Master Scuba Diver vs Divemaster. Both titles sound very cool as a diver. But what do they actually mean, and how do you receive the certification? Take a look below at the differences between being a Master Scuba Diver vs Divemaster, and which certification you should choose.

Master Scuba Diver vs Divemaster

A Master Scuba Diver is a PADI title that is given to a small group of divers who have completed the requirements and submitted a request to become an MSD. It is the highest level that a PADI recreational diver can receive. It is not a professional title but it signifies that the diver has had extensive training and experience with PADI.

A Divemaster is the first level of being a professional diver who may get paid within the diving industry. A Divemaster can be certified through various scuba diving agencies, such as PADI, SSI, RAID, BSAC, NAUI, and more. It is the first step in becoming a scuba diving instructor.

Divemasters typically organize and assist already certified divers. A DM can refresh a certified diver’s skills in a Scuba Review or ReActivate an existing certification. They will also guide and lead divers on dive excursions and be paid for this.

PADI Master Scuba Diver Application

To become a Master Scuba Diver, you will need to complete the following and apply for your MSD rating.

• Be over 12 years old
• Be a certified Rescue Diver
• Need to have completed at least 5 PADI specialties
• Need to have logged a minimum of 50 dives

You can then apply for your PADI Master Scuba Diver through a PADI dive center and a PADI instructor. Usually, there is a fee for this application, but PADI has typically waived this fee in recent years to encourage more MSD certifications.

PADI Divemaster

Taking the Divemaster course through PADI is very popular with people who are interested in pursuing a paid career with diving. It is a pre-requisite before becoming a scuba instructor. It also gives you the training and experience to become a professional diver who can organize, lead, guide, and teach within the diving industry.

To undertake the Divemaster course, you will need the following:

• You will need to be over 18 years old
• You will need to be a Rescue Diver and have completed your EFR training within 2 years
• You will need a minimum of 40 dives to begin
• You can only complete the DM training with at least 60 logged dives

Divemaster Jobs

Being a Divemaster is highly rewarding. I was a divemaster for several years before becoming an instructor. During this time I gained a lot of personal experience underwater, but also how to deal with and assist new divers.

Read More: What is a Typical Divemaster Salary in Thailand?

Being a certified DM also opens a lot of doors within the diving industry. You will have more knowledge to work in a dive center; whether you’re helping in the shop, on the boat, or underwater. Check out some of the other Scuba Diving Employment Opportunities for Divemasters and Instructors.

MSD or DM?

As you can see, there are some major differences being a Master Scuba Diver vs Divemaster, and one is not necessarily better than the other. It really comes down to what you want out of your training, and what you may do with in in the future.

If you are more interested in furthering your personal diving experience with specialty training, then being a Master Scuba Diver puts you in a very elite club of divers.

Whereas, if you would like to be paid to be a professional diver and assist and guide other divers, then you would look into completing your Divemaster training.

Whatever you choose, you can be sure that you will be constantly improving your diving skills which is always a great thing!

New divers are often wondering whether to choose NAUI vs PADI when first starting out as a diver. There are many similarities between these two popular scuba diving agencies. This means it is important to know the differences between NAUI vs PADI so that you, as a diver, can make an informed decision and decide which you prefer!

Read More: What is PADI?

NAUI vs PADI

History

In 1960, NAUI (The National Association of Underwater Instructors) was founded by Albert Tillman and Neal Hess. Their headquarters is based in Florida, USA.

In 1966, PADI (The Professional Association of Diving Instructors) was founded by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. Their headquarters is based in California, USA with many regional offices around the world.

Business

Naui is, interestingly, a non-profit association of scuba diver training. PADI is run for profit and has many shareholders and investors. It was last sold in 1997 for $700m USD.

NAUI vs PADI Certification

PADI is easily the leading agency for certifying divers around the world. According to their 2019 statistics, PADI has issued over 27 million diver certifications since 1967 with a million certifications annually. They also have more than 137,000 professional members around the world, which includes divemasters and instructors. There are more than 6,600 PADI dive centers and resorts globally and they operate in 186 countries and territories around the world.

NAUI is popular in the United States but is lesser known around the world. All good dive centers will accept NAUI certifications. However, based on their location website for NAUI dive operations, it is slightly harder to find a NAUI operated dive center and NAUI dive instructors outside of the US.

PADI and NAUI Certification Levels

	NAUI	PADI
No Certification – Introductory Dive	Try Scuba / Passport Scuba Diver – 12 meters / 40 feet	Discover Scuba Diving – 12 meters / 40 feet
Certification – Beginner	Scuba Diver – 18 meters / 60 feet	Open Water Diver – 18 meters / 60 feet
Certification – Advanced	Advanced Scuba Diver – 40 meters / 130 feet	Advanced Open Water – 30 meters / 100 feet
Certification – Rescue	Rescue Scuba Diver	Rescue Diver
Certification – Professional	Divemaster / Instructor	Divemaster / Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)

Differences between NAUI vs PADI

As you can see, there are many similarities between NAUI vs PADI with their history and certification levels. However, there are some key differences within the certification courses.

The first certification level for recreational divers, NAUI’s Scuba Diver course and PADI’s Open Water course have many similar exercises and skills. However, the main key difference is that NAUI requires students to practice and perform retrieving an unconscious diver from 3 meters / 10 feet, whereas PADI does not. This can be argued that is a very important and potentially life-saving skill that all divers should learn.

NAUI Advanced Diver Requirements

In the Advanced certification course, NAUI requires 6 open water dives including 3 compulsory dives of Deep, Navigation, and Night (or lowlight) dives. The Advanced Scuba Diver course certifies you to a maximum of 40 meters / 130 feet.

PADI Advanced Diver Requirements

PADI, however, requires 5 open water dives including 2 compulsory dives of Deep and Navigation. PADI’s Advanced Open Water course certifies you to a maximum of 30 meters / 100 feet.

Apart from the small differences in their courses, NAUI and PADI are both good scuba diving agencies to be certified with. Both certifications will be recognized globally even though PADI is more widely known around the world. It is also easy to switch between diving agencies when getting certified in a different level. For example; being a PADI Open Water and then choosing to go with NAUI for the Advanced Scuba Diver course.

NAUI vs PADI Divemaster

If you are a professional diver looking for scuba diving instructor work, then there will likely be more PADI jobs available worldwide due to the sheer number of PADI dive centers and affiliated shops.

However, as a Divemaster in whichever agency you were certified, you will be qualified to take any agency certified divers on dive trips. For example; as a NAUI Divemaster you can take PADI certified recreational divers.

The main difference between a NAUI Divemaster and a PADI Divemaster course is the pre-requesite as a diver. NAUI requires a minimum of 50 logged open water scuba dives with a minimum of 25 hours bottom time. PADI only requires a minimum of 40 logged open water scuba dives to begin the Divemaster course.

NAUI vs PADI Instructor

NAUI Instructor Requirements

• Minimum age is 18 years by the water phase of the course. 
• Current certification as a NAUI Assistant Instructor or NAUI Divemaster or other agency leaders.
• Current certification as a NAUI Nitrox Diver or the equivalent
• Current certification as a NAUI Master Scuba Diver or the equivalent
• Current certification in NAUI First Aid for the Diving Professional or equivalent.
• A minimum of 60 logged open water scuba dives with a minimum of 30 hours bottom time. Dives shall be varied in environment, depth, and activities.
• Instructor candidates must pass the NAUI Instructor Prequalification Examination prior to the start of the ITC.
• Medical Approval – Verification of good physical condition as documented by a medical examination and unconditional approval for diving by a licensed physician within the preceding 12 months.
• Materials – Contact the NAUI Training Department for current requirements.

PADI Instructor Requirements

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be certified as a diver for a minimum of 6 months (from Open Water level)
• A minimum of 60 dives that includes experience in night, deep and navigation
• Have a minimum of 100 logged dives before sitting the (IE) Instructor Exam
• Be fit for diving and submit a medical statement signed by a physician within the last 12 months
• Have proof of CPR and First Aid training within the last 24 months (the PADI EFR course meets this requirement)

NAUI vs PADI Instructor Crossover

As a PADI Instructor crossing over to becoming a NAUI instructor you will need the following;

• Certification as a scuba instructor with a minimum of one year experience
• Has taught or assisted with at least two diving instruction programs
• Current certification in NAUI First Aid for Dive Professionals, NAUI Nitrox Diver, (or equivalent)
• And a minimum of 100 logged open water scuba dives with a minimum of 50 hours bottom time

As a NAUI Instructor crossing over to becoming a PADI instructor, you will need to take the whole Instructor Development Course (IDC) with PADI. This is generally around 10-14 days.

NAUI vs PADI Employment

If you are looking for scuba diving employment opportunities in various fields, such as maritime archaeology or marine biology, then there is little difference between being a NAUI vs PADI diver. The main thing you should bring in these fields will be experience and passion!

However, in saying that, there is no denial that physically, there are more PADI dive centers than NAUI dive centers around this world. This means there is more demand for around the world for PADI instructors as most dive centers will prefer to employ people who are in their certifying agency.

As scuba instructors, the question we are asked most often by new and experienced divers is “how much weight do you think I need?” We then use the following to guesstimate how much weight a diver will need; their body type, body fat to muscle ratio, what exposure protection they are wearing, and how much diving experience they have. We have personally seen so many divers that we are quite accurate with our estimates, so we have developed a scuba weight calculator for you to try out!

With our scuba weight calculator, we hope to provide you with an estimate of how much weight you need on your dive. So this means on your next dive trip when the divemaster asks you, “how much weight do you need?” you can answer with a ballpark figure!

Skip to the Dive Weight Calculator | Skip to the User Manual

Buoyancy Check

Before diving in a new area with new equipment you should always do a buoyancy check on the surface. The buoyancy check is easy to complete.

Here are the steps:

1. Enter the water with all your equipment on
2. Make sure your mask is on and your regulator is in
3. Completely deflate your BCD while holding a normal breath
4. Without swimming, you should float at eye level

When you exhale you can expect to sink down.

That is how you know that you are properly weighted for diving.

Getting Started

Our scuba diving calculator will give you a scuba weight rule of thumb that you can work from. We recommend using these results when you conduct your buoyancy check.

The formula is a combination of the PADI basic weighting guidelines, user feedback, and our combined dive instructing experience.

Accuracy

There are a large portion of outliers when it comes to scuba weight calculation. It is impossible to adjust for these in a script. This is why we can’t guarantee that it will work for everyone. For most people it should however be fairly accurate.

Time to get stuck in!

SCUBA Weight Calculator

User Manual

Welcome to the official Down to Scuba Weight Calculator user manual. We designed the calculator for ease of use and it should be self-explanatory for the most part. You can find more information on it below.

Units

You can choose whether you want to conduct your calculation using metric or imperial units. The calculator defaults to using metric units, so by default, the result of the diving weight calculator will be shown in kg.

To switch units, simply select the desired radio button at the top of the calculator.

Personal Data

You can enter several pieces of personal data, namely your weight, your height, and your scuba diving experience level.

Weight & Height

Simply enter your weight and height in the requested units as accurately as you can.

The height parameter is optional. If you leave it blank, the calculator will assume a normal BMI. If you add your height, the calculation will slightly adjust to underweight and overweight BMI metrics.

Experience Level

The calculator will assume you are a beginner if you do not select any experience level. The different experience levels are designed as follows:

Beginner: Someone that is learning to dive and has less than 10 dives.

Advanced: This is someone that dives regularly and has 30+ dives under their belt. They have experience in various different diving environments.

Expert: An expert diver is someone that has dived for several years regularly and has 50+ dives. They are experienced in various environments and are comfortable diving without a guide.

What about professional level divers? Well, we really appreciate you testing our calculator as a dive pro. The category was not included as dive professionals can dive with extra weight (for their customers) and almost no weight (when they didn’t bring enough down), also dive pros shouldn’t have to use a calculator.

Environmental Data

The calculation also takes into account the environment in which you plan to dive in. You can choose between saltwater and freshwater. The calculator defaults to saltwater.

You should need slightly less weight in freshwater given that you wear the same exposure suit. There are different salinity levels in the world’s oceans and your local dive pros will further adjust for that.

Equipment

It really matters what type of exposure protection you are wearing on your dive as well as what material your scuba cylinder is made of.

Exposure Protection

Thicker neoprene requires more weight. A drysuit generally requires more weights. Here are the classifications of each exposure suit option:

Swimsuit: No neoprene. A rash guard or simple board shorts of a bikini.

3mm Wetsuit: A 3mm short arms, short legs wetsuit. Common in tropical waters.

5mm Wetsuit: A full length 5mm wetsuit.

7mm Wetsuit: A full length 7mm wetsuit. If you are wearing a second jacket, you would need to adjust for this.

Drysuit: A shell drysuit with normal undergarments.

For most people if you wear a 5mm jacket, using the 3mm wetsuit option gives you a fairly accurate result.

Scuba Tank Material

The material of the tank affects the amount of weight needed by the diver. Diving with a steel tank requires less weight than diving with an aluminium tank. The calculator allows you to specify aluminium or steel tanks.

The calculator defaults to aluminium tanks.

Result

The calculated weight result will be displayed in either kg or lbs. You can choose your units at the top. The result is rounded to 2 decimal places. Most of the time even the best scuba weights won’t allow for a 0.12kg adjustment, in this case, we recommend to go as close as you can.

Diving weights are most readily available in 1kg and 800g weight variations.

Embed the Scuba Weight Calculator

We are working on a way to make our calculator embeddable. The goal is to make it super easy to embed it on your own website or blog while maintaining our ability to continue improving it.

Check back here for instructions on how to embed our dive weight calculator.

The Perfectly Weighted Conclusion

From the feedback we received so far on our scuba weight calculator, we plan to continually improve its formula. As stated above, it won’t work for every individual as we are all completely unique and there is no algorithm for that.

We hope it continues to help divers around the world and we appreciate any feedback in the comments below.