About NASE

Who is NASE Worldwide?

The National Academy of Scuba Educators (NASE Worldwide) is a training organization that provides state-of-the-art teaching materials, programs and leadership to scuba diving professionals around the world.

NASE is the only scuba training organization to draw its extensive experience from the fields of commercial, recreational, technical and cave diver training. NASE’s parent company, Commercial Diving Academy, is the world’s largest commercial diving school. We strive to provide scuba training and instruction to fit any skill level - from beginning scuba lessons to online scuba certifications and master scuba diving instruction. Our goal is to change the way the world learns to scuba dive. We provide scuba training for the novice looking for scuba diving lessons as well as higher scuba training for the professional diver looking for rewarding careers in scuba diving.

NASE’s training philosophy

Make it Fun:

No one signs up for a scuba course because they want to learn to scuba dive. They sign up because they want to have fun exploring the underwater world. Our focus is  to have fun under water while educating student divers of proper scuba diving techniques. (And isn’t that the way it is supposed to be?)

Make it Thorough:

NASE’s competency based approach to scuba training does not dictate what the scuba instructor will cover or how many sessions and scuba courses are necessary before a student has “learned” scuba diving. Instead, our student-centered approach to scuba lessons approaches every student individually and instructs then how to perform the real-world diving skills necessary to be successful and safe scuba divers with the end goal being scuba certification.

Make it Real:

Scuba training should be based on the way the world’s best diver’s dive — instead of on how a group of self-appointed experts say that they “should” dive, or traditional possibly outdated approaches to scuba training. We offer real-world scuba diving lessons and our scuba instructors bring unparalleled experience to each of their scuba courses.

Make it Environmentally Responsible:

Students internalize what they see and experience during scuba training. NASE helps make sure this example inspires safe and environmentally responsible scuba divers. One of the ways we do this is by ending every dive with a slow ascent and safety stop. Our scuba instructors also teach divers environmentally friendly practices such as ways to minimize contact with the bottom, as to leave it undisturbed.

Our Mission

NASE Worldwide helps introduce the world to scuba diving by providing innovative scuba training materials and methods. We provide our members with a profitable business model that focuses on three key factors: safety, integrity and education. NASE Worldwide strives to build confidence that ensures the enjoyment of diving for all participants.

NASE Worldwide’s Scuba Training Courses

• Have worldwide recognition
• Meet prerequisites for WRSTC affiliated organizations
• Provide competency-based training for the recreational diver
• Are innovative, progressive and FUN!

NASE Worldwide is a progressive organization building a "common sense" approach to scuba training and scuba lessons. Catch the new wave in diver education!

History

The National Academy of Scuba Educators (NASE) Worldwide was founded in 1982 in Lubbock, Texas. It was the concept of a group of scuba diving enthusiasts and business experts who identified a different approach to scuba diver certification agencies and their business practices. With this new and different philosophy, NASE was born.

Over the last ten years, NASE Worldwide made the following accomplishments:

• Became a voting member of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) , an organization that provides standards to scuba training
• Became a World Underwater Federation/CMAS affiliate and reciprocity status for NASE Worldwide scuba diving instructors, developing a common sense approach to scuba lessons and scuba certification
• Became one of the first scuba training organizations that eliminated buddy breathing
• Embraced the use of Nitrox in all levels of dive training
• Used new teaching styles to freely structure scuba training to fit individuals’ needs

Latest accomplishments:

• Became the first scuba training organization to offer recognized Commercial Scuba Diver Courses
• Revised course standards based on individual scuba diving competency standards instead moved from dive requirements to actual bottom time requirements
• Launched the NASE Worldwide “Progression Diving” concept to bridge the gap from snorkeling to scuba certification.

NASE Worldwide has continued to make progress and has entered into a new era of diver education and diver training. As part of a larger whole, NASE Worldwide will continue developing programs and materials that are second to none and to provide members unparalleled support. The new wave is here.