owlbill:Seems to me that enough "certified" divers, who are supposed to know what they are doing are dying from stupid things. If you think it is ok, and it sounds like you do, that we buy/sell dive gear, and learn on our own, as we go, then that is fine. Don't start crying highway robbery when insurance companies clamp down even more on this stuff. I suppose you think a drivers licence is just a government scam too then eh?
Bill
I'm all for training but unfortunately training and certification are two completely different things and usually don't go together.
Divers are buying access (certification) and are willing to accept poor training because they get the access they paid for. Take away the requirement to purchase access and divers wanting training will only pay for training that has value and I think the certification mills will be left without a market. There aren't many who rant more about the dive accidents that than I do. I also happen to be one who thinks that the agencies own a large percentage of the dive accidents because the training they sell is such a joke. Do we want the certification marketers in a regulatory role? I don't.
As a side note, you don't need a certification to purchase equipment and you never did. You need a certification to get gas fills at a dive shop, get on dive boats and to rent equipment.
You asked about drivers licenses. First of all that's law isn't it? But lets talk about drivers training. My drivers education class that I took in high school gained me access to a license at a younger age than if I hadn't taken it (access). My father is the one who taught me to drive. The test you take to get a drivers license is a bigger joke than dive training requirements. What do you have to do? Drive around the block and park? Now take a ride on a Chicago tollway. LOL see any connection?