Why certify?

[Mike Boswell]

Most of my diving has been solo or same-ocean, from my own boat or from shore. I mention this to explain that I am not at all against solo diving. However, solo diving from a commercial dive boat is a whole different animal.

The first problem is that a dive op has no way to know whether someone is a capable solo diver or not. Cards may be valid or not. People are frequently not very smart. And, unfortunately, people are not always honest about their capabilities.

Second, if the solo diver gets into trouble, nobody else knows anything. If the solo diver doesn't return to the boat, nobody knows where he is or what the problem is. Is he late, did he swim to shore, is he drifting away with the current, is he sick in his bunk, or is he dead on the bottom? Should we wait, start a search, or call the Rescue people? It is important to note here that this situation will at best inconvenience other people, and at worst, it will endanger other people.

For those reasons, if I were running a dive boat service for the public, I would not be very interested in letting people dive off of my boat without a buddy.

 

[Rhone Man]

But I do believe one day [certain] dive ops will start allowing appropriately trained and equipped divers to dive solo off their boats.

Bugger me - the future is here already:

Divers wishing to dive solo, who have previously been certified to do so, are welcome to dive solo off of an Explorer vessel, with the except of the Galapagos. The follow requirements must be met...

Explorer Ventures: Adventures in Live-Aboard Diving

 

[rstofer]

So it makes me wonder, what is the point of certifications, if dive ops, boats and shops should be under no obligation to recognize them? I think it should be pointed out, the conversation is about known and accredited agencies, not Joe Public printing his own cards in the basement. And I would separate training and certifications as well.

Your thoughts?

If the operators don't like the certifications you DO have, think how little they will respect the ones you DON'T have.

If I operated a boat, the rules would be simple: my way or no way.

Richard

 

[Pullmyfinger]

I am breaking off a point made in the solo forum, it raises an interesting question in my mind...





So it makes me wonder, what is the point of certifications, if dive ops, boats and shops should be under no obligation to recognize them? I think it should be pointed out, the conversation is about known and accredited agencies, not Joe Public printing his own cards in the basement. And I would separate training and certifications as well.

Your thoughts?

I don't see how someone with a solo dive card feels that a dive operator is obligated to honor that card and let them solo dive off of their boat.

If people want to solo dive, that's their business. I don't have a problem with it.

I don't think that these solo divers should have an expectation that dive operators are all supposed to start accepting their solo diver card from some agency out there that decided to start a solo program. This has to be a very obscure program, one that I doubt will be widely accepted in the near future.

Putting myself in the shoes of someone that went through this training and had the card, I wouldn't expect any operation to allow me to solo dive from their boat.
I would view it more along the lines of having received the training, equipped myself properly, and am now going out to do my own solo shore dives or dive from my own privately owned boat.

I think it's a lot to expect a dive operator to be cool with the practice, and assume any responsibility for a solo diver. Liability forms don't really convey personal responsibility unfortunately.

This is an interesting topic.

-Mitch

 

[Tropicalwolf]

Perhaps if more people voted with their wallet, and informed dive ops they won't dive with them because of their "no solo" policy, the recognition would grow. It's the only way to push individual responsibility to the forefront.

That's the first question I ask, especially if traveling a long distance, and I also ask for WRITTEN verification be faxed/emailed to me. No solo diving allowed = I find another charter...and I let the operator know that that is THE reason I am going with a different outfit.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

That's the first question I ask, especially if traveling a long distance, and I also ask for WRITTEN verification be faxed/emailed to me. No solo diving allowed = I find another charter...and I let the operator know that that is THE reason I am going with a different outfit.

Okay. So go. As a dive boat operator, I have a no solo policy, unless someone is certified And has all the rundant gear on the dive. And then, if I don't know you, I still may not let you on the boat. You are welcome to go to another boat. I am not the only game in town. My boat, my rules.

I'm not trying to be mean, but that's the way it is, and I have no hard feelings about it.

 

[Cap335]

I make it easy for everyone if you want to dive solo you can but if you look over your shoulder you will probably see a DM keeping am eye on you.

Randy

 

[Tropicalwolf]

Okay. So go. As a dive boat operator, I have a no solo policy, unless someone is certified And has all the rundant gear on the dive. And then, if I don't know you, I still may not let you on the boat. You are welcome to go to another boat. I am not the only game in town. My boat, my rules.

I'm not trying to be mean, but that's the way it is, and I have no hard feelings about it.

I absolutely agree. 100%. Your boat, your rules.

However, I've learned diving is no different than the rest of life...money talks.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

I absolutely agree. 100%. Your boat, your rules.

However, I've learned diving is no different than the rest of life...money talks.

True. I am lucky though, that I get to hold to my guns. This is an enormously rich country and people have tons of it. They do love to spend, so I can turn away who I wish. Most can't do that.

 

[Fish-R-Man]

IMHO, the whole concept of an individual’s ability to obtain a solo cert in no way can determine if that individual has the ability to dive solo. If you stop and think about it, even in the "solo" class he is in, is not solo. There may be other students with him, but at least he has the instructor to rely on in case there is an issue. Depending on an individual’s diving experience, even after 100 or more dives, they may not have the mind set to solve a major, or even a minor problem solo. I personally believe that this cert will end up causing more problems for the current solo divers, by downgrading the quality of the solo divers as a group. You already see that in AOW divers. The average vacation diver can achieve 100 dives over the course of years. Once a person is able to pass a solo course, and they will one way or another, and attempts to dive solo on charters, if they do not show the skill necessary to complete the dive, I am sure that the charter operators will be less and less tolerant of any individuals diving solo. Certified or not!
It seems to me that the dive charters that operate in areas that tend to have a majority of AOW vacation divers already limit what the divers can do by the areas they choose to frequent. You get the shallow wreck followed by the shallower reef trips. I try to seek out charters that cater to more experienced divers. Most of them don’t seem to care how many cert cards that you can display. They want to see you dive. After a couple of days of diving with you, they will adjust the locations that they go depending on observed skills instead of ones that you can show a cert for. If you show the skills necessary to dive solo, I really don’t see that they will have a problem with it.