that is similar to PADI’s, with the same age, health, and training requirements. It also offers a number of specialty diving certifications, such as advanced diver, which allows for dives up to 130 feet deep (about 39.2 meters). Scuba Schools International (SSI) and the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC), both of which primarily serve divers in the United Kingdom, are two other certification agencies.
Most diving certification agencies consider the certifications of other agencies to be equally valid. This could be useful if a diver already has a basic NAUI certification and wants to enroll in a PADI wreck diver course, which normally requires the basic PADI Open Water certification. In this case, the PADI course would typically accept the NAUI certification as an equivalent, allowing the diver to progress in his or her training without having to repeat the basic course. Similarly, the British Scuba Association (BSAC), which runs a diving club, accepts divers with any valid certification, not just BSAC certification.