You are actually exposing dive professionals to additional risk by doing so.
Risk of what? Having to manage an emergency? Maybe, but that's going to hurt the diver and his family a lot more than the professional that has to manage it.
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You are actually exposing dive professionals to additional risk by doing so.
Risk of what? Having to manage an emergency? Maybe, but that's going to hurt the diver and his family a lot more than the professional that has to manage it.
Legal liability.
Risk of what? Having to manage an emergency? Maybe, but that's going to hurt the diver and his family a lot more than the professional that has to manage it.
Even though the diver was not formally a student on that dive, the instructor was sued anyway. That lawsuit was downright ugly, and even though the instructor essentially won the case (small settlement), the ensuing nastiness had a significant negative effect on his life.
I think that's more a reflection on the US legal system than anything else. Clearly the instructor and/or dive school should have had all participants on the dive sign a liability waiver. I'm not saying it would have prevented the instructor from being sued, but it probably would have helped his defense.
I'd think that your legal liability as a professional would be covered as soon as it's disclosed that the diver lied on a medical form.
You still get sued and still have to deal with the crap. One willingly exposes others to risk just to simplify your life? That is not cool at all.
It's an illusion. You're always at risk of being sued. The only way to protect yourself is to not participate, and even then I'm not sure you're insulated from it. I agree that it's not cool, but it happens every day. It's one of the things you just have to accept if you're going to be a dive "pro" in this country.
Yes, but what kind of person would willingly lie and expose others to additional risk? Definitely not a person I would hold in high regards.