Question Certification cards!

[Wibble]

Am off to Spain in March for a little diving. Last time I dived "abroad" was 5 years ago in Spain where they took your cert and insurance cards, kept them on the dive RIB for the dive police to inspect (this is a thing in Spain).

Only other time I needed a cert card was when a newly hatched gas monkey at a crappy quarry was being arsey about a nitrox fill in a twinset that needed a top-off. The plonker made me leave the twinset there until I walked back to the car to get my wallet and card. Hate quarries.

 

[TMHeimer]

I like plastic cards and have photocopied all of mine. I'm 67 and don't anything with my phone except calls & texts (I can get email but that's complicated.....).

 

[Tug]

If you ever come down to Wilmington to dive like you and I have discussed before, you need to bring your cert card and nitrox card if you dive enriched gas. They'll hold both on the boat until it gets back to the dock.

I dove with a boat in Wilmington and a bunch of us had digital cards (myself included). The shop just noted this on their roster and it wasn't a problem at all.

While I do have the physical cards, I like the digital ones because it's easier to pull everything up and save it on my phone. Granted, all the digital cards I have were free and I'm not going to pay for a digital one instead of a plastic one if I take any more classes.

 

[rhwestfall]

Oooh. I need to remember that. I have one of the old YMCA cards. I might just have to show that one the next time I'm asked. Photo doesn't really look much like me any more either.

1988.... LOL....

 

[rhwestfall]

I either show that one or my ice diver card. The ice card is my favorite to show in the Dutch Caribbean....

 

[Wibble]

I dove with a boat in Wilmington and a bunch of us had digital cards (myself included). The shop just noted this on their roster and it wasn't a problem at all.

While I do have the physical cards, I like the digital ones because it's easier to pull everything up and save it on my phone. Granted, all the digital cards I have were free and I'm not going to pay for a digital one instead of a plastic one if I take any more classes.

Do we assume you’ve only used one agency?

I’ve four agencies plus the DAN Europe idiots. Just hang on whilst I get the details up. Oh, no cellular signal, what’s your Wi-Fi password, I can’t connect, hang on… is that a zero or an o?…

 

[Belzelbub]

I’ve four agencies plus the DAN Europe idiots. Just hang on whilst I get the details up. Oh, no cellular signal, what’s your Wi-Fi password, I can’t connect, hang on… is that a zero or an o?…

Yeah, that’s another app programming error. You ought to be able to store a local copy on your phone, or maybe even to a digital wallet on your phone. That way you wouldn’t need a signal to pull it up.

I just checked, and the FWC app handles this much better. I have licenses for myself, my wife and my kids all on my phone. I can sync them to the phone, so they’ll be available offshore, and they even have a QR code. Though the code seems to pull up a phone number.

 

[Wibble]

The purpose of most (cr)apps is marketing, tracking and entrapment of the "user" to that platform.

Aside from being a supplier those avaricious agencies are attempting to gouge yet more profit from their hapless so-called customers.

It’s inconvenient should you change phones or want to look at the cards several years hence — e.g. that YMCA card.

If it works for you, great. Don’t ever assume it works for all people.

 

[Germie]

I prefer the plastic cards and even from courses I only got an pdf I let them print.

 

[THPetya]

@Germie i use the same technique as you I get my first OWD card from my scuba school(it was for free). Howewer they had to re-new my card (not free....they want me to pay the 30Euro). I have the pdf files what they send me....soooo, i print it out, laminate it. Saved 30Euros