When was dry suit certification first offered by a major international agency?

[Seaweed Doc]

I'm curious about some history, and can't find the specific question addressed in other threads.

When did organizations like PADI, NAUI, etc. first offer the Dry Suit Diver certification? (Bonus points for first offerings of other major certifications.)

I'm putting this in basic SCUBA because there may be somebody out there who is diving basic SCUBA sorts of ways and also got dry suit certified a long time ago. If that's you, I'd love to know when you were certified.

 

[Doc]

An interesting but esoteric query. All things considered, i’m throwing down a $1 bet on PADI, the pioneers of monetizing continuing education- not a bad thing in my book, it keeps the LDS pumping air….just sayin’.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

An interesting but esoteric query. All things considered, i’m throwing down a $1 bet on PADI, the pioneers of monetizing continuing education- not a bad thing in my book, it keeps the LDS pumping air….just sayin’.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't YMCA in 1985 when I took Open Water. Nobody required a card of me when I first bought a dry suit in 1994 or so, but they did encourage me to try it out in the pool first. (I did.)

I'm mostly wondering where in my diving career I was when getting the dry suit card was a thing.

 

[Ross19966]

Does anyone require a card to purchase a drysuit now? I've never even been carded filling tanks. We have a trip planned to Islamorada in a couple months with the LDS and they asked if I had a cert card. I said, Of course. Do you need it on file? They said no, but they might ask for it in FL to get a fill.

 

[Doc]

That- and mixed gas, caving… more easily explained than “boat diver” and on and on.

 

[Marie13]

Does anyone require a card to purchase a drysuit now? I've never even been carded filling tanks. We have a trip planned to Islamorada in a couple months with the LDS and they asked if I had a cert card. I said, Of course. Do you need it on file? They said no, but they might ask for it in FL to get a fill.

Not to buy. To rent, yes, you need the drysuit cert card.

 

[Ross19966]

Never rented gear. I thought maybe it just because I looked like I knew what I was doing.

 

[Bowers]

Never rented gear. I thought maybe it just because I looked like I knew what I was doing.

^ this is the secret, when with ducks, quack like a duck and nobody will bother you lol

 

[MarkA]

Not to buy. To rent, yes, you need the drysuit cert card.

Didn’t need a card when I rented a Viking suit at the local hole in the ground, to see what all the fuss was about.

Spent a year diving in a drysuit before getting the sticker.

 

[rx7diver]

I moved to SE MI (from central MO), in late1991, and "discovered" Great Lakes diving. In spring 1993, I purchased a custom drysuit (DUI CF200SP) from my LDS, took it out a couple of times local diving, and then, in late spring, headed to Isle Royale (in Lake Superior) for a week of recreation diving (MOD 140[sic] ffw) wearing it.

I'm pretty sure there weren't drysuit courses offered at that time--at least, I wasn't aware of their existence.

ETA: I never expect to need to rent a suit. If I can loose my stubborn COVID 30, I'll be able to take my own suit diving again.

rx7diver