Will a Nitrox card work as a C-Card for most operators?

[sabbath999]

I have an entire fistful of useless cards after taking some advanced training... and about 3 useful ones (after all, who is really going to want to see my "Digital Underwater Photographer" card?)

I am trying to pare down the number of cards I actually take with me to the bare minimum. I currently "use" AOW and "Nitrox" and will soon have my "Rescue Diver" card... and I am going to get my "Master" card at the same time because I am a complete DORK and proud to fly the DORK banner...

I was wondering for most boat dives if simply the Nitrox card will work for the operator... I mean, it does say that I am an enriched air diver on it.

Any thoughts? (other than me being a DORK... that is a given)

 

[Blackwood]

yah, it will work.

 

[offthewall1]

Nitrox as well as any other card you receive should work. Over the years I've presented almost every card I have to operators to see how they would be received. I have not had anyone treat any of my cards any different than any other.

What started me doing this was a story I had heard about an operator who wouldn't recognize someones old NASDS card. My wife was certified NASDS nearly twenty years ago... and had frequently shown her card with no problem.

When we decided to open our shop as a PSAI shop... some of the Instructors who came to teach for me questioned whether our students would have trouble having their cards accepted... so on my next three trips.. (Little Cayman, Bonaire and North Carolina,) I used my PSAI card... again with no questions or problems.

It seems that if you have a Diver C-card, it'll be accepted by everyone except the rogue operator trying to sell you something.

I've presented all of the following cards with never a question:

Boat Diver. FFM Diver, Search & Recovery Diver, Rescue Diver, Dive-Con, Drift Diver, Nitrox Diver,
Wreck Diver, Hunter & Collector Diver, Underwater Videographer, Underwater Photography, Night & Limited Visibility, Advanced Buoyancy, etc... etc...

Cards from SSI, PADI, SDI and PSAI... no worries

After conducting my tests, I've settled on carrying one card... the more interesting question is - If you're only going to carry one of the many cards you may have... which one will it be and why?

 

[DeputyDan]

I carry my AOW card.

Means the least (at least to me) and is accepted the most!

 

[piikki]

I carry my Nitrox and AOW card. Those are the ones that I have been mostly asked for. There are some places/charters where I would not be let to dive certain sites (at certain times) without producing the AOW, so it stays in my wallet.

 

[on_two_wheels]

I'd always carry my aow and nitrox cards. aow will allow me to do any dive on most boats but won't get me nitrox if I so decide. I've even been on boats without my card and didn't remember my number. Amazingly, I was still allowed to dive. I think the DM remembered me, though.

 

[tc]

When I was DM'ing boats the only card I ever refused was one for equipment repair.

 

[Teamcasa]

I just depends on the operator.
Like others I just carry my AOW and Nitrox cards.

 

[scubapatton]

I would carry the enriched air and the highest dive card you want to carry (eg AOW, Rescue or MSD). I realize you need to be a diver for most of the other cert cards, but I would not carry just my enriched card. Not a big deal to carry 2 cards. In fact.. I took all my other cards and put them in a baseball card picture frame (at Michael's for example). Then I hung it on the wall at home.. That may be "dorkish" but I worked hard for those certs, and paid a lot of money for them...

 

[mike_s]

some operators are idiots and will say it's not proof of certification (like Open Water isn't a pre-req for it).... but there are lots of idiots in the scuba industry...


if PADI is your cert agency, they will give you a card that has your regular rating (open water, advanced, rescue, or master diver) with the Nitrox rating on the same card. that's nice as you don't have to carry the second card. not sure if other agencies do that or not.