What the hell is this all about ?

[Chugwhump]

I think this is an excellent marketing strategy for whoever created the program.
It will bring some people into the sport, who might otherwise be too intimidated and even uninformed of what the activity really is.
Here are my points.
#1
If someone signed up for this Microdive class and watched the dvd and read the book, they would have more education than if they did not, and certainly not as much as if they signed up and completed the regular OW PADI/NAUI/SSI/YMCA/Blah, Blah, Blah Training agency classes.
As near as I can see there is also a check out dive of some sort under the supervision of a genuine dive instructor.
#2
I can assure you that many people who did enter this program would immediately take it to the (brace yourself for an overworked cliche'/may I beg forgiveness in advance) "Next Level" about immediately.
And some people who might never consider the whole "Master Scuba Diver", "Deep Diver", "Wreck Diver", "Decompression Diver", "Mixed Gas Diver", "I rip the head off of sharks and giant squids with my bare hands diver", training programs, will see this as a nice and fluffy kinda' no pressure form of dive training.
I have no issues with this for the most part, and yeah, the pictured bc,pack,reg, rig appears to be put together kinda strange.
I expect rebreathers will look like that in 10-20 years.
Chug
Still hates golf and thinks Conan O'Brian got a raw deal.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Oh yeah ... just what the industry needs ... "divers" who barely learned how to breathe through a regulator crawling around on the reefs on their hands and knees because they skipped all that "unnecessary" training that would have kept them from damaging the very thing they went down there to see.

Great idea ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[scubafanatic]

.....what's next, a driver's license that limits your top speed to 20 M.P.H. , and teaches you how to use a car accelerator but not the steering wheel or brakes ?

....avoid lengthy/expensive training ??? my BOW was 2 weekends and $ 200 ....anyone who can't 'afford' that level of 'commitment' needs to stick to cyberdiving via videogames !

.......I'm curious at which resort/diveop/boat you could show up at, present this "card" and have them let you get into the water ? ......or which of the above mentioned is going to stock/offer that wierd/unique (and exceptionally limited) gear package ??? ..... that's pretty funny about using this cert/gear to inspect your yacht.....WTF ??? .......yeah, I've got a yacht but I can't afford to buy an AL80 tank and a BOW cert ???

....this is WAY dorky on soooo many levels............

 

[Chugwhump]

I absolutely understand what you guys are saying about the dangers to the "Lite-Divers" themselves and damage to the natural world by ignorant savages. We Scubaboard folks would like to see the reefs and wildlife treated carefully as a general rule.
I agree comepletely with your assertions if the wrong people get the gear and start crashing around in the wrong places, there will be problems.
But...as I read this program's outline, this is for looking at and cleaning your boat hull in a marina or looking at cold slimy rocks in the waters of Greater Britain, or peat moss flakes in a loch somewhere in Hibernia.
I will say that you will not see too much of this in Bonaire or anywhere else of note, except for the megayacht class that has people already going wherever they want and doing whatever they want to already anyway.
I am pretty much convinced that this thing will NEVER get air under it's wings, anymore than the people that already dive without proper basic SCUBA instruction.
This of couse, all in my opinion...

Chug
Wants to know who certified Cousteau and Nelson anyway.

 

[Nemrod]

Lot's of us learned on little 38 cf singles.

This look like a way to get hordes of Wall Mart vacation divers crawling all over the reefs, bottom and in general raising havoc with the eco system.

N

 

[scubafanatic]

Lot's of us learned on little 38 cf singles.

This look like a way to get hordes of Wall Mart vacation divers crawling all over the reefs, bottom and in general raising havoc with the eco system.

N

....no worries......they'll only kill off the reefs above 30'....so it's all good!

 

[Guba]

As far as I can tell, it's a pretty expensive "introduction" to scuba. "Steps 1, 2, and 3" cost about $400 dollars (US) and it doesn't say anything about equipment. Couple that with the fact that it could be possible that nowhere else might accept that "certification" card except locally, and that's pretty high dollar expense for very little in return.

 

[laxdiver67]

This seems kind of sketchy.

 

[paddler3d]

This look like a way to get hordes of Wall Mart vacation divers crawling all over the reefs, bottom and in general raising havoc with the eco system.

Wal-Mart?

I speculate you wouldn't have to worry about too many of them crawling all over the reefs. That implies that they leave their sofas and video games, and most likely couldn't pass a physical if they had to.

I could easily see the value in this for boat owners. One of our LDS has a package, equipment package, geared for boat owners. It is the XS-pony pack with an Al-30, 1st and 2nd stage with SPG. Apparently they baulk at the certification process.

 

[oly5050user]

I have seen one of these locally..very silly toy..it is a small tank,looks like a 50,with a regulator and a bc in a plastic PIA package .Will kill you just as fast as anything else if you do not know what you ae doing.We will not fill them if the person is not a fully certified ow diver.We brought one into the store years ago as a joke and finally sold it to someone ,who is certified,and he was going to use it in his pool as a toy.Sold it for less than what it cost wholesale just to keep from having it lie around the place.