Getting C-Cards Without Testing?

[Sortsol]

Written or oral? J/K

 

[ScubaSeaMonkey]

I agree with you on this, who makes anyone the scuba police. All I see is them asking are "Who the #$#% are you?" I think you the OP would be over stepping the line on what people do and regardless if they have formal training. If they didn't have the formal training I don't see what you can do, what are you going to tell PADI on them?

Im not trying to be mean, but who died and made you pope? Let them do what they want and enjoy it. You might make a friend or become the biggest turd on the block if you push them around.

I'm just curious. I'm not trying to criticize anyone's training or lack thereof. Anytime I meet someone who is into scuba, I ask them about their training and experience. I just like to compare what others have done to what i had to do. It's just for curiosity, not to start an argument over who should have done what. I have yet to slap the cuffs on anyone and haul them off to scuba jail, or push them around, or do whatever the pope would do. :blessing: No one ever treated me like I was a turd for asking them.

I don't think passing the written tests makes you a good diver. In fact there was a guy on my last trip who was getting his night dive to finish his advanced certification that I hope I never have to share the same ocean with again. I was just curious about what was required to prove that a diver completed the training "requirements". It sounds like it is just a matter of an instructor telling the certifying agency "This guy passed and his check cleared, send him a c-card". Are there ever audits done of instructors to show proof of written exams?

Again, I don't care what the answer is. I guess its just being in the business world mainly in aircraft where so many things are subjected to audits and have to be backed up with ridiculous amounts of paperwork.

 

[scuba=dude]

I don't know why some one getting a c-card without the work would suprize anyone, we live in a day when anyone can "buy" anything. There are plenty of fools out there that will sell you a c-card and there are plenty of fools to buy them. There are tons pf fool's that dive grossly Obese and more fool's telling them that it's just fine and nothing will ever happen to them just cuz there supper Fat. BUT all the diving computers and all Dive planners base there readings on the US Navy Diving Manuals and these same manuals state that Obese divers will load (in there fat) 5 times the Ni that a normal weight diver will.............SO if we throw away the baby with the bath water why not let every body into the pool? I only thing that can be better is when the day that you can buy a C-card at wal-mart.


Now here come's all the Obese instructors to shout me down....and that's ok:mooner:

 

[Tristan.ak]

sorry for my misunderstanding, I see why questioning them on topics to see what they have done and learned, I do that to for per-buddy clearance to see if I would want to dive with them and I have refused to dive with people that haven't meet my expectations. I think if they are good divers and are safe I would dive with them regardless if they pass a class since they might know something or know of some real good dive spots.

 

[ScubaSeaMonkey]

sorry for my misunderstanding, I see why questioning them on topics to see what they have done and learned, I do that to for per-buddy clearance to see if I would want to dive with them and I have refused to dive with people that haven't meet my expectations. I think if they are good divers and are safe I would dive with them regardless if they pass a class since they might know something or know of some real good dive spots.

:cool2:

 

[eelnoraa]

Ouch! You're testing me! That was ten years ago! :lol: It wasn't much, but . . .

Navigation - Handed us a route on a slate, followed us through it. I cheated though - by the second turn, I noticed there was 'something' that indicated the turn point - a large rock, the corner of a discarded net. I did MUCH better than my hubby. *snicker*

Night dive - briefed the dive plan, demonstrated signals underwater, came up at appropriate time, signaled to boat for accountability.

Deep dive - demonstrate appropriate deeper safety stops, even though we didn't go past NDLs. Narcosis tests at depth. Did buddy breathing and air-share during ascent. Owed margaritas because we came up on the wrong boat.

I think search and recovery was one of the others . .

The more I think about it, the more I think my AOW is a waste of money. It didn't has 1/4 of these contents. It was more like a few expansive guided dives. I wish there is a clear standard for PADI courses. If anyone in my area thinking about AOW, PM me and I will tell you who to avoid.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I've noticed a tendency for instructors/ops to assume that I want the least amount of instruction possible to get a card, and to offer me that thinking I will see it as a plus.

Examples:

1) At the start of AOW, we had some choices on the optional categories (deep and nav are required, then there is a menu of others to choose from). The instructor said "Hey, you've been diving off the boat all week, so you could just sign off on that and have one part done already!" I said "But that would be less learning, and I *want* to learn more." I had to practically insist/re-explain why "knocking that one off" based on already having dived off a boat didn't make sense to me, and seemed like we would be getting less for our money/knowledge.

2) Wanting to learn more about deep/wreck, stopped into a shop to ask about taking those specialty courses (in AOW they are just one-dive samplers, which we had already done). "Sure, we do that" "Great! Can you tell us more about it, what we'll learn, what is included for class time, and etc." "Oh, don't worry, there's no class time; you could do all four dives and have the card in a day!" (We never indicated that we didn't want class time, and/or that minimal cost or time was important to us; in fact, I made sure not to word my query in such a way.)

Based on these examples, it seems that some instructors/shops figure that divers are just looking for cards and are hoping not to "have to" learn very much or have it be at all "hard" or "intellectual."

Blue Sparkle

 

[Tristan.ak]

I think all or most dive shops are like that since they deal with the people who want it now and not later. I asked about learning more than the AOW offered and I will learn propper fining, gas management/consumption/planning. Just show an intrest in something and ask about about class time or expanded meteral that they can offer. You might not get a card out of it, but knowledge is still good without a card.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've noticed a tendency for instructors/ops to assume that I want the least amount of instruction possible to get a card, and to offer me that thinking I will see it as a plus.

Examples:

1) At the start of AOW, we had some choices on the optional categories (deep and nav are required, then there is a menu of others to choose from). The instructor said "Hey, you've been diving off the boat all week, so you could just sign off on that and have one part done already!" I said "But that would be less learning, and I *want* to learn more." I had to practically insist/re-explain why "knocking that one off" based on already having dived off a boat didn't make sense to me, and seemed like we would be getting less for our money/knowledge.

2) Wanting to learn more about deep/wreck, stopped into a shop to ask about taking those specialty courses (in AOW they are just one-dive samplers, which we had already done). "Sure, we do that" "Great! Can you tell us more about it, what we'll learn, what is included for class time, and etc." "Oh, don't worry, there's no class time; you could do all four dives and have the card in a day!" (We never indicated that we didn't want class time, and/or that minimal cost or time was important to us; in fact, I made sure not to word my query in such a way.)

Based on these examples, it seems that some instructors/shops figure that divers are just looking for cards and are hoping not to "have to" learn very much or have it be at all "hard" or "intellectual."

Blue Sparkle

Unfortunately, in a lot of cases that's an accurate assumption. I've had several inquiries about AOW where the prospective student has said something along the lines of "I've already dived in a drysuit (or off a boat) ... can that count as one of my AOW dives?" When I explain to them that I don't do that type of class, they go find an instructor who does ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Now we just need to match up those students with the other shop; and I'll come to the PNW and take one of your classes :cool2: