Not allowed on a boat because of your dive agency card?

[pheel]

Hello all,

I was told 4 years ago when I started diving that I might not be allowed to dive at a dive center different from my agency cert card. In other word, a NAUI diver might not be able to dive in a PADI resort...

It sounded BS to me that a dive center would refuse business. Well we never know.

just wondering if it had happened to someone?

pheel

[Cave Diver]

I've never had a problem with a card from another agency as long as it was an equivalent level for the dive I was attempting to do.

[Wookie]

Pheel, in the distant past many PADI resorts would refuse CMAS or BSAC cards. I believe that is now in the past. BSAC and CMAS did not follow the RSTC standards. Who issued your card?

[Peter_C]

My friend almost got denied diving a Florida wreck because the DM had never heard of GUE, and stated they required a AOW card. GUE lists max depth as 100ft right on the card, which was enough to do the wreck. Eventually she gave up and let him dive in his well used Hogartian gear.

I have heard in places like France they do not look highly upon training agencies like PADI since they require more stringent training standards in France.

[Mayor]

Most ops just want the AOW card. You could have tech 2 or cave 2 training but they still want the AOW card. I always get a good laugh out of it.

[gypsyjim]

I have read some time back of some dive ops not honoring PADI certs, in other parts of the world where CMAS is the standard. I have no idea how prevalent this was, if it really was, or if this is still the case.

I have never had any issues, beyond one time I had to do a refresher dive, to confirm my skills, as my original Y card was the only one with me, and it was pretty severely damaged by all the years in my wallet.

Figure with my Y, CMAS, and PADI cards all in my log book now, when I travel I pretty much have it covered for most recreational diving.

[pheel]

Pheel, in the distant past many PADI resorts would refuse CMAS or BSAC cards. I believe that is now in the past. BSAC and CMAS did not follow the RSTC standards. Who issued your card?

I did all my courses at a local PADI school.

[emoreira]

I'm SSI certified and have dived several times with PADI groups and DMs.
However, in south Brazil, in Bombinhas (known as the diving capital of the Santa Catarina State), where there are several operators, a friend of mine was told to go to the PADI boat instead of the diving boat I've recommended that is from a SSI operator.

[Jim Lapenta]

Ditto, YMCA Silver Instructor, SEI Instructor, CMAS 2 star Instructor, NAUI Helitrox, and PADI DM. Only issue I might have is with the moron who will not accept my Helitrox (NAUI entry level trimix) to get a nitrox fill. But then again a place that dumb I likely don't want to dive with anyway. Who knows what else they don't know? But I carry one of my nitrox cards anyway. It doesn't say nitrox instructor on any of my cards even though I can teach it.

[vladimir]

I actually had some issues with my YMCA card a long time ago (80s?). I was never prevented from diving, but it was questioned a few times.