Why are 2 AOW-level divers allowed to dive unaccompanied?

[kelemvor]

Hi all - I have always wondered why 2 AOW-level divers without Rescue Diver certification are allowed to dive unaccompanied. IMHO, there should be a minimum requirement of Rescue Diver certification plus a minimum number of dives. Could someone shed light on this please? Thank you.
Ange

Let me guess, you are teaching rescue diver classes somewhere for a fee?

LOL

 

[DogDiver]

Ya know..... There is way too much interfering with the process of natural selection!!!

Let anyone in the water to do any dive. Darwin will take care of the rest.




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[Colliam7]

Hi all - I have always wondered why 2 AOW-level divers without Rescue Diver certification are allowed to dive unaccompanied. . . . Could someone shed light on this please?

In fairness to the OP, who seems to have disappeared from the discussion after her initial post, it would be helpful to better understand the context of the question before responding, or presuming what was being asked. It is possible that the question was simply tossed out as an electronic 'turd in the punch bowl', but I somehow doubt that.

Ange2014, are you asking the question in the context of your understanding of certification requirements (CMAS, PADI, something else) or in the context of what you believe to be required for safe diving?

IMHO, there should be a minimum requirement of Rescue Diver certification plus a minimum number of dives.

This sentence does seem to suggest that your question reflects a personal opinion, so I am curious, WHY do you hold such an opinion?

 

[drrich2]

Hi all - I have always wondered why 2 AOW-level divers without Rescue Diver certification are allowed to dive unaccompanied. IMHO, there should be a minimum requirement of Rescue Diver certification plus a minimum number of dives. Could someone shed light on this please? Thank you.

1.) Because we're adults.

2.) Because respect for individual autonomy, free will and liberty carries some weight.

3.) The fatality numbers in recreational diving seem low doing things the current way.

4.) Using your thinking, why stop at Rescue Diver? If you want someone trained professionally to 'look after' a fellow diver, seems like Dive Master (or equivalent) would be the level.

5.) I've noticed on the forum some deride the professional guided tourist Caribbean diving system on the grounds that it encourages dependency and many divers never fully develop mature competency as divers. Now you talk about going far the other way.

Richard.

 

[ange2014]

Thank you for all your comments. Yes, it is stricter here in France, and quite a bit stricter. I had misunderstood the PADI system, I appreciate very much the clarifications and understand the rationale behind it.

PS: This is a great forum, I am glad to have found it.

 

[supergaijin]

Put simply for recreational divers:

a) We should only dive to depths from which we feel confident of making a CESA comfortably.

b) Beyond these depths we should have an agreement with our buddy so that both of us can surface safely in event of a catastrophic gear malfunction.

c) Diving does not require a license. Anyone can dive. However suppliers of scuba equipment and services can be held liable for diving accidents.

d) This is the difference between should and must.

 

[rhwestfall]

seems to be a "zero to hero" business plan?

 

[Kharon]

Glad I live in America.

 

[Wingy]

I have never been sure about how or whether they apply this law and I think they may only be applied by French dive centres and operators for tourists, so commercial enterprises.

Certainly we have taken a club rib over to France several times, and chartered day boats from the UK to French waters and have never had to comply with having a local guide along or French CMAS as a DM. France does have some funny views on things, and maybe if we wanted air fills we would have a problem, and likewise if we had an accident the authorities might cause problems but it hasn't been a problem yet.

P

Highly enforced by the Police in French Polynesia. My dive op of choice on Rangiroa made it very clear when I arrived the other two other divers were PADI AOW and PADI OW both with less than 50 dives so DM would be keeping them at 18m. I am CMAS certified so dove below them but within sight of them at all times.

One of the divers (cramp and panic situation) ended up in trouble and was admitted to the clinic - by the time he was transported to the clinic police were waiting and all the gear of all divers was seized by the Gendarmes who analysed computers and cameras to make sure all divers were within their limits. Police interviewed all of us the next morning. So, there are scuba police. If the dive centre had been found to have taken divers below the legal limitations of their certification they would be held liable for the incident, in this case the police concluded the investigation politely and pleasantly

 

[kafkaland]

Highly enforced by the Police in French Polynesia. My dive op of choice on Rangiroa made it very clear when I arrived the other two other divers were PADI AOW and PADI OW both with less than 50 dives so DM would be keeping them at 18m. I am CMAS certified so dove below them but within sight of them at all times.

One of the divers (cramp and panic situation) ended up in trouble and was admitted to the clinic - by the time he was transported to the clinic police were waiting and all the gear of all divers was seized by the Gendarmes who analysed computers and cameras to make sure all divers were within their limits. Police interviewed all of us the next morning. So, there are scuba police. If the dive centre had been found to have taken divers below the legal limitations of their certification they would be held liable for the incident, in this case the police concluded the investigation politely and pleasantly

That does not sound like a fun regime to dive (or probably do anything else) under. One thing that I really like about diving is the feeling of being weightless, and I don't think I want to offset this by having the crushing weight of the scuba police on my back. Canceling out gravity with buoyancy is already hard enough!