Cursos, sin el argumento de ventas
Páginas de cursos a nivel conceptual que indican las versiones equivalentes de PADI, SSI, NAUI y RAID — porque el buceo es el mismo, diga lo que diga el carné. Además, perfiles neutrales de las propias agencias.
La escalera de cursos
| Curso | Nivel | Edad mín. | Límite de profundidad | Hora típica |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freediver (Entry Level) Structured breath-hold training: physiology, relaxation, and safety protocols across pool… | Entry | 15 | 16 m | 2-3 |
| Open Water Diver The world's entry-level scuba certification: theory, confined-water training, and four… | Entry | 10 | 18 m | 3-5 |
| Try Dive (Discover Scuba) A supervised first breath underwater with no certification required: a short briefing… | Entry | 10 | 12 m | half-day |
| Advanced Open Water The second rung of the recreational ladder: a set of instructor-led adventure dives… | Advanced | 12 | 30 m | 2-3 |
| Rescue Diver The course that shifts your attention from yourself to the whole dive: stress… | Advanced | 12 | — | 3-4 |
| Deep Diver Specialty Structured training for the 18-40 m band: gas planning, narcosis awareness, and… | Specialty | 15 | 40 m | 2 |
| Drift Diver Specialty Technique for diving in current: negative entries, group cohesion, surface-marker… | Specialty | 12 | — | 1 |
| Dry Suit Diver Specialty Training to dive warm and dry in cold water: managing a second buoyancy volume, seals and… | Specialty | 10 | — | 1-2 |
| Emergency Oxygen Provider A half-day, no-prerequisite course on recognizing dive injuries and delivering emergency… | Specialty | — | — | 0.5 |
| Enriched Air Nitrox The most popular specialty in diving: a short, mostly classroom course on breathing… | Specialty | 12 | — | 0.5-1 |
| Night Diver Specialty Two to three guided dives after dark: light handling and signals, close navigation, and… | Specialty | 12 | — | 1-2 |
| Peak Performance Buoyancy A short course devoted entirely to the skill that defines good divers: precise weighting… | Specialty | 10 | — | 1 |
| Sidemount Diver Learn to carry cylinders at your sides instead of on your back: a cave-born configuration… | Specialty | 15 | — | 2 |
| Underwater Navigator Compass work, natural navigation, and distance estimation across three dedicated dives -… | Specialty | 10 | — | 1-2 |
| Wreck Diver Specialty Training for diving sunken ships and aircraft: hazard assessment, line and reel work, and… | Specialty | 15 | 30 m | 2 |
| Dive Instructor Instructor development and examination: the training that qualifies you to certify new… | Pro | 18 | — | 10-14 plus a 2-day examination |
| Divemaster The first professional rating: leadership training that qualifies you to guide certified… | Pro | 18 | — | 2-8 weeks |
| Cavern & Cave Diving The staged path into overhead environments: cavern training within the daylight zone… | Technical | 18 | 21 m | 2-3 for cavern; a week or more for full cave |
| Intro to Rebreathers Unit-specific training on closed-circuit rebreathers: how the loop, scrubber, and oxygen… | Technical | 18 | — | 3-5 |
| Intro to Technical Diving The doorway out of recreational limits: redundant equipment, disciplined gas planning… | Technical | 18 | 40 m | 3-5 |
Los límites de profundidad indicados son las convenciones de formación habituales, no leyes — y existen porque la física no negocia.
Las agencias
BSAC (British Sub-Aqua Club)
The United Kingdom's national governing body for scuba, founded in 1953 and built on volunteer-taught club branches, with a…
CMAS (World Underwater Federation)
The world federation of national diving federations, founded in 1959 with Jacques-Yves Cousteau as its first president, issuing…
GUE (Global Underwater Explorers)
A nonprofit training organization founded in 1998 from Florida cave-exploration roots, known for standardized equipment and team…
IANTD (International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers)
Founded in 1985 to teach the then-heretical nitrox, IANTD became one of the pioneers of formal technical training — strongest…
NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors)
One of the oldest recreational training agencies, founded in 1960 in the United States, with a not-for-profit heritage, an…
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)
The world's largest recreational dive training organization, founded in 1966, with a standardized modular system taught through…
RAID (Rebreather Association of International Divers)
The youngest major agency, founded in 2007 around rebreather training and now a full-spectrum system, known for fully online…
SSI (Scuba Schools International)
A global training agency founded in 1970, known for free digital learning materials, a dive-center-based teaching model, and deep…
TDI / SDI (Technical Diving International / Scuba Diving International)
Sister agencies under the International Training family: TDI, founded 1994, is one of the world's leading technical-diving…