Diving without a C-Card?

[HowardE]

Of course not.

Why not?

 

[Dragon2115]

Oh god no!!! Once that begins every aspect of diving will be government regulated. For a politician writing laws is like eating potato chips, they can't be happy with just one.

 

[ScubaAngel831]

At least if your annual raises are a little lighter than you would have liked, you will already know at least one of the reasons.

I guess I always knew that some of the nonsense that goes on with many LDSs was really stupidity rather than greed.

Not quite! Do you really think there is a lot of $ to make in SELLING a tank? I think not! Not a whole lot in filling tanks with the station that we have set up and the monthly and quarterly service. Has nothing to do with stupidity. And you know nothing about my "annual raises" so please don't bring THAT into this discussion. This has to do with the safety of those that walk out the door with a full air tank- but then again, some people don't care about safety- because they are concerned about the $ aspect and/or think that someone is "stupid" because they won't sell a tank or fill a tank to an uncertified diver.

 

[HowardE]

What if the only requirement was a C-Card? Why would it be so bad if there were laws requiring C-Card just a basic OW SCUBA C-Card? No other regulations, other than the current requirements for a C-Card from ANY issuing agency. Would it not make SCUBA look bad if there were a large number of accidents/deaths caused by non certified divers? I would look at a C-Card as a driver's license for diving.

 

[DennisW]

You assume that the government will stop at one simple law. No such luck. The government should keep their noses out of the industry. It's bad enough as it is with all of the liability paperwork we have to sign everytime we go diving.

 

[HowardE]

The liability and paperwork you have to fill out is because of Lawyers who suck the blood and life out of this country. You are "signing your life away" when you dive, so the dive operator HOPES they won't get sued, if you do die. Wouldn't there be less liability on the dive operator, if C-Cards were required by the govt? Wouldn't that shift some of the liability to the diver?

Believe me... I don't like govt involvement in much of anything... But this just seems irresponsibility run amok to allow people to dive w/o C-Cards. Granted there are some that have been diving for many years responsibly from times before PADI, NAUI, etc. But with the "sport" growing rapidly, shouldn't there be some more responsibility here?

 

[DennisW]

Again, you assume the government would be reasonable. Bad assumption. The industry regulates itself very well. It should be left alone.

 

[Dragon2115]

What if the only requirement was a C-Card? Why would it be so bad if there were laws requiring C-Card just a basic OW SCUBA C-Card? No other regulations, other than the current requirements for a C-Card from ANY issuing agency. Would it not make SCUBA look bad if there were a large number of accidents/deaths caused by non certified divers? I would look at a C-Card as a driver's license for diving.

Yes, they will get involved if there is enough public uproar to "do something" and they think they can save someone from themself. If they do get involved we're not going to like what happens because one of the first things they will do is try and "standardize" training so that a cert from one agency is exactly equivalent to one from any other. Paperwork will be rediculous because all agencies and dive ops will have to report to some newly created goverment oversight office. Recertification will be required, just like drivers licenses. (And we all know how well that works at keeping unqualified drivers off the road.) About the only one that will benefit from this in the long run will be the government because of all the new revenue streams it will have created.

No, I think ANY involvement by the government is a very bad idea.

 

[HowardE]

Again, you assume the government would be reasonable. Bad assumption. The industry regulates itself very well. It should be left alone.

I don't assume the govt IS or WOULD BE reasonable. It is up to people in this country to help make positive laws. Believe me, I am not one for protecting myself from myself. I should be allowed to smoke cigarettes in a bar, if I want to, or ride my bicycle without a Blinking Light (Boulder, CO Law). The point is, that wouldn't a simple "C-Card Required" law be good? You (dennis) assume that it has to go further, that our govt doesn't know how to keep it simple. Why would it HAVE TO go further than that? And my other question, as I am not a legal analyst, is wouldn't that relieve some burden from dive shops, with "all of the paperwork you have to fill out"

Believe me, I am all for freedom, if you knew what I did for a living, you'd agree, but the bottom line in my opinion, is that with the growth of SCUBA, it seems prudent to at least have minimum requirements (without adding any requirements to, or standardizing of the current certifications), this would help protect the sport itself from any idiot that wants to strap on a tank, and jump in the water.

 

[Web Monkey]

So far, most of the deaths have been from idiots doing what they are not trained to do, from freedivers entering cave systems.

Please tell me you made this up . . . .

Terry