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NASE Standards of Training

NASE Standards of Training

The recreational scuba training industry is self-regulating in the United States, as in most of the world. Even in countries where the government takes a hand in supervising scuba training, the tendency is to defer to international standards of practice.

These standards stipulate that to participate in recreational diving activities, individuals must first become “certified” to dive. “Certified” means successfully completing an entry-level scuba course, which is sanctioned by a recognized scuba diving training organization and meets minimum industry standards. Organizations such as the International Standards Organization (ISO) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) help provide consistency in scuba diving training, which in turn allows for broader recognition of diver credentials. As an example, the recently published ISO 11121:2009 specifies minimum program content for introductory experiences required for recreational scuba diving courses. These requirements are used to introduce a non-diver to recreational scuba diving by means of a supervised, controlled scuba diving experience that encourages participants to seek further training or careers in scuba diving.

NASE Worldwide scuba courses meet (and generally exceed) ISO standards. Each level of scuba diving training is consistent with those of other organizations and NASE scuba classes often exceed requirements of other organizations. Occasionally, a dive store or resort employee will refuse to acknowledge diver credentials from a recognized diver training organization, usually due to lack of knowledge. Fortunately, this problem is rare — a testament to the knowledge and professionalism of the men and women who have careers in scuba industries.

NASE Worldwide and the WRSTC

The World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC) is an association of training organizations that publishes its own set of scuba training standards. Although these standards generally meet the ISO minimums, not every recognized scuba training organization chooses to adopt them.

NASE Worldwide scuba diving courses exceed WRSTC standards; however, there are two specific areas in which NASE Worldwide’s position differs from the WRSTC.

NASE Worldwide does not require that students in recreational diver courses carry or use snorkels. NASE Worldwide promotes snorkeling and free diving as fun and enjoyable options separate from scuba diving.

The days when snorkels were essential scuba gear for diver safety passed in the 1980s with the widespread adoption of jacket-inflation and back-inflation Buoyancy control devices. While there are a limited number of situations in which a snorkel can be helpful while scuba diving, there are more situations when wearing a snorkel can cause serious problems.

The overwhelming majority of scuba instructors and Dive Masters working at dive resorts and on dive boats — arguably, the world’s most experienced recreational divers — choose not to wear snorkels. NASE Worldwide trusts it's scuba instructors to know the best times for using snorkels while scuba diving, and train students in their scuba diving courses accordingly.

Minimum Actual Bottom Time

Most diver training organizations specify a minimum number of open water training dives necessary for entry-level scuba certification. As long as students use a certain amount of gas, students can obtain scuba certification with less than an hour of Actual Bottom Time (ABT) in open water.

In contrast, NASE Worldwide standards require a minimum number of entries and exits. In addition, a student must log at least 100 minutes of ABT under instructor supervision to receive their entry-level scuba certification. This requirement exceeds industry standards.

NASE Worldwide strongly feels that students learn to scuba dive best by multiple scuba diving experiences. The more bottom time novice scuba divers accumulate, the better prepared they will be when scuba diving with less supervision.