You keep saying this....what makes you think it is a common problem?
1.Who said that? If the box is checked, the doctor's signature is all that is needed.
2.THIS is the real problem. Your competency and honestly are being questioned. You bet...that is the system.
3.You are missing the concept of relative risk mitigation and trying to make everything black and white. But, you've made up your mind and so the subject is no longer discussable. You are right, and everybody else is wrong. It will be interesting to see how far that gets you.
(numbers added by me so I could address them easier)
1. If you had read several of the links I posted, it was discussing how this is a common issue for many and the reason they don't disclose is because of being afraid of being not allowed to dive, not necessarily because they shouldn't be allowed, but they don't want to run the risk.
2. It's not my competency, nor my honesty. I'm not evaluating myself (in my case), so competency doesn't enter into it. Honesty doesn't really either, because there is no checking to see if I am being honest about anything - it's just a liability form. I just view it as a pointless system since there are no controls to ensure honesty, and so it is theater only, not actually making people safer. Obviously many people here are fine with that, but I'm discussing other options that could potentially make a real impact for safety, not just a liability form.
3. You've missed what I've been saying. It's not that I'm the only one that is right - everyone is a little right. I keep discussing it because either I've not been able to explain what I'm talking about well enough or people aren't understanding the actual point of what I'm trying to communicate, so I vainly hope that by phrasing it a different way, maybe people can see the point I'm trying to make - which isn't saying that most people are "wrong" per se, it's that the perception vs reality for the form is not identical and the form itself doesn't do anything except release liability. Those who want to hide conditions will hide conditions. Those who don't want to get conditions worked up, will still not get them worked up. Those who did get them worked up, they got them worked up whether the form exists or not, whether it is a physician signature or not. Physicians have to sign the forms for children to participate in sports, not adults, even when it is recommended to see a physician prior to starting a sport.
I don't view this as a black and white issue, it's very shaded; it's others view it as very black and white: The form is the only way to go, it is the only right answer, there is no better answer, we can't try and think of other solutions, sit down, shut up. (at least, that is how it is being perceived by me)
Obviously some people truly love the form and think that form will keep everyone safe. I understand the reason they made the form, which is a liability release, and I think that is very proper, because I think the dive shops/instructors should be released from liability outside of gross misconduct (ie you're in the water, your instructor comes up behind you and turns off your tank - that person should be liable for that LOL). I think the responsibility and liability for their own safety should be with the diver, because unless you are going to require physicals for everyone, have a medical release so the doctor's information can be confirmed, and have some sort of structured way of dealing with protected health information, you can achieve the same result (or possibly better) with other ways of doing it, ways that don't encourage people to lie, which has been shown to be an issue. (see previous link and even other posters)
Mostly, I think there's value in discussion about the topic, which hopefully is more than some people just refusing to consider anything other than the status quo. I don't expect this conversation will alter current practices, but maybe if people talked about it more, it could eventually and create a situation that increases safety.
As I said previously, I have gotten a new idea out of this conversation myself, to have the signed form with no checkboxes - even though it's pointless in my mind. Whether someone fills it out accurately or not, it still releases the shop from liability, which I whole-heartedly agree with.
