Old Commercial Diver w/34 year old cert

[Barrod]

My father is 58 or so years old. He dove from like 1978 to 1982. Most of his diving was in shallow very low viz water on surface supplied air. He is in shape. He is VERY hard-headed and I'm not sure if I can get him to go to a full OW class again.

I am going in January with him to Cozumel for a week of diving at the iberostar. My LDS thinks he should start from scratch with OW cert. Is this right? Is there another option? what are they?

 

[boulderjohn]

OK, so he dived for four years, and it was mostly not on scuba. That was 32 years ago. He could do a refresher course, but when I have done refresher course for people out of diving for 20 years, I always felt they needed a full course instead. I don't think a full certification course is a bad idea at all.

 

[oly5050user]

Have him take a complete ow course..Gear has changed and he has changed after all this time..

 

[toddthecat]

As said before...4 yrs of surface supplied diving 32 yrs ago. The fact this is even a question is scary.

 

[Akimbo]

That is a double-edged sword. Being a geezer ex-commercial diver myself, I can relate. He would be horrified if he took a class today because it is so incomplete. There is a better chance that he will correct the instructor unless (s)he is a salt. He would probably walk out in disgust even in the unlikely event you could get him to go.

I suggest treading very lightly. He’s not going to embolize himself. I would take the approach of trying to convince him to make a pool dive to dial in his gear. Everyone knows how annoying it is to make a jump with all the price tags still on.

I would also suggest getting Nitrox certified together — it doesn’t matter if you are already. That would be a better refresher on physics and physiology than you get in a refresher class anyway. The way to sell the idea is that you can’t get a Nitrox fill without the card. Just say you don’t want to waste your vacation decompressing and on long surface intervals. That in turn is a great way to get him to study dive computers.

BTW, commercial divers are trained to breathe deep and not care about gas consumption. The reason is hats and masks have greater dead-air space than a second stage. Breathing like you are on Scuba will build up CO2. Be prepared for short dives unless he wants to pack doubles.

 

[Chugwhump]

It is my opinion that after a lay off of this length that a full recertification is in order.
But yeah, the training might be very lightweight for someone so skilled from the olden days.
And:
The gear has changed.
Some theory has changed.
We have new hand signals.
We are in many ways better divers than we used to be.
We are in many ways worse divers than we used to be.

Chug
Would insist that that my dad did the same.

 

[Akimbo]

…Chug
Would insist that that my dad did the same.

Wow, you must have a great dad! Let’s just say insisting on anything other than agreeing wasn’t very effective for use kids when debating my dad. I think the issue isn’t weather he needs to review knowledge and practice his skills; it is how to make it happen.

 

[Barrod]

Thanks for all the great responses. My father is (was) a waterman on the Chesapeake. He pulled crab pots and trot line in the summer and would either dive or hand tong for oysters all winter. He also would ice dive (the Chesapeake actually had ice back then). I think my first olfactory memories were of Neoprene.

I want to insist on OW, but it might blow the whole trip if he gets pissy about it. Plus the $650 is an issue. I'm sure I can talk him into a one-day course of classroom refresher and two tank dive in the quarry. He certainly understands the physics of diving that's for sure.

I just took my e-learning for EANx today.

 

[Chugwhump]

Wow, you must have a great dad! Let’s just say insisting on anything other than agreeing wasn’t very effective for use kids when debating my dad. I think the issue isn’t weather he needs to review knowledge and practice his skills; it is how to make it happen.

My dad is cranky, opinionated, kind of stubborn, and mostly aware of these traits in himself.
My father served 31 years in the USAF, a commissioned officer for over 20 of them, fought in several battles in several places, and has always said that the smartest and most common sense advice and intelligent observations usually come from a one stripe grunt that still thinks like a civilian for the most part.

To the OP Barrod,
consider doing the recert, refresh, rework down in Mexico.
It might only be one long fun day.

Chug
often dives with old guys.

 

[toddthecat]

Plus the $650 is an issue.

I bet!!! That takes the cake for the highest cost for Open Water that I have ever heard of...by just over $150...