New CDWS license exam

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Ive actually wanted the jetty police to get official to make it worth while but they dont. Up here its exactly as last year, non CDWS holders just on the guess list. It worked like that before, its still done this year so nobody is bothering with the permits. Provided you have 1 person that looks vaguely similar to one of the people on the boat thats it, the rest are guests.

There was an Arabic CDWS last november, i know 2 people that sit it in Arabic with the English on standby in case of terms and phrases.

I cant see it being enforced. Here IIRC 5 dive centres have got permits, the other 55 haven't bothered and say they wont bother due to lack of enforcement. Obviously the 5 that did spend the money were pushing for enforcement just to be met with excuses and eventually walking out of the meetings. As said, CDWS is a toothless organisation that does really nothing it says it will.

IIRC my permit was 1800LE, blood "test" 150LE, 100LE for CDWS bull**** and the rest was lawyer fees. My passport also went to cairo for random things. The permit in the passport is also just a visa with "Work is not permitted" crossed out with a biro!

Doesnt help that the airport and other staff dont seem to know what their own permit looks like. Internal flights, even travco international jetty i keep getting asked for "visa", point at the permit and get "no. where visa" repeatedly until eventually they telephone someone with a whiter shirt with more stripes to wave me through.
Caused havoc in Cairo last week trying to check into a hotel and get out of airport too.

 

[Crowley]

Ah - I have an actual sticker in my passport that says work permit, work is permitted etc. I know a bunch of people who have the same stamp with the crossed out bit though. This seemed to be a lot less hassle to acquire for some reason.

My centre is requiring permits for all staff - most of us are "full time freelance" as it were, and partly I think this is due to an ever present worry that no, they probably will never check but there is always the possibility that one of the officials might wake up in the morning, realise he still has a small willy, and try to exert his authority by raiding every dive centre in Sharm and deporting staff without permits, incidentally destroying the dive industry in the process. Ultimately, however, he will remain roomy in the underpants department.

The coppers here are so random it is not beyond the realms of impossibility. They regularly prevent our equipment truck (the same one that they see every day with the same people) from driving to the Jetty because it is not registered as a tourist vehicle - so we have to get our Land Cruiser back from wherever it is at the moment, unload the boxes from the truck into the Cruiser, which *is* registered as a tourist vehicle, so that the same three guys can take the same stuff to the Jetty while the guests are sat on a boat eating diesel fumes for breakfast, swearing that they will never dive the Red Sea again. Happy days!

Sorry - gone way off topic but I'm bored and it is nice to vent from time to time (unless you're a volcano, in which case it should be strictly forbidden)

Cheers

C.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

The coppers here are so random it is not beyond the realms of impossibility. They regularly prevent our equipment truck (the same one that they see every day with the same people) from driving to the Jetty because it is not registered as a tourist vehicle - so we have to get our Land Cruiser back from wherever it is at the moment, unload the boxes from the truck into the Cruiser, which *is* registered as a tourist vehicle, so that the same three guys can take the same stuff to the Jetty while the guests are sat on a boat eating diesel fumes for breakfast, swearing that they will never dive the Red Sea again. Happy days!

That's why some centers send their tanks and equipment to the boat in the evening.

 

[watch_the_bubbles]

My inside source tells me that very soon CDWS are going to impose this vehicle requirement upon all dive centres that operate shore diving business!

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[String]

Won't make any difference. They threaten to impose a lot but they enforce absolutely nothing.

 

[Scuba Sheep]

They TRIED to impose vehicle restrictions in Dahab a few months ago, guests were not allowed to travel in the same vehicle as the tanks, which meant if you had a 1-3pax group you were not allowed to use a double cabin pick up truck, you would have to have a Jeep (or Geep as some are spelt!!) or they even tried to push that all dive centres had to use the tourist minibuses...hmmm has someone in power got a mate that works for Toyota distributing the 'Hi-Ace' minibuses??? Needless to say, everything has reverted back to normal...the business is still being given to the drivers in the local community, which IMHO is how it should be!!!

 

[watch_the_bubbles]

The blog mentioned earlier in this thread has a rant about that. Which is what inspired me to post the pics of the concept van

 

[Lord Melch]

The blog mentioned earlier in this thread has a rant about that. Which is what inspired me to post the pics of the concept van

That was (is) one heck of a van.. :cool2: