Diving without license/certification card

[james croft]

I began diving in the Philippines in 1967 without a certification and did so without problems until 1987. Then it got to be a hassle to book dives when traveling without a card. I got my first open water card by trading a pony bottle for one to an instructor who knew me.

I had been taught by a friend who instructed me to never hold my breath, come up no faster than my smallest bubbles and I taught myself how to use navy dive tables.

This may not have been the best way to learn to dive but it worked fine for me. I never was injured or really ever had a close call.

If you learn all the physics and physiology about diving yourself and have a good mentor there is no reason you cannot dive safely but in todays world it will be difficult to get air or book dives. Other than that dive at your own risk.

 

[Jax]

:huh:

Is it me, or is ScubaBoard attracting more than its fair share of trolls, lately?

 

[Brendon]

I hate to be the devils advocate, wait no I dont. Its obviously not this guys fault. Someone put it in his head that this method of training is ok... Like the friend, or instructor who didnt stress the importance of formal training, or just gave a crappy O/W class. Definitely not the first time I have heard of it either. Instead of scrutinizing him for this, I would hope that the collective would be more encouraging in a positive manner to obtain formal training.

 

[arkstorm]

I usually avoid posting on threads like this but I have to chime in...

"Not certified" and "not trained" are not the same thing. It's pure arrogance to believe otherwise.

I was diving long before I was "certified" and when I did my OW and AOW it was mostly a review of science and skills I already knew. I learned the skills from my dad who was a navy diver and the science from reading the U.S. Navy Diver Manual. So to say I was not "trained" was patently incorrect, although I was not certified.

That's not to say that I do not recommend getting certified. It is a prerequisite for getting air fills and for diving with a charter as well as for continuing your diver education, which I strongly recommend.

But let's not exercise our arrogance to say that if you're not "certified" you're not "trained". Its just not true.

 

[DevonDiver]

Is it me, or is ScubaBoard attracting more than its fair share of trolls, lately?

I'd assume sincerity on behalf of the OP. This sort of scenario is not uncommon here in the Philippines.

To be honest - the guy could probably just buy a certification from an unscrupulous instructor here, at the cost of an electronic PIC + a few thousand pesos. That's how it works with other things, like driving licenses, visas, business permits etc

"Not certified" and "not trained" are not the same thing. It's pure arrogance to believe otherwise....let's not exercise our arrogance to say that if you're not "certified" you're not "trained". Its just not true.

Whilst this is correct theoretically - without certification, there is no way to determine the lowest common denominator in the training.

From my experiences in Asia, with guys in a simular situation to the OP, I'd say it was a pretty fair assumption to think that he's not had any sort of effective training.

 

[Jax]

I'd assume sincerity on behalf of the OP. This sort of scenario is not uncommon here in the Philippines.

To be honest - the guy could probably just buy a certification from an unscrupulous instructor here, at the cost of an electronic PIC + a few thousand pesos. That's how it works with other things, like driving licenses, visas, business permits etc.

Yikes!

How do you know with whom it is safe to dive?

 

[DevonDiver]

How do you know with whom it is safe to dive?

You don't. It's good practice for keeping a dive pro on his toes!

The situation with dive guides can be just as tricky...

Spend 10 minutes in Manila, and a brief experience of the driving standards here, and you'll know exactly what to be ready for on a dive boat in the worst case scenarios!

That said, there are some truly excellent divers here also. There's a strong DIR community, lots of Fundies trained divers, great instructors... and some really hot-shot underwater photographers. You just can't make any assumptions based on a piece of plastic, but then that should be the case anywhere in the world...

 

[james croft]

The best divers I had seen were in the Philippines and I bet none of them had a c-card. They had bamboo goggles, no fins and hommade spear guns. They could outdive certified divers on breath hold dives. I'm just saying....

 

[DevonDiver]

The best divers I had seen were in the Philippines and I bet none of them had a c-card. They had bamboo goggles, no fins and hommade spear guns.

By 'best'... you mean 'riddled with DCS from their mid-20s, with an incredibly short life span?

They could outdive certified divers on breath hold dives. I'm just saying....

They can manage 40 minutes at 60ft?

Wow... it must be some strange super-power mutation dervived from the toxic effects of the cyanide they use..

 

[Centrals]

The best divers I had seen were in the Philippines and I bet none of them had a c-card. They had bamboo goggles, no fins and hommade spear guns. They could outdive certified divers on breath hold dives. I'm just saying....

They are from Korea or Japan and they are ALL female.
In freaking cold water as well.