What scuba certifications are only valid for 60 ft?
Worsening insurance crisis
- Thread starter Wookie
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This has been discussed to death. An OW certification doesn't limit you to 60 feet. I'm sure boulderjohn will clarify, but PADI, for example, recommends that newly certified divers not exceed 60 feet, and that with additional experience they could dive deeper.
drrich2
Contributor
It would be helpful if someone could name a specific insurer, policy and the relevant text from that policy stating that divers with 'only' OW cert.s are not covered if they dive deeper than 60 feet.
I'm not disputing such may exist. This comes on up ScubaBoard repeatedly. The agencies are said to recommend 60 feet as the starting max depth, which may increase progressively with experience. Since 'experience' may not be reliably verified by a 3rd party, some operators may require AOW for some dives - whether they want more proven experience or for whatever reason.
These insurance policies for dive operators exist in the real world, and are in print. Could someone show us the text that documents this requirement? It would be a helpful reference on SB going forward.
P.S.: I'm aware someone may've been told 'word of mouth' info. by an insurance agent, but that ought to be named for what it is.
I'm not disputing such may exist. This comes on up ScubaBoard repeatedly. The agencies are said to recommend 60 feet as the starting max depth, which may increase progressively with experience. Since 'experience' may not be reliably verified by a 3rd party, some operators may require AOW for some dives - whether they want more proven experience or for whatever reason.
These insurance policies for dive operators exist in the real world, and are in print. Could someone show us the text that documents this requirement? It would be a helpful reference on SB going forward.
P.S.: I'm aware someone may've been told 'word of mouth' info. by an insurance agent, but that ought to be named for what it is.
Mu insurer is not a diving company, nowhere in any text does it mention open water, advanced open water, depths, anything.
It states "Operator will insure divers are certified for dives being undertaken."
That is it. It can be as vague or precise as you would like it to be. Since it is my butt, I take it literally.
drrich2
Contributor
Thanks, that's an interesting scenario. One could argue an OW diver has the option to increase his appropriate depth beyond 60 feet through progressive experience without violating agency recommendations, and is not wrong to do so, but the OW cert. itself does not affirm that he is okay to do so.
An AOW cert., on the other hand, could be taken to formally affirm that he is okay to dive down to 100 feet.
So it's not that OW certs. are supposed to limit dives to 60 feet, but your insurance company (by your interpretations) wants divers to have a cert. that specifically approves the depths your customers will be diving, presumably AOW or Deep Diver specialty, for example.
PADI standards only exists to PADI instructors. They do not publish standards so it isn't possible to be held to something that doesn't exist.
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