Individuals trained in CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use rescue breathing and chest compressions to aid victims of cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association. You don't need to have CPR training in order to earn open-water scuba diving certification, but you may need it as a prerequisite for more advanced scuba diving courses.
History of Scuba Certification
National scuba diving training and certification did not emerge until the 1960s, when rising accident rates among recreational divers led to the formation of NAUI, the National Association of Underwater Instructors, in 1960, and PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, in 1966. By the 1970s, most dive shops required divers to show their certification cards before they could rent equipment or refill tanks. PADI has become world's largest scuba certification organization, according to MarineBio.org.
Rescue Diver Courses
Rescue diving certification courses train you to assist stressed, panicked and unresponsive divers as well as to recognize and manage dangerous situations underwater. To enter a NAUI rescue diver certification course, you must be at least 15 years old and a certified scuba diver with CPR and first aid training. To enter a PADI rescue diver course, you must be at least 12 years old and you must have adventure diver certification and CPR and first aid training from the previous two years.
Training Assistant and Assistant Instructor Courses
Training assistant and assistant instructor courses prepare you to assist in diver training courses under the direct supervision of a certified scuba diving instructor. These courses often serve as the first step toward becoming a certified instructor. In order to enter these courses with NAUI or PADI, you need proof of CPR and first aid training completed within the last 24 months. You must be at least 18 years old, and you must have advanced diver certification, rescue diver training and a certain number of logged dives.
Instructor Courses
Instructor courses qualify you to teach your own scuba certification courses through the agency with which you earn your certification. To enter these courses, you must have up-to-date CPR and first aid training as well as assistant instructor or training assistant certification. You must be at least 18 years old. NAUI requires you to have at least 50 logged dives before beginning instructor training, and PADI requires you to have at least 60 logged dives. These dives should include experience with night diving, deep diving and underwater navigation. During instructor training, you will have to make classroom presentations and give confined-water and open-water lessons. You will have to pass a swimming competency test, a skills evaluation and a written exam.
