Scuba Educators International

Last updated
Scuba Educators International
AbbreviationSEI
Predecessor YMCA SCUBA, PDIC SCUBA
Formation2008 (2008)
Type NGO
PurposeUnderwater diver training
Headquarters Casper, WY, USA
Location
  • P.O.Box 3821 Casper, WY 82602
Region served
World
CEO
Jim Gunderson
Main organ
Board of Directors
Website https://www.scubaeducators.org/

Scuba Educators International (SEI) (also known as SEI Diving) is a underwater diving training organization established in the United States during 2008 to continue the underwater diving training program known as the YMCA SCUBA Program which ceased operation in 2008 and the PDIC Diving program becoming SEI in 2008.

Contents

Origins

Scuba Educators International was founded in 2008 by a group of former senior YMCA SCUBA instructors following the announcement of the closure of the YMCA Scuba Program by the YMCA of the USA with the intention of continuing the YMCA Scuba Program under a new banner. [1] The new agency was conceived as being a non-for-profit organisation that would operate world-wide and in complete independence of the YMCA of the US, “but will continue to share philosophies and dedication to the highest quality education in the (diving) industry”. [2]

Recognition

During 2010, Scuba Educators International entered in an agreement with the Underwater Society of America (USOA) to issue CMAS International Diver Training Certificates. [3] Scuba Educators International is a member of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) with its CEO, Jim Gunderson, serving on the DEMA Board of Directors. [4]

Qualifications

The SEI Qualification System was structured as of July 2014. [5]

CMAS Equivalencies

The following equivalencies were agreed by the USOA and SEI during 2010. [6] [7]

CMASSEI
CMAS 1 Star Diver SEI Open Water Diver (minimum age 15)
CMAS 2 Star DiverSEI Advanced Open Water Diver (minimum age 15 with 20 logged dives)
CMAS 3 Star DiverSEI Advanced Plus Diver with (minimum age 16 with 50 logged dives)
CMAS 4 Star DiverSEI Master Diver with DRAM Rescue Diver and 100 logged dives
CMAS 1 Star InstructorSEI Divemaster (minimum age 18 with 40 logged dives)
CMAS 2 Star InstructorSEI Instructor (minimum age 19 with 100 logged dives)
CMAS 3 Star InstructorSEI Instructor Trainer (minimum age 21 with 200 logged dives)

Related Research Articles

The National Association of Underwater Instructors is a nonprofit association of scuba instructors. It primarily serves as a recreational dive certification and membership organization established to provide international diver standards and education programs. The agency was founded in 1960 by Albert Tillman and Neal Hess. NAUI is headquartered in the Tampa, Florida area with dive and member instructors, resorts, stores, service and training centers located around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreational diver training</span> Training process for people who do not dive at work

Recreational diver training is the process of developing knowledge and understanding of the basic principles, and the skills and procedures for the use of scuba equipment so that the diver is able to dive for recreational purposes with acceptable risk using the type of equipment and in similar conditions to those experienced during training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreational diving</span> Diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment

Recreational diving or sport diving is diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment. The term "recreational diving" may also be used in contradistinction to "technical diving", a more demanding aspect of recreational diving which requires more training and experience to develop the competence to reliably manage more complex equipment in the more hazardous conditions associated with the disciplines. Breath-hold diving for recreation also fits into the broader scope of the term, but this article covers the commonly used meaning of scuba diving for recreational purposes, where the diver is not constrained from making a direct near-vertical ascent to the surface at any point during the dive, and risk is considered low.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli Diving Federation</span> Israeli recreational diver training and certification agency

The Israeli Diving Federation (TIDF) is a non-governmental SCUBA diving training organization based in Israel.

CMAS one-star scuba diver is the entry-level diving certification for recreational scuba diving issued by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS).

The World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC) was founded in 1999 and is dedicated to creating minimum recreational diving training standards for the various scuba diving certification agencies across the world. The WRSTC restricts its membership to national or regional councils. These councils consist of individual training organizations who collectively represent at least 50% of the annual diver certifications in the member council's country or region. A national council is referred to as a RSTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Underwater Federation</span> Umbrella organisation representing scuba diver training organisations in Europe

The European Underwater Federation (EUF) is an umbrella organisation representing the interests of scuba diver training organisations operating in both the not for profit and for profit sectors within Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques</span> International organisation for underwater activities

Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scuba diver training and recognition. It is also known by its English name, the World Underwater Federation, and its Spanish name, Confederación Mundial De Actividades Subacuáticas. Its foundation in Monaco during January 1959 makes it one of the world's oldest underwater diving organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diver certification</span> Certification as competent to dive to a specified standard

A Diving certification or C-card is a document recognizing that an individual or organization authorized to do so, "certifies" that the bearer has completed a course of training as required by the agency issuing the card. This is assumed to represent a defined level of skill and knowledge in underwater diving. Divers carry a qualification record or certification card which may be required to prove their qualifications when booking a dive trip, hiring scuba equipment, having diving cylinders filled, or in the case of professional divers, seeking employment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open Water Diver</span> Entry-level autonomous diver certification for recreational scuba diving

Open Water Diver (OWD) is an entry-level autonomous diver certification for recreational scuba diving. Although different agencies use different names, similar entry-level courses are offered by all recreational diving agencies and consist of a combination of knowledge development (theory), confined water dives and open water dives (experience) suitable to allow the diver to dive on open circuit scuba, in open water to a limited depth and in conditions similar to those in which the diver has been trained or later gained appropriate experience, to an acceptable level of safety.

The Nederlandse Onderwatersport Bond, (NOB) is the national governing body for recreational diving and underwater sports in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962. In 2008 there were 290 scuba diving clubs and schools with a total of 20.000 members. The NOB is a member of CMAS Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques. The aim of the NOB is to develop recreational scuba diving in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving instructor</span> Person who trains and assesses underwater divers

A diving instructor is a person who trains and usually also assesses competence of underwater divers. This includes freedivers, recreational divers including the subcategory technical divers, and professional divers which includes military, commercial, public safety and scientific divers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YMCA SCUBA Program</span> Defunct recreational diver training and certification agency

YMCA SCUBA Program was an underwater diving training program operated by YMCA of the USA from 1959 to 2008. It was the first nationally organised underwater diving instruction program offered in the United States of America. A program with a similar content is now delivered by Scuba Educators International, an organisation founded by a group of former senior YMCA SCUBA instructors in 2008.

The Underwater Society of America (USOA) is the peak body for underwater sport and recreational diving in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous diver</span> International minimum standard for entry level recreational scuba diver certification

Autonomous diver is an international minimum standard for entry level recreational scuba diver certification. It describes the minimum requirements for basic training and certification for recreational scuba divers in international standard ISO 24801-2 and the equivalent European Standard EN 14153-2. Various organizations offer training that meets the requirements of the Autonomous Diver standard. A certification which corresponds to Autonomous Diver allows for independent diving with a dive buddy in open water. Most training organizations do not recommend exceeding a depth of 18 or 20 meters at this level of certification. After completion of this certification the training can be extended to a dive leader to ISO 24801-3 or an intermediate not defined by international standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supervised diver</span> Minimum requirements for a recreational diver to dive in open water under direct supervision

Supervised diver specifies the training and certification for recreational scuba divers in international standard ISO 24801-1 and the equivalent European Standard EN 14153-1. Various diving organizations offer diving training that meets the requirements of the Supervised Diver. A diving certification which corresponds to the Supervised Diver allows for recreational diving under the direct supervision of a divemaster or recreational diving instructor in open water. Most diving organizations recommend not to exceed a diving depth of 10 to 12 metres. After the successful completion of a training equivalent to the Supervised diver, training can be extended to the Autonomous diver certification level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of scuba diving</span> History of diving using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

The history of scuba diving is closely linked with the history of the equipment. By the turn of the twentieth century, two basic architectures for underwater breathing apparatus had been pioneered; open-circuit surface supplied equipment where the diver's exhaled gas is vented directly into the water, and closed-circuit breathing apparatus where the diver's carbon dioxide is filtered from the exhaled breathing gas, which is then recirculated, and more gas added to replenish the oxygen content. Closed circuit equipment was more easily adapted to scuba in the absence of reliable, portable, and economical high pressure gas storage vessels. By the mid-twentieth century, high pressure cylinders were available and two systems for scuba had emerged: open-circuit scuba where the diver's exhaled breath is vented directly into the water, and closed-circuit scuba where the carbon dioxide is removed from the diver's exhaled breath which has oxygen added and is recirculated. Oxygen rebreathers are severely depth limited due to oxygen toxicity risk, which increases with depth, and the available systems for mixed gas rebreathers were fairly bulky and designed for use with diving helmets. The first commercially practical scuba rebreather was designed and built by the diving engineer Henry Fleuss in 1878, while working for Siebe Gorman in London. His self contained breathing apparatus consisted of a rubber mask connected to a breathing bag, with an estimated 50–60% oxygen supplied from a copper tank and carbon dioxide scrubbed by passing it through a bundle of rope yarn soaked in a solution of caustic potash. During the 1930s and all through World War II, the British, Italians and Germans developed and extensively used oxygen rebreathers to equip the first frogmen. In the U.S. Major Christian J. Lambertsen invented a free-swimming oxygen rebreather. In 1952 he patented a modification of his apparatus, this time named SCUBA, an acronym for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus," which became the generic English word for autonomous breathing equipment for diving, and later for the activity using the equipment. After World War II, military frogmen continued to use rebreathers since they do not make bubbles which would give away the presence of the divers. The high percentage of oxygen used by these early rebreather systems limited the depth at which they could be used due to the risk of convulsions caused by acute oxygen toxicity.

CMAS two-star scuba diver is a diving certification for recreational scuba diving issued by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS).

Recreational scuba certification levels are the levels of skill represented by recreational scuba certification. Each certification level is associated with a specific training standard published by the certification agency, and a training programme associated with the standard., though in some cases recognition of prior learning can apply. These levels of skill can be categorised in several ways:

References

  1. Duncan, Renee (March–April 2009). "The Passing Of An Era: YMCA Retires Its Scuba Program". Alert Diver: 40–41.
  2. "The demise of YMCA Scuba & the birth of Scuba Educators International: News Release". The Scuba Connection, Greece. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  3. "CMAS Certifications" (PDF). SEI. p. 9. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  4. "Member Spotlight of SEI". DEMA. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  5. "BECOME A DIVER". Scuba Educators International. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  6. "SEI Organizational Standards". SEI. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  7. Lapenta, Jim. "SEI now authorized to issue CMAS certs!". Scubaboard. Retrieved 8 December 2012.