If...

[ghostdiver1957]

If you have a C-Card but don't have it with you... do you really have a c-card?

Is this like having a license - driving without iton you and then being written a ticket for driving without a license - even though you do actually have a license but don't have it on you.

This may sound stupid... but there is so much inconsistency in the industry, that something should be done. In the last year I have seen the lack of a C-Card on site handled in many different ways...

1. Some places will actually attempt to contact the agency to verify your information - they'll do it for you and in some cases they'll let you go diving while they're trying to verify.
2. Some places tell you you'll have to contact the agency and have them send you a copy before they'll even allow you on the boat.
3. Some places have simply taken a divers word for it... especially if they spout of the agency and can remember their certification card number.
4. Some places will not let you in the water period.
5. Some say they'll let you dive without it but you'll have to do a quick skill / checkout dive with a divemaster and this might cost a small fee.
6. Some places have taken the word of another diver in the group that had a c-card... especially if they claimed to have been the persons instructor or other dive leader or worked for the shop sponsoring the trip

Now I recognize that the final answer is probably that since each operator has their own rules, their decision will be based on their policy and their comfort level relating to how much liability they are willing to accept... but this doesn't do the traveling diver (that loses or forgets their c-card) any good. A standard policy should be available and in place. I think that since there are so many agencies, all agencies should submit a copy of all c-cards issued (or at least name and cert #) to a central clearing house... possibly to the RSTC... and there should be a 24 Hour 365 phone number or web-site for verification of diving status. This type of database could be easily built and at a fairly low cost. I might suggest that a registration fee of $2 be collected at the time the C-Card is issued to fund the program.

What say you all?

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

You're exactly right. There isn't much continuity. Not really sure what the answer is without regulating and policing the dive shops-which isn't going to happen

Rap

 

[The Kraken]

A good question GhostDiver !

If one is PADI certified, one can ask the dive shop to pull up the PADI web site and confirm the diver's certification on-line.

the K

 

[alcina]

Yup, PADIs is free of charge to the dive centre's to check.

however, this assumes that a) the certifying instructor did the right thing and sent in all the correct paperwork and b) no one made a typo - if the name is spelled wrong in the system they may never find you!

The best bet is to contact the dive centre(s) in the area you will be traveling in to find out what the policy is and plan accordingly. Make copies of your dive card just like you would do with passports etc.

 

[Xanthro]

Why bother?

Really, why should I pay an extra $2.00 so that on the off chance that someone doesn't bring his or her C Card to a boat, that a standard procedure is in place.

There already is a standard. You don't dive. Individual operations may chose to voluntarily amend this on a case by case basis, but since certification is voluntary anyway, they are allowed to make a choice.

There's no need for a standard.

 

[Don Burke]

What say you all?

My part of "you all" says that the issuing agency should keep a list on the website for dive operators to check.

Since there is no legal requirement for a certification card, it would be tough to standardize anything.

For privacy reasons, my choice of items on the list would be full name, certification issued, date of issuance, place of issuance, and date of birth. A picture is a possibility as well, bandwidth permitting.

 

[cleung]

I think that one of the benefits of taking further dive courses in addition to furthering knowledge is that you get more cards. I leave one at home, I carry one with me when I go diving and there's an extra one in my luggage. For safety, I would probably want all divers on the boat I'm diving on, especially the ones who will be my dive buddies, to really be certified. The extra cards will somehow ensure that I will always have a c-card to present, even if I misplace one.

 

[MikeFerrara]

How can you have a standard for logging reporting or storing certification information if there isn't even a standard for which cards can be acceprted?

The best answer is to forget all this card nonsense, period. If some one wants to dive and they have the money, let em dive. Change the wording of the wavers a little and use it like you would a card. If the diver will certify in writting that they think they know what they're doing then who the hell are you to say otherwise. Besides, it's not like having a card means that you're any good in the water. If your worried then spend 10 minutes checking the diver out in the water. I could print out cards on my computer and most of the shops and resorts around the world wouldn't know the difference and wouldn't care.

I think every diver in the world should destroy all their cards right now and lewt the dive industry figure out whether they want to keep doing business or not!

 

[Tamas]

The problem I see is that most operators are willing to look the other way as long as they get paid, this is especially true in some of the vacation spots where tourist money is the main income.

After all, if you do not have a card or are not certified and you go diving and hurt yourself, you already signed that waiver releasing the dive op (boat, dm, captain, shop) from any legalities.

We (as people) have to start taking more responsibilities for our actions, if that means no diving since we were careless and forgot the card, then no diving. I don't want to pay for Joe Blow, the vacationing diver's mistake.

 

[MikeFerrara]

We (as people) have to start taking more responsibilities for our actions, if that means no diving since we were careless and forgot the card, then no diving. I don't want to pay for Joe Blow, the vacationing diver's mistake.

Or it may mean that if we don't have a card and go diving anyway it's on our own head. If most governments trust us to dive as we see fit, card or no card, why should a shop or resort care?

The only reason for the card requirements is to sell cards and, in most cases, cards do not relate to knowledge or ability. All they mean is that you have paid for your access.