How to answer "what is your highest certification level"?

[greeniguana]

And in case they require validation of my certification...... I'm all set.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

The fundamental problem I see is that no one trusts or respects anyone elses training or certification, at least in the recreational realm.

Someone certified as an Open Water diver may be fully competent to plan and execute a dive the recreational limits, and possibly including some light decompression. on the other hand, they are just as likely to be completely untrained and only competent to follow a DM around a site under close supervision.

Someone with AOW certification may be fully capable of planning and executing dives to any recreational depth, in reduced visibility, including navigation, etc, or they may be almost competent as an OW diver.

The same argument continues certainly all throughout the recreational cert ladder.

What does it say about a sport that there is not level of certification that most people participating in it will accept as an indication of competence?

We probably should start a new certification agency that will adequately cover all areas so it will be universally recognized.....

OMMOHY

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

We probably should start a new certification agency that will adequately cover all areas so it will be universally recognized.....

OMMOHY

The Association of Recreational Scuba Educators perhaps?

 

[boulderjohn]

The fundamental problem I see is that no one trusts or respects anyone elses training or certification, at least in the recreational realm.

Someone certified as an Open Water diver may be fully competent to plan and execute a dive the recreational limits, and possibly including some light decompression. on the other hand, they are just as likely to be completely untrained and only competent to follow a DM around a site under close supervision.

Someone with AOW certification may be fully capable of planning and executing dives to any recreational depth, in reduced visibility, including navigation, etc, or they may be almost competent as an OW diver.

The same argument continues certainly all throughout the recreational cert ladder.

What does it say about a sport that there is not level of certification that most people participating in it will accept as an indication of competence?

The same is true of pretty much any course taken in high school, college, or really anywhere else.

I was involved with educational research for a while, and we did a study for a large school district. It was, sadly, not publishable because it would not have been hard enough to identify some of the people involved in the study.

In this study, a number of schools experiemented with a new writing assessment at the 4th, 8th, and 10th grade levels. Students were rated in 4 categories, from highly proficient on down. The district published the overall results, which showed that roughly 57% of the students were deemed proficient (3) or above at all 3 grade levels. What the public was not told was that not one single teacher had student averages anywhere close to 57% proficient. They all had scores either around 20% proficient or above or 85% proficient or above. The individual teachers had either great results or terrible results, with no one in between.

 

[Pressurehead]

The Association of Recreational Scuba Educators perhaps?

ARSE, nice, no problem with that name.
Where is that sarcasm button.

 

[100days-a-year]

If they get a lake or quarry to certify in would it then be the A.R.S.E.hole?

 

[Stoo]

I'm not often asked, but when I do, I show them my long expired NAUI Instructor card. Because I'm in Canada, it's bilingual so it says "Instructor/Monitor". I think most operators figure that's something special. ;-)

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

ARSE, nice, no problem with that name.
Where is that sarcasm button.

Who says I'm being sarcastic?!?!?!

If they get a lake or quarry to certify in would it then be the A.R.S.E.hole?

Not sure, but I like your thinking.

The marketing slogan "for your next dive adventure, don't forget your ...."

 

[Pressurehead]

If they get a lake or quarry to certify in would it then be the A.R.S.E.hole?

This could run out of control with specialty courses.

 

[MarkA]

I'm not often asked, but when I do, I show them my long expired NAUI Instructor card. Because I'm in Canada, it's bilingual so it says "Instructor/Monitor". I think most operators figure that's something special. ;-)

My CMAS card says Plongeur Diver.
Did change the red and white card to one with a photo. Seemed a good idea.

What should I write Advanced Diver or CMAS 3 star?