When describing my PADI qualifications with a CMAS diver, is there a well know equivalence table?
I'm currently in a French overseas territory, and almost all of the dive centres and clubs here use the CMAS system. Whenever I've booked in for a dive, the dive centre has looked at my PADI qualifications, asked a few questions, and put me into an appropriate dive group for the day. They seem to have always put me into the right group, so they at least seem to know the equivalence!
However, when I've been chatting with other divers (non-instructors) before and after dives, they've not known how to match my PADI level to their CMAS one, and nor have I for the reverse. This has made it tricky for us to recommend other dive sites to each other, especially ones in different countries, as we haven't known if the standard would be suitable or not.
Is there a well known approximate equivalence between the PADI and CMAS qualification levels?
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The easiest way to compare diving qualifications is to look at the ISO standards: International Standards
The International Organization for Standardization has approved six recreational diving standards that may be implemented worldwide (January 2007).
The listed standards developed by the (United States) RSTC are consistent with the applicable ISO Standards:
(USA) RSTC Standard ISO Standard Alternative ISO Title
Introductory Scuba Experience No equivalent
No equivalent Level One Diver Supervised Diver
Open Water Diver Level Two Diver Autonomous Diver
Dive Supervisor Level Three Diver Dive Leader
Assistant Instructor Level 1 Instructor
Scuba Instructor Level 2 Instructor
Instructor Trainer No equivalent
No equivalent Service Provider
Here is a table format of various diving certifications compared: List of Qualifications compared
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Here is a quick reference :
CMAS PADI Equivalent
CMAS 1 Star Diver Open Water Diver
CMAS 2 Star Diver Rescue Diver
(with verification of Night and Navigation dive)
CMAS 3 Star Diver Divemaster or IDC Candidate
CMAS 1 Star Instructor IDC Candidate
CMAS 2 Star Instructor IDC Candidate
Source: IDC Guide
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