It appears we had another death in Catalina's Casino Point dive park last night. Based on what I've heard from eye witnesses, and indirectly from the emergency personnel who attended, the victim appeared to be in "less than optimal" health. Of course it is sad when such things happen, and my condolences go out to the family and friends. However, it also made me revisit a few certification related issues.
First, over the years I have become convinced that certificates (at least BOW) should not be life long. I have seen, and had to guide or attend to, divers who were certificated years (or even decades) ago, yet had done little diving in between. Why should a certification acquired when one is in their 20's be valid when they reach their 50's (a lofty level that I myself have achieved!). A person's health and conditioning can change radically over this period, yet they are still certified to dive.
I support the concept of renewable certifications, perhaps after a three or four year period. A person certified as BOW would have to recertify IF they had not dived more than a designated number of times during that period. An individual who could verify achieving that number of dives through a stamped log book, would be automatically renewed (probably for a small fee).
The other issue is the health and physical condition of a diver being certified. Based on my observations in our dive park over many years, a number of divers get certified without being able to complete a simple physical test like swimming a reasonable distance (I would recommend 400 yards).
I've heard instructors and agencies are concerned about potential lawsuits should they deny certification to a person obviously overweight and in poor health. To overcome that possibility, the "hoop" to jump through should be the ability to perform at an acceptable level. I consider myself over weight, but I could easily swim 400 yards.
Then there is the case of young studs in their 20's (like myself in a former lifetime) who get out-of-condition in their 40's and 50's (not entirely like me today) yet still dive.
This is not just an issue of personal freedom. Divers who are not in condition, or who do not have sufficient recent diving experience, pose a risk to other divers as well. I have rescued several of them at the dive park. In the incident mentioned above, a young man had to jump into the water to try to rescue the diver in question (when several uniformed policemen on the scene failed to take action despite calls from the diver's buddy that he was drowning). He put his life on the line to do so.
Dr. Bill
First, over the years I have become convinced that certificates (at least BOW) should not be life long. I have seen, and had to guide or attend to, divers who were certificated years (or even decades) ago, yet had done little diving in between. Why should a certification acquired when one is in their 20's be valid when they reach their 50's (a lofty level that I myself have achieved!). A person's health and conditioning can change radically over this period, yet they are still certified to dive.
I support the concept of renewable certifications, perhaps after a three or four year period. A person certified as BOW would have to recertify IF they had not dived more than a designated number of times during that period. An individual who could verify achieving that number of dives through a stamped log book, would be automatically renewed (probably for a small fee).
The other issue is the health and physical condition of a diver being certified. Based on my observations in our dive park over many years, a number of divers get certified without being able to complete a simple physical test like swimming a reasonable distance (I would recommend 400 yards).
I've heard instructors and agencies are concerned about potential lawsuits should they deny certification to a person obviously overweight and in poor health. To overcome that possibility, the "hoop" to jump through should be the ability to perform at an acceptable level. I consider myself over weight, but I could easily swim 400 yards.
Then there is the case of young studs in their 20's (like myself in a former lifetime) who get out-of-condition in their 40's and 50's (not entirely like me today) yet still dive.
This is not just an issue of personal freedom. Divers who are not in condition, or who do not have sufficient recent diving experience, pose a risk to other divers as well. I have rescued several of them at the dive park. In the incident mentioned above, a young man had to jump into the water to try to rescue the diver in question (when several uniformed policemen on the scene failed to take action despite calls from the diver's buddy that he was drowning). He put his life on the line to do so.
Dr. Bill
