Certification Card

[Bob DBF]

With PADI, After 3 weeks start tracking it down. After having several delayed cards, I have been given a number of excuses up to, but not including, the dog ate it. Once I start my escalation procedure, they magically show up.

Most of the time, it seems, it is at the bottom of someones stack of papers, and they didn't get to the bottom, however they put the new arrivals on top. You just have to find the culprit and motivate him.

It was not that I needed anyone of them in any rush, I just like things taken care of in a timely manner.



Bob
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I may be old,but I'm not dead yet.

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

Yep, PADI say it can take up to 90 days, but generally its not nearly as long if its been processed properly.

With SSI students must be registered within 48hrs, and it really depends on the dive centres location/card printer services after that. Where we're based for example, we have the head office for SSI for our area just a kilometer or so away, so we can give students their actual cert cards on certification. There is the same option for temporary cards as with PADI though, so you should always have something to take away with you on the day as proof.

All of that being said, your logbook is the best proof of your experience. As long as all of your OW dives are properly documented and signed, that should be proof enough in most cases. You're logbook is actually more important than your cert card IMO, as it is the only documentation that lists all of your dives, dive conditions, recency of your last dive etc. This is what dive centres should want to see the most - although obviously in conjunction with a valid cert card. Even if you dont have your cert card, as soon as your certifying instructor/school has processed your OW, it will show up on the online database. All you need to do is give your next dive centre your full name and DOB, and they can look it up on the online system. With PADI, you need to be a memebre to do this, but with SSI anyone can do a dive check. Just click the following link and select 'diver verification' in the top right corner:
Scuba Schools International

Hope that helps

 

[TN-Steve]

One thing about PADI... the C-card is tied to your name and birth date. Right now my OW is under Steve (Lastname) and my AOW is Stephen M. (Lastname), same birth date. That's not a huge thing, but makes a difference when you try and look it up. You don't get a 'Diver #' that's consistent until you get to the pro ranks (DiveMaster and above).

Steve

 

[BackBite]

One thing about PADI... the C-card is tied to your name and birth date. Right now my OW is under Steve (Lastname) and my AOW is Stephen M. (Lastname), same birth date. That's not a huge thing, but makes a difference when you try and look it up. You don't get a 'Diver #' that's consistent until you get to the pro ranks (DiveMaster and above).

Steve

You can contact PADI and they will put your certifications together under one name. My husband had to do that when his old OW used his middle initial and the LDS did not. Quick call and it was taken care of! Use your preferred name and if you get further certs, make sure you tell your instructor so that they can enter the name the right way.