Should a C-Card be Required to Buy Gear?

[Gen San Chris]

I believe that Certification Cards should be necessary in order to buy the High Pressure bits of scuba Equipment, this includes Regulators, Tanks and even BCD's. The other stuff including computers I think is OK but the seller should always be careful who he sells gear too!
I run a small dive Shop in the Southern Philippines and I am very strict on who I sell gear too, even at times I check Certifications as they are easy to reproduce here!
Every few days I have people wanting to borrow or buy the scuba "gadgets" as they only want to dive shallow to see something! When they show so much knowledge of the equipment even with a card I am always careful and usually do not entertain them at all!
In my area, there are always stories of lost Japenese Treasure from WW2 and many people want to waste their time looking for such! I do not believe in the treasure stories so they do not get gear off me! I have even had Police and other officials trying to get me to rent gear to treasure hunters but even to them I do not comply!
I am sure that in the USA, to sell gear to none divers could put the seller and any other person in the whole dive industry in dangerous situations with the fine lawyers especially in the case of an accident so I, a Brit, do not take chances and do not sell or rent to none divers!

 

[Rick Murchison]

I'm for freedom.
Rick

 

[BarryNL]

No, I think adults can make their own decisions. Except for people who would buy scuba gear without learning to dive - they are clearly too stupid to be allowed to make their own decisions

 

[Oxy]

at no point in your rambaling and incoherent response did you even come close to anything that could be considered a rational thought.

i

I'm truly sorry you feel that way. May we NEVER dive together.

 

[Captain12Pk]

I always vote NO when regulation is the question.

 

[Captain12Pk]

at no point in your rambling and incoherent response did you even come close to anything that could be considered a rational thought.

i

AWESOME CALL ...
"I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul"

 

[livewire]

Could be a regional question... In lawsuit happy Los Angeles, maybe. Mostly I feel not, because of the gifting idea, the pre-certified open water student, and the regulation factor that just gets in the way of good customer service and its another roadblock for getting people in the water diving more.

I was in a dive shop two weeks ago without my C card and needed a fill and they wouldn't fill the tank. As PADI Assistant Instructor, I fully understand the policy on this, and I don't mind them asking, however, I am a known face at this shop, having even assisted with classes for them as an AI, so it was a little frustrating. I asked them to look me up online, wouldn't do it. I asked them to bring around other employees who've seen my card in the past, no go. They said that they were being audited on it. No worries, I went home, got my card and came back. Don't know what that meant, or if its true that agencies are auditing dive shops, but there you go. The moral is that requiring a C-card when you want to buy something can create obstacles to the trade that could be misinterpreted as poor customer service and prevent customers from coming back.

 

[BKP]

I've always thought tanks should be regulatored...

 

[Oxy]

I think I get that one

 

[GA Under Water]

Silly Question, there are always those that want to buy a gift for their diver. Must they get certified to do so? I think not.