No, it really is up to the agency most of the time.
There's no-one in their right mind that would consider a diver with 100 lifetime dives, and included in all that experience somewhere, 60 cave dives, as anywhere near "Advanced Cave diver", fit to watch anyone for anything.
Well, that is until a supposed responsible agency writes a few words in bold text and viola, it is now the law that they will live by..... <snicker>.
It's laughable. Better yet they put it in bold so as to draw attention to their stupidity.
I say "Old guys" not as a slag (I'm doing my best to become one), but the reality of it is, the folks of "lengthened years" in the industry ARE calling the shots with most of these dog and pony operations, yet they seem to be the same ones crying about how much better the diver was in their day.........Of course it's NEVER their fault.
Well hello sunshine. Guess who's writing the manuals and making the standards? It sure as shiite ain't the newer guys.
If it's one thing I've learned as an instructor dealing with these agencies, they are THE best at deflecting responsibility onto anything or anyone, or everyone else. Always an excuse, you can bank on that. They make my 12 year old sound logical.
Personally, I think we have far better divers at one end simply because of the natural advancement, and slobs just as bad now as the slobs were then, at the other.
You really can't blame a person for believing they are ready when all you've ever done is write and re-write standards to make it easier for entry at every turn. Until the poor fellow has taken his knocks, and I guess hopefully survived, and realize just how bad the industry is in self-regulating, the blame will fall directly on the door-step that it should.
"Prereq's Not sufficient to say the least"?
I think that is a pretty big understatement. It should plainly not even be considered, and to people with their heads screwed on straight, only serves to lessen the authority of the agencies. And frankly, quite rightly so.
I think either a total effing retard, or a super-sized money grubber write these things..........and that's a prerequsite of their job, by the way.
Ya, I think I'm off topic far enough now........lol