What is considered proof for high level professionals?

[agent62]

Wow great help Tom. You are a boss.
What Im trying to do is streamline the process of professional-verification so that I am not hassling potential clients needlessly.
I am not allowed to disclose my employer but I can tell you that we provide all levels of diver equipment but are aggressively attempting to capture more of the high end/tec/pro segment.
All of your help is much appreciated. Ive been working with some dive shops to see if there is a way you can type in someones number (or name, depending on dive certification body) and quickly/simply verify their actual level of skill.
A large part of the reason for this is to eliminate the proximate legal liability that is incurred when selling someone equipment they are not trained/able to use properly.
I will continue to independently investigate the possibilities regarding my query. Thanks!!

 

[Tyger]

Yeah, you do have to wonder what it could be that a "vacation diver" can sell but only "high level professionals" can buy.

It doesn't seem that odd to me; when I was young doing time in food service, I was legally serving beer before I could legally drink it.

 

[BDSC]

Ive been working with some dive shops to see if there is a way you can type in someones number (or name, depending on dive certification body) and quickly/simply verify their actual level of skill.

You may be able to verify their actual level of certification but not their level of skill.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I don't know where you are but nothing prohibits selling any kind of dive gear to anyone who has the cash. Want a full face mask? Ebay. All day long. No cert required. Want to buy tanks, hooka system, speargun? No problem. The only card needed is VISA.
The "can only be purchased by certified diver" or "trained to this level diver" is just so much horsecrap that offers no liability protection. Some stupid goomer will get hurt that has a cert and his mercenary family will find a two bit ambulance chaser to file a bogus suit.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DevonDiver]

... but are aggressively attempting to capture more of the high end/tec/pro segment.

I'd view these as segments, not a segment.

'Tec' and 'Pro' can be light-years apart.

A dive 'pro' is nothing more than an instructor. Instructor ratings can be confirmed easily enough via the public databases maintained by most agencies. For those agencies without a public accessible database, a discrete email to the agency HQ is normally sufficient. Expertise as a 'pro' is a varied concept - the main benefit to retailers being that active/long-standing 'pros' have considerable influence as opinion-formers amongst the wider diving community. Such expertise may be identified through instructor certification 'level' or the number of certifications issued (in toto or per annum). For the retailer, the nature of those certifications is also a valid consideration; as this shapes the demographics penetrated. Most instructors are primarily inter-facing with entry-level/novice divers (open water-rescue diver, plus recreational specialties). Less numbers deal with DM training, and fewer still with instructor-level training. A tiny minority teach at technical levels.

'Tec' diving is an entirely different kettle of fish. You probably need to define specific sub-activities and, also, some level of expertise as a baseline. Again, bare credentials can often be checked via online member databases - but quite often access to student/diver level certification databases requires an instructor/center membership with that agency.

What I've tended to notice is that, within the tec community, much more personal networking tends to occur. One instructor/center will email contact with others to identify specific parameters/performance of a given diver. I receive occasional emails to that effect concerning my ex-students, from new trainers or dive centers where they are planning to technical dive.

At the higher levels of technical diving, involvement with projects/expeditions tends to carry a lot more weight than plastic c-cards. It'd be entirely realistic to ask for a brief 'resume' from a diver; stating their diving history, involvements, qualifications and references, as a method of 'expertise' verification.