Combining PADI C-Cards?

[Simon-]

I tend too agree with your opinion of the value of the MSD and yes mine is in my pocket where it stays lol ... I have one and does it make me a better diver ? Someone you would want to dive with or put your life in their hands ? It is something we decide whenever we dive with a partner "No" matter how well trained you are You are only as good or as safe as your partner or team and there is no I in team .

With that said I look at things through a different set of eyes .I have been in the martial arts for well over 40 years and am a Master Instructor teaching for over 30 years .We used to tell our student "You may be the toughest guy on your block ,but someday you will journey too someone else's block "

I did just that went to someone else's block the UTD block . Talk about a humbling experience one that makes you evaluate yourself ,your motives , you're thinking the whole thought process you often find yourself saying WTF I am an MSD my card says so lol ... What happens they make you rethink everything you ever learned and give you the real reasons why something works or why it does not .

Everything is taught from a trim position with the correct buoyancy is always emphasized every drill ,every task always the same . I had done the Essentials course with many dives my trim improved but my propulsion did not meet their standards . I have never failed anything in my life and was determined too not let this beat me , with the Black Belt attitude that is always apart of you and the never quit attitude is what you need .

The UTD group came up with the idea of the "Extreme Diver Makeover " it starts in the pool figuring weights to make you neutrally buoyant and swimming with a weight in different body positions hands finally end up in from to help you level off this is done with a bathing suit to find your base , then with your wetsuit then again with your rig everything is adjusted . and readjusted .next propulsion is taught with no gear only a mask and fins breathing from a long hose until your frog kick looks like a frog kick . Backward kicking and helicopter turns are easily done and adjusted in a controlled environment .

Then on to the deck where you practice dry runs the basic 6 sharing air and out of air drills over and over until it is all just a reaction . Onward to the ocean where these drills are done again and again with your body always in trim . The whole time team emphasis is emphasized teaching you situational awareness . Three four dives a day always even when they say fun dive yes it means they will have fun at your expense lol...

My final dive with my UTD brothers was in about 80 Ft of water with a three man team I was told I was the team captain this means you have to watch you team always it was along a coral wall .we used a staggered position where I had too look over my left shoulder too see my team without looking right too left the wall was on my right . they were both diving side mount and I was a single back-mount

I had one diver loose his fin and swimming in circles I recovered his fin , I looked ahead as the other diver was heading too deep I had to retrieve him and tall him stay with us .As I looked back the other dive lost his mask and was diving with zero visibility I retrieved his mask and secured his side mount tank that had become unhooked (on Purpose ) all of these problems were solved while in trim never breaking trim ... As I looked over the first diver had spit out his mouth piece and was having convulsions I assumed it oxygen toxicity , Now I do not Know if it was real or training you cannot take a chance since he just dropped to 125 feet without knowing .I gave him my primary hose from his rear now controlling his accent and I was using my back up that is bungee mounted to my neck .

As we started our accent he gave me the ok Sign and went back too his own back gas . As all this was happening I was going to check my SPG too see how much gas had been used during this ten minute period .I gave the team the ok sign and we started to move on a minute later I had a no air at 80 feet I signaled the other diver whom passed me his primary hose and checked my SPG which said zero it seems my other partner shutoff my valve and I realized it and had to reopen it we sent up the SMB and surfaced on board they laughed and gave me the high fives .

This is what being a master Diver is supposed to be able to handle under stress without stress . And I am 55 so there is no excuse UTD or GUE will make you a better ,thinking diver that people will want to dive with . Maike and Juan are two of the best divers I have ever shared the water with and would trust my life with them as I have on numerous dives ....

And this has what to do with the subject of having more than one certification on a card?

 

[victorzamora]

You wouldn't get it....you're not as cool as he is

Sidenote: When I started looking into tech, I was told the GUE guys were annoying and they sucked and I should stay away. Every GUE diver and advocate I've spoken with has been great. I can't recall a single UTD diver I haven't been annoyed by.

As far as certs go: Good luck getting them combined the way you want. Another option is to get a custom card with all of your cert numbers. That way they can look you up if they really want. I would get that, and carry the MSD and Nitrox just in case. However, I was diving for like 8 years without a card and dive shops would just look me up.

Another option: I have a logbook binder thing (came with my OW course). I have since bought a pack of card sleeve for colletible cards, cut them down, and have threaded that into my logbook binder. Most travel binders have things like that for credit cards, which would actually work better.

 

[agilis]

It seems to me that the answer is obvious: Will a master card with listed specialties and certification rankings generate more profits for the card issuer, or have the reverse effect long term than a separate card for each? That's the only issue that really counts.

I'm not sure if the Zombie diving and Solo diving specialty courses I've seen mentioned on this board are for real or simply meant to be hilarious, but if these do actually exist I'd expect that a multi-card owner who has this kind of idiocy in their wallet would want the option of leaving such embarrassments off any hypothetical master card.

 

[tracydr]

If you have an IPhone, I'm sure there's an ap to store all of your cards on the phone. That way you don't have to travel around with a wallet full of cards. At least until PADI decides to make a card that lists nitrox,AOW,drysuit and whatever else all separately.
Can I go night diving without a night diving certification? I noticed the LDS offering the class in the local lake. Wondering if I've been diving " above my training" all these years.

 

[agilis]

If you have an IPhone, I'm sure there's an ap to store all of your cards on the phone. That way you don't have to travel around with a wallet full of cards. At least until PADI decides to make a card that lists nitrox,AOW,drysuit and whatever else all separately.
Can I go night diving without a night diving certification? I noticed the LDS offering the class in the local lake. Wondering if I've been diving " above my training" all these years.

That raises the issue of 'who trained the trainer?' Does the trainer, and the person who trained the trainer, all the way back to the initial and obviously self-certified expert in whatever area have more skills than I have?

The last certification I received was for Nitrox, a pretty simple body of information. After the certification was granted I was asked to fill out a form listing areas of diving in which I had an interest. I checked off several, and noted those topics in which I felt highly qualified, like reef ecology and fish identification. I suggested that I might be useful to the shop in providing some free instruction in these areas.

This was not what they had in mind. What they wanted was for me to $ign up for a course of instruction to be taught by an individual with the thin, superficial information base that comes from reading a booklet or two and following a pre-packaged program, a multi-purpose instructor who could not immediately differentiate between a juvenile Black and French Angelfish, a person who knew nothing more than the information contained in the training materials.

As far as night diving is concerned I've been diving at night for a very long time, and have lots of tips to share and useful procedures to describe. This counts for nothing.

Some people/agencies have no shame.

 

[lostcajun]

If you have an IPhone, I'm sure there's an ap to store all of your cards on the phone. That way you don't have to travel around with a wallet full of cards. At least until PADI decides to make a card that lists nitrox,AOW,drysuit and whatever else all separately.
Can I go night diving without a night diving certification? I noticed the LDS offering the class in the local lake. Wondering if I've been diving " above my training" all these years.

This is what I do... I have the cards packed in a secure location, but bring my phone in a water proof pouch, and show them the C-Card(s) pics on my phone.... they accepted the pictures of the cards, writing down the number, without question. Once I forgot my wife's card while setting up a dive trip for the next day. They saw the pic of my card on my phone and just said they would check the Padi database and that was enough for them even though I brought her card the day of the trip. I now have pics of her cards on my phone too.

 

[Damselfish]

still looking to see if i can get a combined AOW and nitrox? can anyone help?

ok, so I went through all their screens and I see they have changed it. Appears they no longer offer the combo card. Possibly it used to say "while supplies last" and they finally ran out. Too bad, it was one modestly sensible thing they offered in a lame card system. Maybe if enough people called and asked they would do it again, though I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[RJP]

, though I wouldn't hold my breath.

Good, as that is "the number 1 rule of scuba diving" anyway!

:d

---------- Post added August 31st, 2013 at 06:33 AM ----------

I'm not sure if the Zombie diving and Solo diving specialty courses I've seen mentioned on this board are for real or simply meant to be hilarious, but if these do actually exist I'd expect that a multi-card owner who has this kind of idiocy in their wallet would want the option of leaving such embarrassments off any hypothetical master card.

What's the embarrassment issue with a "Solo Diver" certification?

 

[TMHeimer]

A problem with just listing MSD and Nitrox would be if you wanted to do a charter dive between 100 and 130'. In that case you should have your Deep cert. card handy--not that I ever had to show it.

 

[agilis]

Good, as that is "the number 1 rule of scuba diving" anyway!

:d

---------- Post added August 31st, 2013 at 06:33 AM ----------




What's the embarrassment issue with a "Solo Diver" certification?

To whom do you show it?