Cape Ann Divers :(

[AfterDark]

If you can't understand the rationale for the way it's currently being done with the cards, then I can't help you. As someone pointed out, your idea of 'watch me dive' would certainly cost as much if not more than just getting AOW. You do seem a bit 'pig headed', so I'm really not surprised.

I understand stupidity of the current system. Just because you don't doesn't make me wrong. I'm not asking you for anything, least of all your help. When someone has 40+ years of diving logged, with a C card dated 1972 reissued in1995 that show's over 1500 dives to date; but can't get a spot on a charter for a dive he's done a dozen times, something is wrong with the system. Just to be clear I don't blame the operators as much as I do the people that sue at the drop of a hat and the slip and fall lawyers that enable them.

To describe me as pig headed is a severe understatement.

 

[large_diver]

I was out on the Cape Ann Diver II this past Saturday...now under new management. Good bunch of folks.

I had a great relationship with the past owners and captains...developed over 17 years of diving with them. They were pretty reasonable people. They've recounted many, many, many stories in the past to me about divers who overstated their abilities.....leading to policies like the one you faced which of course feels like a very low common demoninator applied to everyone. That said, you only had to be out with them once or twice for the boat crews to see how you are in terms of gear, self-sufficiency, etc...and they would let you dive your abilities.

So give the new guys a try....but expect at least some of the same, particularly since they are brand new to the dive boat business (Capt. is a former commercial oil rig diver). For example, the new capt asked me and my buddy for some evidence of a drysuit cert if we were going to be diving dry (we were). I've never taken a drysuit course, but have been diving a drysuit in New England since 2004. His compromise was for us to provide some evidence of 10 drysuit dives over the past 12 months...which was handled by printing out a copy of my Excel dive log for the past 12 months with the drysuit dives highlighted and which I signed and dated. Overall a reasonable request from a capt I've never met before.

Hope to see you out there on the boat someday

 

[gcarter]

I was out on the Cape Ann Diver II this past Saturday...now under new management. Good bunch of folks.

I had a great relationship with the past owners and captains...developed over 17 years of diving with them. They were pretty reasonable people. They've recounted many, many, many stories in the past to me about divers who overstated their abilities.....leading to policies like the one you faced which of course feels like a very low common demoninator applied to everyone. That said, you only had to be out with them once or twice for the boat crews to see how you are in terms of gear, self-sufficiency, etc...and they would let you dive your abilities.

So give the new guys a try....but expect at least some of the same, particularly since they are brand new to the dive boat business (Capt. is a former commercial oil rig diver). For example, the new capt asked me and my buddy for some evidence of a drysuit cert if we were going to be diving dry (we were). I've never taken a drysuit course, but have been diving a drysuit in New England since 2004. His compromise was for us to provide some evidence of 10 drysuit dives over the past 12 months...which was handled by printing out a copy of my Excel dive log for the past 12 months with the drysuit dives highlighted and which I signed and dated. Overall a reasonable request from a capt I've never met before.

Hope to see you out there on the boat someday

Why do you think that was a reasonable request? I don't. I would certainly wager that the number of drysuit divers who have NOT taken a course is very likely to outnumber those who have by a pretty decent margin.

I certified in warm water in a 3mm. Did I need a recert for cold water and a 2 piece 7mm with hood?

I certed in a poodle jacket. Did I need a recert when I bought my BPW?

I completely fail to see why a drysuit requires a C card. Many many divers do their OW in a drysuit. Why do you need a separate cert?

 

[tkaelin]

I completely fail to see why a drysuit requires a C card. Many many divers do there OW in a drysuit. Why do you need a separate cert?

The answer is likely that the certifying agencies have created this as a separate certification and the insurance industry has then followed requiring the certification for the diver in order to be covered. I am not suggesting it is reasonable or defending it but pointing out the likely answer.

 

[AfterDark]

Oh Lord now I'm going to have issues if I want to dive dry!!!! I've been using a dry suit dive since 1978, there were no dry suit courses back then! I was speechless when I 1st heard of a dry suit cert. What a stupid idea I thought. Just how incompetent are today's divers, I asked myself that they can't self learn to dive a dry suit?

I was considering giving the new ops a try but after reading about their dry suit policy I think I'll pass on them too. One thing I don't need is anymore aggravation.

 

[mmerriman]

anyone doing their OW checkout dives in a drysuit a) has an instructor with them taking responsibility for them and b) has been through a mandatory drysuit pool orientation prior to the open water.

 

[gcarter]

Are they given a drysuit cert card? Or does the dive op have to take their word for it?

Same point: there are a "boatload" of drysuit divers out there who do not have, will never have, a cert for it.

 

[CT-Rich]

Oh Lord now I'm going to have issues if I want to dive dry!!!! I've been using a dry suit dive since 1978, there were no dry suit courses back then! I was speechless when I 1st heard of a dry suit cert. What a stupid idea I thought. Just how incompetent are today's divers, I asked myself that they can't self learn to dive a dry suit?

I was considering giving the new ops a try but after reading about their dry suit policy I think I'll pass on them too. One thing I don't need is anymore aggravation.

I think this is similar to the days when states made driver’s licenses mandatory. All the old guys had widget fits about how long they were driving without a license safely for years... what does a driver’s license tell you anyway?

A separate consideration to liability is what the experience of losing a diver at sea is like for the captain and crew. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to motor back to port short a diver or with the body of a guy who said he knew what he was doing. Not a great feeling I would imagine.

If the new owner is a retired commercial diver, he was used to be at sea with all the safety whistles that could you can think of, like a chamber and someone qualified to run it. His boat, his rules, because he isn’t going to offer you a chamber ride if you hit the surface feet first from 120 fsw.

 

[gcarter]

I think this is similar to the days when states made driver’s licenses mandatory. All the old guys had widget fits about how long they were driving without a license safely for years... what does a driver’s license tell you anyway?

A separate consideration to liability is what the experience of losing a diver at sea is like for the captain and crew. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to motor back to port short a diver or with the body of a guy who said he knew what he was doing. Not a great feeling I would imagine.

If the new owner is a retired commercial diver, he was used to be at sea with all the safety whistles that could you can think of, like a chamber and someone qualified to run it. His boat, his rules, because he isn’t going to offer you a chamber ride if you hit the surface feet first from 120 fsw.

I spent the weekend on a 3,000km round trip in my truck with a trailer on the back. The trailer is more akin to the drysuit cert with the DL being more akin to the OW card.

I needed my DL. I did not need any specific training or endorsements to hook a 6x12 enclosed trailer to the back of my truck. UHaul did not ask me for a cert, my DL was sufficient. Once I have my DL I can drive pretty much any passenger vehicle (no, not commercial, just like diving) with any combination of equipment.

Not a great analogy you used there.

 

[ScubaSteve85]

Another thread off the rails...