Skip PADI Master Diver and go for Rescue then DM?

[nimoh]

having both DM and MSD (yes, I am one of the suckers that forked out the money for the card), I can't say that these cards have really done anything for me, other than getting me in the water with experienced divers that have helped me improve my technique. i am going the tec route now, and in hindsight, I wish I went that way right after rescue diver.

---------- Post Merged at 02:34 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 02:33 PM ----------

Does the Master Diver card indicate what the specialties are that you completed? Otherwise you're still going to have to carry the cards. No charter I know of will accept a Master Diver card when a EANx card is required.

correct, it doesn't, you need to carry your EANx card.

 

[k ellis]

Most charters I know wont accept it either. I was not implying though it may have seemed so that it replaces any cert cards you have but instead of showing people hey look I take diving serious it more less lets people know you have accomplished 8 different types of diving related courses without having to show someone your card collection. You are right though in that Nitrox is one cert that is a must have the card certification.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Yeah, a trimix card will get you nothing with some ops. And I guess I'll still need mine since my TDI Nitrox Instructor card doesn't say what mix I'm certed to use. Crap.

 

[ktomlinson]

Yeah, a trimix card will get you nothing with some ops. And I guess I'll still need mine since my TDI Nitrox Instructor card doesn't say what mix I'm certed to use. Crap.

Do you mean that you've had ops refuse you eanx fills when you presented your trimix card?

 

[CaveMD]

Do you mean that you've had ops refuse you eanx fills when you presented your trimix card?

Shockingly enough I have heard of trimix cards not being "good" for a 100% o2 fill from more than one person in more than one locale.

I carry my adv nitrox, mix, cave, solo cards with me. There are some ops that will accept my rec solo card but not mix or cave for a solo tech dive.

Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Ben_ca]

If I remember correctly, you are in the Bay Area. In that case, you have very easy access to some extremely well-trained divers. I would highly suggest getting in touch with either Don Chennavasin (ae3753 here on SB -- I'm not sure how much Don is diving these days) or Rob Lee (rhlee here on SB) and see if you can set up a day of Monterey diving with one of them. I'm quite sure you would find it interesting and instructive. If your goal is cave diving, there is no time like right now to begin building good skills and good habits. Unlike Simon, I feel there is a LOT in technical diving instruction that is applicable to, and improves recreational diving -- but there is no need to learn those things in doubles. More rigorous dive planning, better team communication, stronger buoyancy skills and better tolerance of task loading, and increased situational awareness are extremely useful to the recreational diver. You can work on those things in a Fundamentals or Essentials class in a way that may be difficult to find in other curricula.

Rob's got a Fundies class in the works right now... http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/tr...se-monterey-ca-august-2012-a.html#post6397521

 

[Peter Guy]

kt -- I did have a charter refuse to give me Nitrox when I showed them my NAUI Helitrox card. Fortunately I also had a Fundies Card (from an agency they'd never heard of, GUE) which said I was trained in the use of 32%.

Simon -- I must respectfully disagree with you on the value of an Intro-to-Tech/Fundies/Essentials class for the recreational diver. The skills (one hopes are) learned in that type of class should be extremely beneficial to the open water diver. Unlike your analogy to CCR diving, I think a better analogy is IFR training for the VFR pilot. My IFR training gave me the "card" to go fly into clouds -- but what it really gave me was a much better set of VFR skills and a huge desire to stay away from clouds!

My technical training has not made me want to go dive He and Deep but has certainly made my open water dives, especially when carrying a camera, much more pleasant (and I think safer).

 

[Simon-]

Peter, I have no problems with people disagreeing with me (I'm married so I am well used to it).

I can't comment on Fundies or Essentials classes as I haven't done either of those