Does anyone really realize that there is no law saying you have to be certified by an agency to SCUBA dive?
The reality is that there is no law that states you must have a c-card to go diving. Government has no regulation in the industry. What this means is simple. Anyone who wants to go diving can - and they dont have to pay for training of any sort to be able to do it.
The only things that may stop a person from going diving (some places) without a certification are 1. a dive shop that wont fill a tank without seeing a c-card... but then again you could buy your own compressor or have a friend get the fills, or 2. a dive boat that won't let you on without a c-card... but you can always buy your own boat or rent one.
Now don't get me wrong.. I do not advocate diving without training. What I am saying is that you can teach your friends how to dive and go diving with them anytime you want. The risks? Liability if they should get injured or die... but then again you're likely going to be at the other end of a lawsuit even if your buddy was trained by an agency... if they die while diving with you or on your boat.
The big scam in all of this is that once you reach the Instructor level (with any agency,) you could easily start your own agency and start certifying students at whatever price you wanted. You just need to buy professional liability insurance.
There is no need to be a member of the RSTC... there are many agencies that are not. There really is no need to even be an Instructor before doing this... except that I think it's a good idea. If you want to talk about risks... I'm likely not going to risk any more teaching on my own then I would if I was teaching for an agency...
I have yet to see a boat turn down any type of certification... regardless of the agency. If it says Open Water Diver on it and has your name and a number... no one is turning it down. Perhaps you'll call yourself BSDA... Bill's Scuba Diving Agency... make up some nice cards and go for it... there is nothing stopping you.
Just wanted to remind everyone that the major agencies are only big players because we've allowed them to be. They only take all our money for training because we allow them to. Happy Diving...
Ken
The reality is that there is no law that states you must have a c-card to go diving. Government has no regulation in the industry. What this means is simple. Anyone who wants to go diving can - and they dont have to pay for training of any sort to be able to do it.
The only things that may stop a person from going diving (some places) without a certification are 1. a dive shop that wont fill a tank without seeing a c-card... but then again you could buy your own compressor or have a friend get the fills, or 2. a dive boat that won't let you on without a c-card... but you can always buy your own boat or rent one.
Now don't get me wrong.. I do not advocate diving without training. What I am saying is that you can teach your friends how to dive and go diving with them anytime you want. The risks? Liability if they should get injured or die... but then again you're likely going to be at the other end of a lawsuit even if your buddy was trained by an agency... if they die while diving with you or on your boat.
The big scam in all of this is that once you reach the Instructor level (with any agency,) you could easily start your own agency and start certifying students at whatever price you wanted. You just need to buy professional liability insurance.
There is no need to be a member of the RSTC... there are many agencies that are not. There really is no need to even be an Instructor before doing this... except that I think it's a good idea. If you want to talk about risks... I'm likely not going to risk any more teaching on my own then I would if I was teaching for an agency...
I have yet to see a boat turn down any type of certification... regardless of the agency. If it says Open Water Diver on it and has your name and a number... no one is turning it down. Perhaps you'll call yourself BSDA... Bill's Scuba Diving Agency... make up some nice cards and go for it... there is nothing stopping you.
Just wanted to remind everyone that the major agencies are only big players because we've allowed them to be. They only take all our money for training because we allow them to. Happy Diving...
Ken
