A History of NAUI Leadership
Imagine an organization comprised of dynamic men and women with unique aquatic skills, a keen vision for the future and an earnest desire to help others.
Consider the word respect and for a moment picture what it takes to earn the admiration of others and feel good about yourself. Are you seeking opportunities for personal growth; opportunities to learn more about diving leadership; opportunities to improve your abilities and self esteem? If so, we invite you to take a closer look at NAUI-the National Association of Underwater Instructors.
Formed over 35 years ago, NAUI is an international training giant supporting the teaching of thousands of courses and the leading of millions of diving experiences in countries around the globe. Growing from a small group of industry experts, NAUI today is the largest democratic diving instructor membership organization in the world. With a reputation coined as the Quality Difference, NAUI is known worldwide as the premier certification program for professional educators and diving leaders.
The NAUI membership roster reads like a Who's Who in diving. Almost every major leader in diving can trace his or her diving origins back to membership in NAUI. Many dive store owners, dive magazine publishers, manufacturer's personnel, diving doctors, commercial diving instructors, and even other instructional agency owners and executives began their careers with NAUI.
NAUI is a true democratic organization, owned and operated as a not-for-profit association by its voting membership. Each year NAUI members vote for one or more of their fellow members to represent their interests on the NAUI Board of Directors. The NAUI Board acts as the voice of the members to make policy decisions that direct the Association.
Dedicated to its motto Safety Through Education, NAUI has led more than two million students through fun and challenging diving courses. NAUI's primary purpose is to serve its members and help them help the public through a safe and enjoyable dive education.

The Freedom to Lead
NAUI leadership requires a keen insight into how people learn. It also requires extensive diving knowledge, judgement and a deep-seated belief that when teaching an adventure activity like scuba, the way to minimize risk is to maximize the education. It also requires academic freedom.
An important part of NAUI leadership is the ability to train each student to make independent and correct decisions and value judgements regarding the levels of personal risk inherent in all types of diving situations. Working within the parameters of the highest training standards in the diving industry, NAUI leaders have the knowledge and the freedom to adapt their teaching to meet the individual and regional needs of their students. This freedom can be frightening, but to a NAUI leader, it is exhilarating and makes for a truly rewarding relationship between student and instructor. A large portion of your NAUI leadership training will be directed toward giving you the confidence to be a truly dynamic leader and educator.

Supporting Today's Leaders
NAUI provides support services, products, course development assistance, and quality control through a support staff located at NAUI Headquarters in California. The Member Support Team processes orders and ships training and organizational aids to thousands of teaching members. Textbooks, training slides and videos, instructor guides, certificates, patches and emblems are only a sampling of the hundreds of items available. NAUI also supplies the support services you expect from a professional association; liability insurance, class and store promotion, professional retailer and educator programs, continuing instructor education and specialty programs. The list of support services you can expect as a member of NAUI is extensive.
NAUI's marketing department supports members through the promotion of diving and diver education in national and international publications as well as on regional and national television. Working with all segments of the diving industry, NAUI and NAUI members are constantly focusing the public's attention on the recreation of scuba diving. Building the demand for quality in the name of NAUI members is good business.

NAUI Membership -The Path to Excellence
You may become a member of our respected NAUI family in one of three ways, depending on your current diving experience. The following information will help you identify your present status and chart the best course to follow:

Which Program Is Right For You?

The NAUI Skin Diving Instructor
Skin diving is a great way to enjoy the rewards of leadership with a limited investment. Skin diving and snorkeling are some of the fastest growing recreations in the world and the demand for individuals to teach and lead snorkeling excursions is increasing. NAUI Skin Diving Instructors act both as teacher and guide and may be utilized at tropical resorts, aboard cruise ships and in local NSC, Red Cross, and YMCA children's aquatic programs. As a NAUI Skin Diving Instructor, you will be qualified to teach skin diving and snorkeling and may, in cooperation with a NAUI Instructor, independently conduct the swim evaluation and skin diving portions of the NAUI Scuba Diver course.
This program emphasizes skin diving and snorkeling teaching techniques, skin diving physics, physiology, diving safety, rescue and emergency procedures. Other topic areas include: skin diving fitness, group management, course development, budgeting, promotion, legal aspects and practical methods of skin diving and snorkeling instruction in the water. Candidates are evaluated on their diving knowledge, skills and teaching techniques.
The NAUI Skin Diving Leader program is a stand-alone rating. If your goal is to become a NAUI Instructor, you will be required to attend a NAUI Assistant Instructor or NAUI Divemaster program.
You may enroll in the NAUI Skin Diving Leader course if you:
The NAUI Assistant Instructor
Assistant Instructors are one of the best teaching aids available to NAUI Instructors. While they are learning their roles, duties and responsibilities, NAUI Assistant Instructors offer valuable support to the student learning process. They demonstrate skills, conduct small group remedial sessions, provide additional supervision, and enhance the learning process for the students.
This program emphasizes increased diving knowledge and skills, dive organization and control, equipment and buoyancy checks, diver escorting techniques and teaching methods and presentations. Course coordination, rescue and emergency procedures and the legal aspects of diving instruction are also included. Candidates participate in actual classroom presentations and in confined and openwater training sessions.
All NAUI members must demonstrate good waterskills and diving skills as part of their training and evaluation. These skills are necessary to ensure that NAUI Instructors are competent and possess the stamina necessary to care for others in the openwater. As a NAUI Assistant Instructor candidate, you will be challenged to demonstrate-with proficiency- the same skills required of a NAUI Instructor (see Addendum A ).
You may enroll in the Assistant Instructor program if you meet the requirements of a NAUI Skin Diving Instructor, plus:

The NAUI Divemaster
The life of a NAUI Divemaster is exciting. It is also rewarding, both personally and professionally. In your role as a NAUI Divemaster, you may find yourself guiding a group of vacationing divers through the coral reefs of a South Pacific atoll one week and organizing a boat dive for your local dive store the next. The professional skills of the divemaster are utilized daily around the world by diving resorts, cruise ships, dive stores and clubs, universities and dive boats.
Effective divemastering requires you to possess in-depth diving knowledge, exceptional leadership skills and a desire to oversee the activities and diving enjoyment of others. As a NAUI Divemaster, you are also valuable during diver training courses because you can fulfill the role of course assistant. As an additional benefit, NAUI Divemasters may independently conduct the many Diver Recognition Programs, programs unique to our Association.
This ten openwater dive program is designed to develop your leadership and organizational skills. The course curriculum includes group dive organization and planning, briefing and debriefing techniques, assisting with instruction, problem recognition and resolution and the conducting of specialized activities including shore, boat, night and deep dives.
A critical component of the NAUI Divemaster program is rescue and emergency procedures and the legal aspects of divemastering. NAUI Divemasters must be familiar with all aspects of diving rescue and in the unfortunate event of a diving emergency, be prepared to offer assistance.
Successful completion of the NAUI Divemaster program requires commitment and a dedication to the philosophy of Safety Through Education. As with the NAUI Assistant Instructor program, you will be required to demonstrate the same level of water skills as that of a NAUI Instructor (see Addendum A).
You may enroll in the NAUI Divemaster program if you meet the requirements of a NAUI Assistant Instructor, plus:

Preparing for Entry Into a NAUI Leadership Program

Gain Diving Experience
To be a good NAUI Leader, you must have a wealth of diving experience under varying environmental conditions. It is important to document your experience and log all openwater dives. You must be at ease in openwater and display the ability and confidence that only comes with experience. The broader your background in varied diving conditions, the better prepared you will be to meet the waterskill demands of a NAUI leadership program.

Increase Your Diving Knowledge
Your personal knowledge of diving allows you to minimize the risks inherent to the recreation. Enhance your diving knowledge with a program of study that will give you broad, up-to-date information on all aspects of diving. Regular study plus completion of the NAUI Scuba Rescue course and the NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver and the Master Scuba Diver course are the best ways to obtain a solid foundation of knowledge for enrollment in a NAUI leadership program.
Please note that certification in NAUI Scuba Rescue or an equivalent rescue program is a prerequisite to NAUI Leadership training.

Maintain Physical Fitness
As a NAUI Leader, you will be responsible for the safety and well-being of others. Your ability to handle yourself and effectively manage others at the same time is vital because diving can be strenuous, and emergencies may occur which require extra effort. NAUI Leaders have the physical skills and stamina to dive with ease and assist others in the water. As a NAUI Leader, you will need to maintain a regular physical conditioning program for as long as you dive.

Develop Speaking Ability
NAUI Leaders are noted for their ability to speak effectively. Your position as a leader is enhanced when you communicate well and are comfortable before an audience. This becomes easier with experience and you can develop and perfect this skill with time and practice. NAUI Leadership training courses will afford you many opportunities to further improve your speaking and presentation skills.

Evaluate Yourself
As a future NAUI Leader, you will want to practice the skills of leadership and continually test your level of diving knowledge. With proper preparation and continual evaluation, your successful completion of a NAUI Leadership course is virtually guaranteed. But success requires commitment. Let a NAUI Instructor know you are interested in NAUI Leadership training and request the opportunity to demonstrate your competence and receive feedback for improvement. Your Instructor will inform you when you are ready to take the next step-enrollment in a NAUI Leadership Training Course!

Preparing for Your NAUI Instructor Training Course

 Teach Diving Under Supervision
There is no substitute for experience when the NAUI Instructor rating is your goal. Obtaining experience is vital; obtaining guided and directed experience as a NAUI Assistant Instructor or NAUI Divemaster while working with people who are actually learning to dive under the direction of a NAUI Instructor is best. It is strongly recommended that the new NAUI Leadership member assist a NAUI Instructor for a minimum of two complete Scuba Diver courses before advancing to the NAUI Instructor Training Course. A NAUI Instructor will assist you in preparing and presenting water and classroom assignments and provide you with constructive review.

Study Educational Methods and Techniques
In order to teach effectively, you must know and apply sound educational principles. Continued studies in effective communication, training aids development, and lesson planning are particularly helpful. You can find information on these principles in the NAUI Scuba Diver Instructor Guide. The Guide will help you develop and establish learning objectives, formulate lesson plans and prepare supporting training aids. You will want to observe and teach with several NAUI Instructors to learn varied teaching styles and develop sample lessons you can present effectively.

Attend the NAUI Instructor Preparatory Course (PREP)
The NAUI PREP Course is a non-certification program which orients NAUI Leadership members and instructors from other diver training organizations to the NAUI ITC. The course includes both instruction and evaluation in learning theory, lesson planning and establishing student learning objectives. Oral presentation demonstrations and practice, and confined and openwater teaching and training techniques are an important part of the course.
During the PREP course, your diving knowledge and skills will be tested and evaluated to assist you in recognizing your own state of preparedness for entering the NAUI ITC. Counseling and guidance are given by staff to help you overcome weak areas and improve performance levels. Graduates are designated as NAUI Instructor Candidates and have one year in which to attend the ITC of their choice. PREP course graduates designated as Instructor Candidates must successfully perform all Leadership-level water skills before admission to a NAUI ITC.
The NAUI PREP Course is mandatory for persons not certified as NAUI Assistant Instructors or Divemasters who wish to attend a NAUI Instructor Training Course.
For enrollment prerequisites, please see Addendum C.

Enroll in a NAUI Instructor Training Course (ITC)
As a knowledgeable and experienced NAUI Assistant Instructor, NAUI Divemaster or PREP Course graduate, you may qualify to attend a NAUI ITC.

Are You An Experienced Instructor?

Each year, hundreds of experienced instructors seeking self-improvement and a competitive edge make the commitment to become members of NAUI. The NAUI Professional Instructor Upgrade, commonly called a crossover course or ICC, is designed for these individuals.
This professional continuing education course prepares and evaluates experienced scuba diving instructors from other diver training organizations for NAUI Instructor membership. The program is divided into two phases. The first introduces instructors to NAUI teaching methods and skills, measures diving knowledge and teaching ability, and prepares them for evaluation. The second phase evaluates instructor teaching and training abilities in the classroom and in confined and openwater. Rescue and NAUI Leadership water skills are also evaluated. A complete introduction to NAUI standards, programs, products, services, procedures, ethics and legal responsibilities is also included.
Meeting NAUI standards for instructor certification is demanding and requires a professional commitment to excellence. As with all NAUI leadership programs, the ICC is challenging. The results, however, will be an enhancement of your personal diving skills, an increased confidence and a deeper understanding of student-centered learning. The pride of donning the NAUI Instructor emblem is well worth the effort!
You may enroll in the NAUI ICC if you :

*Contact the NAUI Training Department or any NAUI Representative for eligibility information.
Addendum A

Overview of Water Skills for the Assistant Instructor and Divemaster

Addendum B

Minimum Equipment Requirements for NAUI Leadership Courses

Addendum C

NAUI PREP Course Enrollment Prerequisites:

Addendum D

Academic Knowledge Requirements for the NAUI Instructor

This is only a partial list of the knowledge areas in which a NAUI Instructor must be proficient. A more detailed listing is available in your NAUI Standards and Procedures Manual.

Addendum E

Resource Materials for NAUI Leadership and Instructor Programs

REQUIRED

NAUI Standards and Procedures Manual
NAUI Scuba Diver Instructor Guide
NAUI Deluxe Student Training Kit
Scuba Rescue: Skills and Techniques
Advanced Diving Technology and Techniques
Mastering NAUI Leadership

SUGGESTED REFERENCES
(contact NAUI HQ for availability)

High Altitude Diving by Weinke
Scuba Equipment Care and Maintenance by Farley and Royer
Scuba Lifesaving by Pierce
The U.S. Navy Diving Manual Volume- 1 Air Diving
The U.S. Navy Diving Manual Volume- 2 Mixed-Gas Diving
The NOAA Diving Manual
Diving Medicine by Bove and Davis, 2nd Edition
Scuba Diving in Safety and Health by Dueker
Stress and Performance in Diving by Bachrach and Egstrom
A Medical Guide to Hazardous Marine Life by Auerbach
Oxygen and the Scuba Diver by Hendrick and Thomson
The Application of Enriched Air Mixtures by Betts
Nitrox Training Manual by Rutkowski
Sport Diving in Depth by Griffiths, 2nd edition
Deeper Into Diving by Lippman
The Physics and Engineering of Diving by Dickens

Ordering Information

To order your required NAUI Leadership training materials, contact your NAUI Instructor or Course Director, or contact:

DIVEmar inc. - Manufacturer and Distributor of Professional SCUBA Equipment

6866 McKeown Drive
Greely, Ontario K4P 1A2 Canada
(613) 821-2470 (Bus)
(613) 821-2766 (FAX)
e-mail info@divemar.com

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