Which certification to bring on dive trip?

[tursiops]

Cards don't mean squat.

This is usually said by someone who has very few cards....
Do you show your Rescue card?

They look at your gear and they talk to you, and you tell them where you're from, your experience, and what kind of diving you do. That's worth a lot more than breaking out a stack of cards.

Yes, but that was not the discussion. The discussion was which cards do you show.

There are many divers out there with every card available that still can't dive their way out of a wet paper bag. There are instructors out there that have done very few actual real dives outside of a training/class environment for their entire career.

You say this a lot. It might even be true, but saying it a lot does not make it more true.

I have never had a divemaster talk to me and ask me about my experience and the kind of diving I do before a dive. They are usually pretty busy getting ready for the dive.

Ditto

I see comments about "show the minimum needed".
Wrong, show as much as possible, but not to the point they will expect you to work for them. Show that you have experience, know what you are doing.

They can expect anything they want, but it is easy to say No or Pay Me.

 

[MarkA]

I have never had a divemaster talk to me and ask me about my experience and the kind of diving I do before a dive. They are usually pretty busy getting ready for the dive.

Just the once for me. It was on a live aboard in the evening heading out to the Coral Sea. Was buddied up with a guy from Turkey and had a thoroughly enjoyable week.

Answering the original question. On that trip i showed my qualification record book (this showed all). Now I show a card with Advanced diver on it with CMAS 3* on the back. Also take an advanced nitrox card, and to Iceland a drysuit card.

 

[Cdncoldwater]

It doesn’t matter in the context of this thread, but that is the way now. Both of my wife’s certs, PADI, are digital cards and she would have to pay for the plastic. Started a few years ago. Issuing ecards for preexisting would mean that most people would then trash the plastic, and there in lies the problem. Yes, this should have happened way before it did, but it did happen.

Erik

Good to know, thanks!

 

[rhwestfall]

If in tropical water, I usually show or list my Ice Diver certification ..

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

This is usually said by someone who has very few cards....
Do you show your Rescue card?

No I do not.
And don't show them any tech cards either except maybe AN if there is Nitrox on board because my PADI one got too beat up to read.
I just show them OW or AOW if they ask for it, but they never have. Most of the time they just have you fill out the sheet, sign the waiver and off you go. They don't even look.
They are not impressed by someone flashing cards. In fact bragging off all your cool cards will get you a pretty good eye roll. A look that tells it all "That's great, but can you dive?"
This is in Socal on the local boats. They want experience not cards.
Maybe it's different in Cozumel.

 

[tursiops]

They are not impressed by someone flashing cards. In fact bragging off all your cool cards will get you a pretty good eye roll.

Why do you seem to assume that showing a (say) Rescue or MSD card is the same as showing off an entire pack of cards? I'm quite sure I have more cards than you do, but only show two on a boat unless it is a tech trip and certain certs are needed.

 

[boulderjohn]

Another anecdote.

A few years ago there was a disturbance in the dive operation choices in South Florida, and I started to use a new operator, one who didn't do much (if any) of the deeper NDL dives. When I registered, I showed the card I had in my gear--a trimix instructor card, which was way, way over the top of what was needed for the dives.

On the boat later, we started off, and the DM made a speech about the procedures and limitations of the dive. When she was done, she came to me privately and told me that the owner had said none of that pertained to me. I could do whatever I wanted to do. She just asked that I observe time limits on the dives so they could make their schedule. I happily observed those limits.

 

[boulderjohn]

They are not impressed by someone flashing cards. In fact bragging off all your cool cards will get you a pretty good eye roll. A look that tells it all "That's great, but can you dive?"

What the F are you talking about? Are you implying that people are talking about walking around the boat with a pile of cards saying "Look at me! I'm great!"

It is just a matter of showing one or two cards (as needed) when you sign up for the dive, the same as anyone else. On the boat, you keep your mouth tightly shut.

You seem to have a whole lot of experience that I have never seen anywhere in my life.

 

[NothingClever]

As for how the DM's treat you, that typically has to do with how you handle yourself on dives, not what cards you have or how many dives you've logged. If the DM sees you behaving badly, doing dangerous things, or otherwise not being in control, they're going to keep you on a very short leash. If the DM sees you can take care of yourself , you aren't touching or running into things, and you're responsive when they get your attention, you'll usually get a lot more latitude and less micromanagement.

Ba-bam!

 

[34109411]

Why do you seem to assume that showing a (say) Rescue or MSD card is the same as showing off an entire pack of cards? I'm quite sure I have more cards than you do, but only show two on a boat unless it is a tech trip and certain certs are needed.

in my experience when you show rescue the dm will tell the other diver and you become like a magnet for them. If it s as beautiful girl i don't mind .