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).

 

[tarponchik]

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.

Isn't this called cherry picking? Like, for example, the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok carries estimated 4,000 tonnes of plastic waste into the ocean annually, and their raw sewage dumping is not even accounted for...

 

[Redtwo]

Isn't this called cherry picking? Like, for example, the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok carries estimated 4,000 tonnes of plastic waste into the ocean annually, and their raw sewage dumping is not even accounted for...

If they would take initiative to reduce that i would support that as well. And the impact would probably be much bigger indeed.

But that doesnt make this not good. And yes of course you can question their priorities, but i see this as a step in the right direction and would be great if other countries follow suit. Would make diving more safe and good for the environment (even if it is a little).

 

[boulderjohn]

I am going to go out on a limb and say it is an honest (but effectively useless) attempt to protect the reefs from damage by photographers.

I experienced something similar in the Philippines. Even though I am not a photographer, I could not do my first dive with a Puerto Galera operation (Atlantis) until I had watched a very good video talking about how photographers should avoid practices that damaged the reef.

My dive group for the week included such a diver. He had a huge camera and a reef stick that was supposed to keep him off the reef. He was certified well beyond AOW, and he had hundreds of dives, be was a one man reef wrecking crew. At one point our DM went behind him and picked his feet up off the reef as he took picture after picture of something. I talked with the DM after that, and he was visibly distressed about it all. He said it happens all the time. He seemed resigned to the fact that there was no stopping it.

The problem is that taking pictures with those big rigs requires buoyancy skills far, far far beyond even experienced OW divers. Requiring AOW or 40 dives is an attempt, but it isn't enough. So what should be done instead? I have no idea--just as that DM had no idea.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I agree with @boulderjohn that AOW and/or 40 dives is too low a bar to make much of a difference in preventing divers from flopping all over the reef. A course for photographers might include, in addition to skills for avoiding contact with reefs, lessons on situational awareness and task-loading for the safety of oneself and buddies, not harassing marine life, and being courteous to other divers. Being in control of one's buoyancy enough to avoid contact with reefs is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to divers underestimating what it means to be a good underwater photographer, though it's obviously the issue of most concern to marine parks.

 

[Redtwo]

I am going to go out on a limb and say it is an honest (but effectively useless) attempt to protect the reefs from damage by photographers.

I experienced something similar in the Philippines. Even though I am not a photographer, I could not do my first dive with a Puerto Galera operation (Atlantis) until I had watched a very good video talking about how photographers should avoid practices that damaged the reef.

My dive group for the week included such a diver. He had a huge camera and a reef stick that was supposed to keep him off the reef. He was certified well beyond AOW, and he had hundreds of dives, be was a one man reef wrecking crew. At one point our DM went behind him and picked his feet up off the reef as he took picture after picture of something. I talked with the DM after that, and he was visibly distressed about it all. He said it happens all the time. He seemed resigned to the fact that there was no stopping it.

The problem is that taking pictures with those big rigs requires buoyancy skills far, far far beyond even experienced OW divers. Requiring AOW or 40 dives is an attempt, but it isn't enough. So what should be done instead? I have no idea--just as that DM had no idea.

I agree, but as far as i know Thailand is very much a back packer diver destination. Less big rigs and lots of go pro's on a stick. So putting the barrier up for that target group is a good thing i think.

I think it will do more for safety than reef protection per se, but thats a plus as well.