So lets see, My cert from 42 years ago is worthless? Your clueless.
Gary D.
Gary D.
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matt_unique:What these guys had to do 20+ years ago was a different kettle of fish from what I have read. OUR current certs would likely be considered worthless compared to what they had to do. Take you down to 10,000', make you take your gear off, rip your mask off, kick you in the nuts, spin you around 10 times, then have you solve all the problems. I'm *slightly* exaggerating and this is only from what I have read from those who were certified long ago.
dweeb:And why would this make a 1978 cert worthless? It makes it worth more - anyone who could pass in 1978 could breeze through a course today, EVEN if they've become an out of shape couch potato in the last 25 years.
NAUI uses your social security number as your certification number (something I have a problem with, but that's another story.) If they issued your card, they should have a record of it, but your SSN may be the only way to find it.
miketsp:Amazing how what I was thinking when I made the post was interpreted differently by the readers. The problems of written communication.
Since I also dove for the first time in the early 70s and worked with (contracted) professional dive teams for a few years, I am fully aware of the difference in standards from then till now.
Sorry if I offended anyone in this sense.
What I had interpreted in the original post, and really meant to comment, was the situation of somebody that qualified a long time ago, didn't keep in practice, and is now taking up the sport again. In that situation I would consider the original qualification worthless.
Obviously this does not apply to somebody who has been diving regularly and keeping up to date.
Even then, most divers will have done additional speciality courses over the years and have accumulated some extra cards which prove their qualification to dive.
Also, normally anybody diving regularly will have a couple of extra xerox copies of their card, I do because I don't like carrying original documents on trips.
Gary D.:So lets see, My cert from 42 years ago is worthless? Your clueless.
Gary D.
scubatomwetzel:To recover a card from the early 80's where records are not available. To find who the instructor from back then and still have to have his records, good luck.
Standards say we must keep our records for 5 years. Even though I have all from 1976. I usually get sombody wanting a card from way back when. I usually get them into a new course or a good refresher.
The true questions should be, when was your last dive? If longer than 3 to five years consider another course, refresher or raising the level of certification of one who has lost a card. Some past divers you have to consider the physical skills and their condition.
Learning properly and diving safely is all that counts for the condition of the type of diving one does.
Lets see, diving and certified, since late 60's and instructing since 1976.
Los Angeles County
NAUI
PADI
YMCA