Certification card dilemma

[Eyegore]

Hi Eyegore,

Did you try runsongas' recommendation below? You will spend about 40 dollars getting a replacement card from most any agency. This seems like the best solution to me. Is it for you?

Yep, had a conversation with a nice fellow at SEI today and have since completed and sent via email the appropriate form and included images of my YMCA card. In around one week I should receive an AOW cert. card in the mail.

 

[rhwestfall]

Might consider it for myself... 1988 YMCA. I remember being a broke college student, and wen I got my card (college phys ed class - $25 "lab" fee is all it cost), it came with a form to get a CMAS card. I never did it, and now regret it....

 

[tridacna]

Yep, had a conversation with a nice fellow at SEI today and have since completed and sent via email the appropriate form and included images of my YMCA card. In around one week I should receive an AOW cert. card in the mail.

Frau Blucher

 

[TerryC]

Least they're not wanting to bilk y'all for around 250$ total to get your name changed and two replacement cards, one for AOW and one for my public safety diver card. My name has been entered two different times in PADIs system, and i think they're going to double charge(scam me) to get it

If your name is entered twice in the Padi system, email them and they will correct their records free of charge. I have done this for many students, usually it's a missing initial.
You won't get replacement cards free but any dive shop that looks you up will be able to see all your qualifications on one record.

 

[txaggie08]

If your name is entered twice in the Padi system, email them and they will correct their records free of charge. I have done this for many students, usually it's a missing initial.
You won't get replacement cards free but any dive shop that looks you up will be able to see all your qualifications on one record.

My name was legally changed, so I will have to pay the name change fee, but it's good to know I dont have to pay the exorbitant change fee twice. Absolutely crazy that a 30 second clerical edit to a database entry is that pricey.

 

[Norrm]

The YMCA OW included deep water and nav. and went beyond the ordinary cert. offered at the time. I opted for the OW and made the necessary extra dives for that endorsement.

My experience with the YMCA certification differs from yours. No clue what you mean about "opting for OW", that's the minimum regardless of which agency you are trained with. I took the course in college and did a ton of pool work which ended with 1 or maybe 2 open water dives in a lake near the college with a max depth of about 30. We followed a rope in poor vis to where the instructor was waiting and did a couple of skills tests and that was it.

Note that my card has "Basic" stamped on it, is yours different?

 

[Erich S]

My first PADI card from 1976 also said “Basic Scuba Diver”

 

[Eyegore]

My experience with the YMCA certification differs from yours. Note that my card has "Basic" stamped on it, is yours different?

View attachment 557804

Yes, it is.

 

[tursiops]

Note that my card has "Basic" stamped on it, is yours different?

My first PADI card from 1976 also said “Basic Scuba Diver”

There was a lot of confusion back then about names of cert levels and what they meant. One thing for sure: just one or two OW dives does not complete an OW class, even back then. One motivation for the WRSTC formation was to put in place some standard nomenclature and minimum training standard. The small number of OW dives is now called "supervised diver," meaning you must dive with a professional.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Mine, from ‘79, says “Scuba Diver”