From: pstonge@TrentU.CA (cmdr keener)
Subject: Re: Diving qualification equivalents
Reply-To: pstonge@TrentU.CA
Organization: Trent University, Peterborough
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 21:58:41 GMT

Hi Mike,
	I can't speak for PADI, FAUI or any organization other than NAUI 
because that is where my own experience is.  The NAUI courses can be divided 
into leadership and non-leadership courses:

Non-Leadership:   (Skin Diver)
		  Openwater I
		  Openwater II
		  Specialty*
		  Advanced
		  Master

Leadership:       Skin Diving Leader 
		  Assistant Instructor
		  Divemaster
		  Instructor
		  (Instructor Trainer)

NL:  Most divers don't take the skin diving course, it's an option for 
those who don't have the time, money, permission, etc... to take the OWI.  
The SD certification is a certification in skin diving, no more (By the 
way, the "c" in C-card is Certification, ie. proof of training).  Those 
divers interested in getting more diving experience can take OWII, which is 
just a series of training dives.  Although the content of an OWII course 
can vary from instructor to instructor, they must all meet some minimum 
standard.
	From there, the keeners (like me, f'rinstance) can take specialty 
courses which are intended to give more in-depth training in specific areas 
(such as: RESCUE, cave, deep, ice, wreck, u/w photography, u/w environment, 
hunting and collecting, search and recovery, leadership - and one you might 
be interested in - industrial orientation.  I took these titles straight 
out of the OWI textbook).  Although specialty training is not generally a 
prerequisite for other training (with one exception, as below), it is one way 
of getting instruction on different techniques.
	From OWII, a diver can take the Advanced Openwater Diver course.  This 
is where things get a little more interesting.  A fair bit of time in the 
course is spent on diving physics, physiology, equipment, decompression, etc...
I've found the text book for the Advanced to be a reasonably good reference 
(too bad these people can't get things like WEIGHT, MASS and DENSITY 
straight!  )-:  Personal bias).  From here, the Advanced diver can go on to 
get their Master Openwater Diver rating, or go into leadership.

Leadership:  Before taking any leadership course under NAUI, the diver must 
be trained to the Advanced Level, and also have training in the RESCUE 
techniques specialty course (the one exception alluded to above).  The 
progression in the leadership courses isn't as linear as the non-leadership 
courses.  Anybody with the prerequisites for the Instructor's course (ie 
Boot Camp, scuba style) can take the course.  Of course, finishing the 
course is something else...
	Each leadership rating has different prerequisites, and these get 
more and more involved as one goes down the previous list.

That's about all I can think of right now. Hope it helps. Good luck!

-------
Pete St. Onge                                    NAUI Advanced, Rescue Diver
              Environmental And Resource Studies (Sciences)
Catharine Parr Traill College, Trent Univeristy, Peterborough Ontario Canada
-------

In article <1gihlvINN5n6@newsman.csu.murdoch.edu.au>, keulen@csu.murdoch.edu.au (Mike van Keulen) writes:
>Hi all ...
>
>I'm curious about what qualifications correspond to what between different
>agencies ... as an example, I picked up my `C card' in 1979, through FAUI
>(an Australian group), and I have recently done the Advanced Open Water
>course, run by PADI.  Is this Advanced ticket equivalent to a `B card'? 
>If not, what is a `B card', and then an `A card'.  I intend to carry on to
>divemaster.
>
>Another question ... what is the hierarchy of `professional' diving
>qualifications, ie. to work underwater, say, on oil rigs, etc.  I'm
>particularly interested in the Australian situation.
>
>Thanks,
>	Mike
>--
>****** Michael van Keulen ****** e-mail: keulen@possum.murdoch.edu.au ******
>****** BES - Biology, Murdoch University, Murdoch WA 6150  AUSTRALIA *******
>************************ "To Love is to _LIVE_!" ***************************
Newsgroups: rec.scuba