Can a C-card be Revoked?

[FreeFloat]

Chalk it up to a :newbie: question if you like.........

With all the recents threads on DIR I was reading through some of the course documentation available on GUE's site and I think I recall reading somewhere that GUE reserves the right to revoke any certification it may grant. Not that that's a bad thing - just as I agree that an instructor ought to have the absolute right to determine who 'passes" his course (without duress from LDS, agency, whatever)

I think that in GUE's case anyway, since they have such definitive and high standards, it's logical they would expect that an individual trained in specific disciplines continues to dive according to his or her training, and that if the diver consistently fails to practice diving within the requirements and refuses to address his/her shortcomings, (especially dangerous practices), that GUE would reserve the right to requir the diver to redo training or risk losing cretification.

Now I'm not talking about GUE specifically here - but since I'm sure everyone here has at some point seen OW, AOW, etc divers whose diving style makes you think "Which Cracker Jack box did this diver win his c-card from?", I'm just wondering if it's possible for any agency to revoke or suspend a c-card, once granted, or require an individual to undergo further training ,or repeat training, in order to have the suspension lifted or re-qualify for the c-card?

 

[ckharlan66]

but I believe that GUE is one of the very few, if not the only, agency that reserves that right. I could be mistaken and it could be common place with all the tech agencies though.

Chad

 

[MechDiver]

GUE is also the only agency that requires you to recertify your current level.

I have never heard of anyone having their c-card revoked. All the card really states is that, at a particular time and place, you perfomed a series of tasks in an acceptable manner and managed not to kill yourself. That is really all it does. However, I could see a case where, if misleading information was supplied to the agency, they could revoke the card.

MD

 

[Drew Sailbum]

If you are limiting it to an OW card, then I'm not sure any of the "big" agencies reserve the option to revoke.

But certainly PADI (and I presume most any other agency) can and does revoke, suspend, expell, banish (pick your term) professionals from the ranks due to various violations. A DM, AI, OWSI or higher can be made to repeat training, update skills, and or retake an Instructor Exam at the discretion of the agency.

Whether they can pry the card from your hands is another issue entirely, but they can certainly prevent you from issuing certifications.

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

MechDiver once bubbled...
GUE is also the only agency that requires you to recertify your current level.

I have never heard of anyone having their c-card revoked. All the card really states is that, at a particular time and place, you perfomed a series of tasks in an acceptable manner and managed not to kill yourself. That is really all it does. However, I could see a case where, if misleading information was supplied to the agency, they could revoke the card.

MD

Divemasters and higher up can have their C-cards revoked by any agency.

Also, YMCA has a program where the O/W C-card expires every 3 yrs. But most instructors don't give that cert. They give the lifetime cert.

 

[ElectricZombie]

GUE is the only one doing what you described as far as I know.

A DM or Instructor can have their cards revoked if they do something stupid.

I've never head of an OW diver having their card revoked, although many divers need to have their cards revoked.

 

[Genesis]

As far as I am aware, GUE is the only org that reserves the right to revoke a cert/membership for any reason they deem appropriate.

ALL agencies can (and sometimes do) revoke a TEACHING privilege - the ability to issue certs to others.

But GUE is unique, in that their claimed right extends to average GUE members (e.g. those who hold C-cards but are not instructing) and further, they reserve the right to do so pretty much at whim.

It is not terribly difficult to see how this could be abused, should they want to.

 

[S.O.S.]

C-Card revokations. Good idea.

All kinds of good reasons for this.

Lifetime suspensions for asking things like "It's been a while. So I use my elevators buttons to go up and down right?"

Or group suspensions for the cattle herds that silt up wrecks, and kill reefs as they diving tim horton hockey style.

Or for those motormouthed buddies you end up getting stuck with on the boat and have to listen to them alternate between talking and gasping for air, a 14 day suspended license so you are garunteed not to get stuck with them again during your vacation.

Or oh yah. I like this concept.

 

[cableman]

Even though I m new to the diving world, I amnot new to life. It took me a few years to get myself certified. It is funny that this topic comes up. My dive instructor(ow) was a pretty good teacher, but you could tell that shop had the power of who was certified. We had a couple of people in our class that were scary in the water. My dive buddy and I hated to around them in the water, but in class it was hard to get away. I think that they must have kicked us a hundred times in the pool, and then at our ow dives it was the same thing. They had no clue about there enviroment around them. Anyway to make a long story, a little longer, WE got our required dives in to be certified, The shop also said you could have a third dive free of charge and count it towards your aow. I know, setting up new business for own the road, the two scary guys got lost on their first dive. We were at Devil's Den in Florida doing swim throughs. I think this would have been a situation where they should have not got there cards to start with untill they showed more profiency in the water. Of course, in the end, the almighty dollar wins.

 

[FreeFloat]

If there's well and truly no way to 'un-certify' a bad or dangerous diver, I suppose the onus is/was on their first instructor to make that call, should this diver be allowed in the water or not. It's too bad - and frustrating to hear - about the petty politics and financial reasons involved in cretifying the unsafe. I'm sure there are instructors who don't give a damn and will certify anyone with a wallet. OTOH there are instructors who don't care who you are, who you know or how much you've paid, you're not getting that card until THEY are confident that you won't be a hazard to yourself and anyone diving with you. I was fortunate enough to be trained by one of the latter.

It's almost as though the Basic OW Instructor is the last chance to keep the unsafe diver out of the water. If they don't care and certify the individual anyway, there is nothing in place to prevent the individual from continuing to collect c-cards and put buddies at risk.

Scary thought........... :drown: