Thailand bans cameras without AOW

[Ken Kurtis]

So after 9 dives you can have your advanced cert and then take a camera.

The notice I saw said 40 logged dives. And sounds like it's up to the dive operators to enforce.

 

[Germie]

The notice I saw said 40 logged dives. And sounds like it's up to the dive operators to enforce.

No, it is AOW OR proof of 40 logged deep dives. As you know that every open water diver can and is allowed to dive deeper than 18 or 20m, this means that the open water diver must have done at least 40 dives to 18.1m and have written this in their liebooks. Or you must have an aow cert. And with a lot of agencies aow is just 5 dives after open water. SSI is the only agency that want to sell 5 specialties.
At the end everything is about money. I think now that the combination ow+aow in 9 dives is sold more than before instead of aow and do 3 dives extra diving in the first week of their dive career. Now they can take a camera on the last day.

 

[Kimela]

And we’re nearly back to the discussion about ‘what should really be required to be a Master Scuba Diver’?

Whoever came up with the ‘Put Another Dollar In’ phrase deserves a specialty cert card and shirt.

 

[Redtwo]

Why is everybody so negative. They are doing something in the right direction and again its not enough or just for the money etc etc.

I applaud them for (trying) it. And am curious what the real effect is going to be.

 

[Redtwo]

So after 9 dives you can have your advanced cert and then take a camera. It is better than nothing, but it would have been better at least 500 dives before taking a camera.

That instructors are not allowed to take a camera is a little bit strange. In the open water course I can understand, but in other courses a camera can help with debriefing to show what went well and what could be improved.

The idea of having a least an aow cert is not bad. But better would have been more dives like 500 or so. Not only 50 or 100, but that really seasoned divers can take a camera as they dive more often than only on holidays probably, and if not they have done at least several holidays before the 500 dives are reached.

500? Thats like demanding that everybody is a professional race car driver before he can drive in the rain to do some groceries.

Basic recreational Diving is not extremely complicated. Of course you have to know what you do, so getting the basics sorted before you bring a camera is a great idea, but 500 is a ridiculous number if you ask me. (But hey, thats just me).