Highest certification level - Please explain.

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When ever a new to me dive operator asks for my highest certification level, I show them my Full Cave card with Wakulla sticker. When or if they question that I’ll get out my NAUI Instructor card. Full Cave is higher than Open Water Instructor.
 
Full cave with CCR is probably the highest. To dive with CCR is tricky enough and to carry an redundancy on top of it inside a cave!!!! Wow.

I don't think I can handle that.
 
On the question between rescue and solo, of the 5 agencies with solo like certs:
- SSI: rescue is pre-rec for independent
- SDI and Padi: solo / self reliant have higher cert and much larger dive requirements
- IANTD: deep is pre-req for self-sufficient. Their rescue reads like their OW description...(?)
- CMAS: rescue and how-to-find-my-buddy-or-surface self rescue have the same pre-req, 2 star.
- None have solo as a pre-req for rescue

Incident prevention and self rescue, components of rescue, are fundamental parts of solo diving; done when the third part, buddy-rescue, no longer exists.

Those might move it from 'pretty much unanswerable question' to 'heavily leaning one way'.
Thanks. Makes sense. I have to admit I have no interest in Solo/Self R. as it's not offered here (to my knowledge), and no real other agency knowledge as our shop here is PADI and basically it's all there is here.
Hey, here's a new one--
"I don't know what I don't have to know". Too bad I can't fit that on my Signature.
 
What has worked well in the past was showing my Cave Diver card and writing "CD" on the form.

Michael
 
I generally answer the "highest certification" question on forms with Rescue. If it's a deco or cave dive and need to prove my qualification for it, I just show the trimix/cave card as needed, case-by-case. It's a bit a of self-resolving issue, in that the only people (in my experience) who think of certifications as a linear progression where the question even makes sense are recreational dive operators. So pretty much as a rule, if I'm being asked, it's not for a dive that I'd need anything else. I figure why deal with the possible hassle of someone not knowing what my more permissive certifications mean or not recognizing the agency that issued them. Plus, showing off a trimix card to dive a 40ft reef feels douchey.

Rescue is generally enough to not be coddled on recreational boats while also not so much that anyone expects you to take on any more responsibility than any other customer. I'm not a diving professional, but if I become one I expect I will continue to answer that question with "Rescue" when diving with anyone I don't work for. I've seen enough DMs and instructors who broadcasted their professional rating get treated as paying labour instead of customers on boats ("Say, would you mind buddying up with Timmy? He did OW last year and hasn't dived since"). Worse, if something happened on the boat you might find yourself in the blast radius of the "sue every pro in sight" litigation bomb.

Okay, I took 10 seconds and looked for it. Turns out it was NWGratefulDiver's anecdote:

Then there was the guy in Bonaire who insisted I didn't have the proper certification to dive nitrox, because I handed him a Trimix card. I finally had to say "OK, give me trimix then ... just don't put any helium in it".

I don't recall if I read this on here or if he told me this one in person, but Steve Lewis (aka @Doppler ) was once asked for a nitrox card at a shop he'd never been to, and didn't have one available. The shop was very picky about what they'd take, but had some TDI nitrox manuals on the counter. He picked one up, flipped to the author page, pointed to his name and asked if that would suffice. It did.
 
Full Cave is higher than Open Water Instructor.

No, they are completely different things, and different skill sets.

Some amazing divers pushing the boundaries of deep cave penetrations might not be able to coherently give directions to the post office, let alone patiently train nervous new divers. Some fantastic OW instructors with thousands of happy, well trained students might never have gone into deco.

Is Navy Seal "higher" than neurosurgeon? Is best selling author "higher" than rock star? Kind of a pointless question.

The only way that the "higher" certification question makes sense is in the context of a single progression pathway, where one card might be a prerequisite for another card.
 
From a recreational (none Technical) diver point of view, wouldn't something like NAUI master diver be higher than Solo diver?
I haven't done the solo course yet, but I have read through the SDI book in preparation to doing it in the near future and in terms of information it pales in comparison to NAUI master diver book. Of course it would be a bit more focused for self reliance.

Interestingly when asked I usually present my NAUI advanced card instead of the Master Diver because I'm concerned it may be confused with Dive Master and tht 'Master' title may cause them to just assume too much. I don't even carry it in my wallet.
 
@doctormike nailed it.

It seems like several posters are assuming the question asks "what will allow you to put yourself in the most dangerous situation and survive?"

That tends to be individually centered, so solo beats rescue (maybe).

If you ask "What makes you best for the group?' Well, rescue.

Though altitude is literally highest, I'd say supervising others in any capacity is higher than being superb at self-care.

But @doctormike is right, it's apples and oranges.
 
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