Recertification?

[H2Andy]

I think the financial winner would be instructors and shops who administer the recerts

also, it might turn into just another "show up, pay, and pass" process, with
very little of real use being "refreshed"

on the other hand, something is better than nothing

 

[Charlie99]

I believe in requiring certifications, and renewals, for activities that are likely to hurt others --- driving, flying airplanes, designing bridges, etc.

Scuba accidents typically only kill the diver in question or someone who chose to dive with him, so I don't see any need for certs at all.

 

[Walter]

No.

 

[dive_lover88]

i think that ppl who are "resort divers" SHLD get their certifications renewed periodically

 

[SoCalAngel]

i think that ppl who are "resort divers" SHLD get their certifications renewed periodically

I agree here. The ones that rarely dive, only once or twice a year at a resort or on vacation should be recert'd or at least be intelligent enough to go on dm guided dives.

However, being the fan of Darwin that I am, I do appreciate natural selection...

 

[MikeFerrara]

Yes, every 2 years (like CPR/AED cards), inexpensive recert checks that has a short written test on core information and a brief skills test. If it has been 2 or more years since the last dive, it should be a refresher class with a pool skills class and check out.

But diving is not like CPR. CPR training trains you to work directly on another person who is at the edge of death. Diving is more like baseball, bowling or golf. I do it if I feel like it.

The advanced certifications (cavern, cave, deco, DM, Instructor, etc.) should be yearly as they contain life preserving skills that if not used regularly can easily go by the mental wayside making that diver a liability to everyone on their dive.[/QUOTE]

Wow, I'd have to travel the country to do trimix and cave classes every year?

Why would I when most of the caves in the world are unmanaged and you don't need a card to get in?

 

[MikeFerrara]

I think the financial winner would be instructors and shops who administer the recerts, however, the reciprocate is at least the guy who is a buddy on a boat whom you might not know will have had to have something to bring him up to speed in the last 2 years...... you hope...

I don't dive with people on boats that I don't know unless we go through the proper stepe to get to know each other and prepare for the planned dive. I certainly don't trust what some agency or instructor says about him. It needs to be first hand knowledge or at least come from a source that I trust based on first hand experience.

No recertification can fix the sillyness that happens on a typical resort or charter boats.

How good will you expect some one who was just certified to be? Why would you expect some one who was just recertified to be any better?

 

[dive_lover88]

MikeFerrara: But diving is not like CPR. CPR training trains you to work directly on another person who is at the edge of death. Diving is more like baseball, bowling or golf. I do it if I feel like it.

The advanced certifications (cavern, cave, deco, DM, Instructor, etc.) should be yearly as they contain life preserving skills that if not used regularly can easily go by the mental wayside making that diver a liability to everyone on their dive.

Wow, I'd have to travel the country to do trimix and cave classes every year?

Why would I when most of the caves in the world are unmanaged and you don't need a card to get in?[/QUOTE]

I dont agree with you, as most of the time they would be diving, and keeping their skills in check, but on the other hand alot of OW onli get the cert juz to do occasional diving. This is dangerous as many of them do not dive enough unlike divers with higher certification(but this doesn't mean that they also do alot of dives).

My point is that once you are hit by the scuba virus, you can't stop diving. So it will be quite difficult not to be up to standard if you keep diving.

 

[CBulla]

But diving is not like CPR. CPR training trains you to work directly on another person who is at the edge of death. Diving is more like baseball, bowling or golf. I do it if I feel like it.

Actually, the person is dead. At the point a rescuer is intervening with CPR they are doing nothing more than keeping tissues alive until further intervention can be brought in (def device such as an AED or Paramedics with a defib) or it is determined that the individual is beyond recovery (blood settling, rigormoritis setting in, etc..). The reason why the card expires every two years is that individuals, whether regular person on the street or trained medical professional, get rusty on their skills and sometimes the information gets outdated.

It's been suggested that with the CPR cert, folks have to take it 4 times before the concepts and information starts to really sink in and make sense. I believe it... I'm an instructor, rode on ambulances, even done CPR on people experiencing a myocardial infarction and I had something new click this past Re-Up.

Now, something to consider.. if I hand't found SB and had a place to chat about ideas, skills, meet others and dive in person and chat, etc., and I was relying upon the dive shop and meeting folks out and about... well, lets say that my dive learning curve would have stopped a few years ago.

Like I mentioned earlier, it really doesn't bother me that much though. I have a few guidelines I stay within for new buddies, boats, etc., and just enjoy what dives I'm able to do when they come up. I've met a lot of good divers who enjoy the same dives I do and its not real tough to hook up or get a group together to terrorize some local ecological system with our presence.

 

[DORSETBOY]

Mike are you suggesting that instructors do an idc every year? Might be reading your post wrong so I appologise if Im barking up the wrong tree. Instructors pay enough money to agencies as it is without having to shell out more dosh and if they're teaching regularly then they have no need to refresh the skills they are using.