Dive sites//charters solo diving

[Teknadv3x]

Where does he say the guy didn't have the proper certs?

I assumed he did not. Thats why I asked am I missing something..... Frank would you be kind enough please clarify.

 

[Debraw]

Is there even such a thing as an Open Water DPV cert?

Sounds like a great business opportunity if not.

Just think of the extra profit centres:

Open water DPV Pilot
Advanced Open Water DPV Pilot
Adventure DPV Pilot
Solo DPV Pilot
Boat DPV Pilot
PeakPerformance Bouyancy DPV Pilot
etc etc.

LOL, I am sure PADI will come up with that now that you have posted it. You should have had it patented or certified or something so they have to pay you to use those terms.

 

[Teknadv3x]

Is there even such a thing as an Open Water DPV cert?

I think IANTD still offers the course. I have the student workbook but not the dam card. LOL

 

[TroyW]

When I was just 13 I worked on a farm driving a tractor to brush hog, a pick-up truck to haul hay and feed. But just because I had experience driving and considered myself a good safe driver still gave me no right to get out and drive on the road without a license. You still have to go take a written test to test your knowledge and a driving test to test your skills. A C-Card is no difference it’s just a means for a certified instructor to review your knowledge and test your water skills on solo diving. This way it proves to the insurance companies that you know what you are doing or should have known better if there is an accident. Sorry we live in a community that it’s always someone else’s fault not mine.

 

[Wookie]

I assumed he did not. Thats why I asked am I missing something..... Frank would you be kind enough please clarify.

Sorry, sorry. At one time we, like many Texas operators, considered a DM/Divecon cert to be the equivalant of a solo card. After all, I am an instructor for a few different agencies, and I (wearing my instructor hat) feel that all instructors/DM's/divecons dive solo, are trained to dive solo, and with an un-certified student, are essentially diving solo. Additionally, if a DM/Divecon or above are acting in the capacity of boat crew (on working dives), solo dives are a requirement (sideline tie-in, condition check for briefing, etc). Therefore, if you are qualified to solo dive in the performance of your duties, why not all the time. So if boat crew can do it, why not every DM/Divecon on any dive, right?

So a crewmember making a recreational dive on deep air solo, a dive he has made 1000 times from the Gulf Diving boats gets twisted bent pretzeled. Since he is a crewmember, the scrutiny is a little tighter than if he was a customer. The end result (from my insurance company) is that:

1) Boat staff who are certified DM's/Divecons making working dives in support of the normal operation of the boat may dive solo on those dives.

2) No diver may make a recreational solo dive unless the diver is a properly equipped, certified solo diver, regardless of other certification level or position on the vessel.

I chose for myself to obtain a solo card so that I wouldn't have to answer the other question that hasn't been asked yet. (Will Melanie sue herself if I die while solo diving from the Spree).

Truth be told, we all know that there are folks out there that have hundreds or thousands of dives, no certification beyond open water (or no certification at all), who could make any of us look like fools in the water. (That guy forgot more yesterday than I'll ever learn.) We also know lots of folks that we can't understand how they got some of the c-cards they carry. I can't possibly make a judgement on your diving, experience level, or amount of common sense before the first dive on Saturday morning. That stupid card tells me that someone evaluated your skills (or your checking account balance), and found you worthy to present me with a card that tells me that you know something. Whether that something is useful or not IS something I evaluate on dive 1.

I would be interested in going back to the very first post. I challange anyone to find ANY open water dive location that is insured for in-water liability in the state of Texas that allows (in writing) solo diving regardless of certification level. If you can find this place, and their insurance company insures liveaboard dive vessels for a reasonable price, I will switch my insurance to that company and change my policies accordingly. I think you will find that most open water facilities place the burden for in-water liability back on the divemaster/divecon/instructor.

 

[Wookie]

You know if your going to stand by your guns....load every chamber.
You chimed in on this thread defending the no solo card / no solo dive rule because of the massive liability exposure you, shops & OW sites face....and now you say somethings are best unsaid...you allow your crew members to dive w/o the speciality certs ....what kept the attorneys from coming after you?
Am I missing something here..

We did allow boat crew to dive solo if they were DM/Divecon certified, and never allowed customers to dive solo, but winked when it happened. Uhhh, nothing kept the attorneys from coming after me. Why do you think I have a policy now? The attorneys caught me.

 

[ianr33]

Great posts Frank. I appreciate your honesty.

 

[Wookie]

I sure hope not. It gets silly after a while. Practice and education is what it is all about.

I don't get the dive insurance thing. I have to have professional dive insurance and if I do anything wrong the policy is written to not pay out and does not defend me. Kind of a waste of money if you ask me.

Exactly! Man, all I ever wanted to be was a boat driver, (fireman, police officer, gynecologist (yecch), astronaut, nuclear engineer), but never a damn lawyer. If my insurance company can show that I acted negligently, then I am not defended. How is that, the plaintiff wants to find me negligent, and so does my insurance company. If your Aqualung regulator breaks or freeflows while offshore, I can't fix it, because I haven't been to Aqualung regulator fixing school. I have the tools, and I can fix your Atomic, Scubapro, Dacor, Sherwood, and a few others, but not your Aqualung or Mares. I can't even adjust your intermediate pressure. God help you if you can't fix it either, it's a long 2 days waiting to get back to shore.

 

[Wookie]

Alan, where did you go. You started this crap.

 

[DiverBizz]

LOL Alan is sitting back just reading all the discussions and laughing.