Certification Levels

[Phil_C]

Interesting discussions - I have just had the complete opposite experience in the UK. I am a CMAS 2* diver, qualified with a Russian training agency so I hold a PADI Rescue Diver equivalent but I left my 2* C-Card in Cyprus just before Christmas as I expected to be back out in early January. When that didn't happen I sorted out some diving in the UK. Club dives , no problem they know me, but I have just booked to dive at an inland national diving centre this coming Monday and rang them to see what they would want to see as one of the dives I want to do is 100 foot plus.

I have my CMAS 1* card (PADI OW equivalent) here in the UK and asks what they wanted to see.

The answer I got was "here it is self declaration - if you say you are competent for the dive you want to do and sign to that effect that is it, we don't need to see your card" - I wonder if it would be the same to obtain gas mixes and so on?

But then in the UK we are no where near as quick to sue and seek to blame others for our failings as some other places.

I'm not saying it is right but what a marked difference in approach. P

 

[Searcaigh]

In the 11 1/2 years I have been at Jules' Undersea Lodge, I have run into so many "certified" divers that have NO idea of what they are doing. You ask, how long have you been diving? They say, oh several years. Then watch them put their gear on totally backwards. Scares me sometimes because, we are responsible to these people and if they're not honest about their abilities what can you do but at least ask for a cert card. My husband is a commercial diver in the oil field and had done up to 400 foot dives on mixed gas and had his card stating he was a commercial diver but do you think a dive shop would have anything to do with him? Oh no. He had to go and get a sport diving cert to go diving. Wouldn't it be nice if people were just honest about what they can and can't do?

Teresa McKinna

Ha ha that is the exact same reason I had to do a PADI course.

 

[BDSC]

Sounds like I should just bite the bullet and do AOW............I want him to take AOW - perhaps this will be a father-son thing ! I'm just betting I'll feel like a "senior" diver with him along !

That's probably the best thing to do. You may be able to do all the "Book Work" through the e-learning process and then just get with your favorite instructor to do the dives. I doubt that you will get anything from the dives but your son may.

 

[beester]

In my neck of the woods... boat-owners or captains will ask to sign a waiver before entering the boat (north sea wreck diving), and only for the divers he doesn't know. Apparently there isn't that much of a problem with responsibility... if you do these dives you know you have to be self-reliant.

On holiday most of the time proof of insurance (DAN) and credit is sufficient. (red sea, maldives, France, Norway, Mexico, Bonaire, etc). If really necessary I'll give them a CMAS card, seems thats known enough.

Never been to Florida tho.

As said by many wiser people... diving is a "do-it sport". Ie you become proficient by starting out right (good instructor irrelevant of agency) and dive alot with experienced buddies in different environments... but paramount is doing it alot.

 

[boulderjohn]

I didn't know this. I thought the PADI "deep dive" went to at least 100 fsw and was a required part of AOW.

The AOW deep dive is between 60-100 feet. I doubt if very many people only do 60 feet. The problem is that some areas don't have much more depth than that, so they have to take the divers to the depths they have.

Diver exceed 100 feet in training during the deep dive specialty.

 

[FinnMom]

I'm not surprised that for insurance reasons you might need certification for depth ESPECIALLY in the USA (official home of AmbulanceChasers-R-Us). The operator needs something he can point to as justifiable reason to have believed you were qualified to do what he allowed you to do. Yes, yes & yes to all the comments about the what a PADI AOW does/doesn't actually tell you about the abilities of each and every card carrier, it is nonetheless at least a good starting point for his defence just in case the operator someday needs to defend his actions.

As a practical suggestion, with your background & experience you might get more out of your course dollars (or other currency) from a Deep Diver class an agency like IANDT.

 

[nimoh]

The deep dive for AOW has to be a minimum of 60ft and at the discretion of the instructor can be deeper up to 100ft. Since this is likely the student's first dive beyond 60ft, I would think in most cases it would be prudent for the instructor only go a little beyond 60ft and maybe a little deeper on the next.

I am not an instructor, but this is how it was explained to me. Back when I did my AOW my first deep dive was to about 65 and my second was to 80. The first time I went to 100ft, was not part of a class, but I was diving with the same instructor. After writing this post, I think my point has changed, I started out making the point that shallower deep dives should be done in AOW for safety reasons, but know I am thinking that this does nothing to prepare the student for going to 100ft, since for example, I did not experience narcosis at 80ft, but did at 100ft.

 

[rhwestfall]

Its funny, when I was certified through the YMCA in 1989, my limitation was recreational dive limits (130'), and no decompression stop obligation diving. I wonder if it would pass now.... Just to please the lawyers, I did get an AOW card.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Its funny, when I was certified through the YMCA in 1989, my limitation was recreational dive limits (130'), and no decompression stop obligation diving. I wonder if it would pass now.... Just to please the lawyers, I did get an AOW card.

This was still the case in 2001, when I got certified through the YMCA ... OW limit was 130 feet. It was recommended that we get the AOW certification before actually going that deep, however ... and my instructor wanted us to do at least 20 shallow dives before signing up for AOW.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[fjpatrum]

As I understand it, OW is still 130 feet, but it is "recommended" that divers not exceed 60. Right or wrong, my first two dives after OW were in Hawaii on vacation and went to about 75-80 feet. I was comfortable, my buddy was comfortable, the guide was comfortable, no problem.

I suspect that happens to a lot of vacation divers.

I have no intention of getting AOW as I think it's purely a money grab and I'm better served diving with some good mentors... but I'm a stubborn know-it-all. As I said, most of the ops I've spoken with said they have a policy that AOW is required, or a DM hired, or (unwritten policy) dive with them enough that they can "check you out" and you're good to go. I'm comfortable with all of those options despite not wanting to take and AOW course.