Got refused boat dives due to 12 month break

[BluewaterSail]

I just had an "aha" thought after I read your post. I transfer my dive data from my two dive computers onto my home computer. I don't take my home computer with me, so before I book another boat dive away from home, I will have my buddies sign off on my paper logbook which I still have. Perhaps some of the Ops can look at our dive computers however I don't mind doing a pre-dive checkout. safety and security for all! Thanks for giving me the "aha!" So much planning goes into dive vacations, would be frustrating to be turned away and my husband is a non-diver so I rely on the skills of dive buddies I have never dove with before.

Thanks. Glad to be of assistance. I have actually never seen someone offer their dive computer log as proof, but my guess is that it would be fine. The only problem I can think of would be if they suspected that it wasn't your computer. But having a paper log of the sort that they are trained to look for seems to be the easist path to the water.

 

[SeahorseDeb]

Thanks. Glad to be of assistance. I have actually never seen someone offer their dive computer log as proof, but my guess is that it would be fine. The only problem I can think of would be if they suspected that it wasn't your computer. But having a paper log of the sort that they are trained to look for seems to be the easist path to the water.

Quite true, but my Galileo has my name, phone #, allergies and emergency contacts. But I suppose if someone really went that far to fake their stats, hopefully when they got into the water, if their more experienced buddy wasn't comfortable, noting lack of said skills i.e. controlling descent rate, staying with buddy on descent, using arms to paddle in the water etc, the buddy would call the dive and bring back a warm body, not a cadaver.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

In Israel its law that unless you can show a dive log that you have dove in the last 6 months, you need to do a "Refresh Dive" with an instructor, that includes predive review of equipment and in the water skills drill. The only other option would be to do a "Discover Scuba" which does not require any certification at all.

I have seen it enforced numerous times.

I think its a good idea. Glad that this isn't the only place on earth that sets this sort of standard.

Then there's the other side of such laws. A few years back I did a trip to Roatan. They asked me how many dives I'd done in the past 12 months ... "About 300 ... but no, I don't travel with my log book". So they asked for my highest level of certification ... "Advanced trimix, but I don't have that card with me. Here's my NAUI Instructor card, though."

Then they told me I'd need to do a checkout dive. OK ... except that they won't be able to do one until tomorrow, so I missed a day's worth of diving while waiting for them to schedule this important safety check. The checkout dive consisted of me showing them I knew how to assemble my rig, then doing a mask flood-n-clear and a reg recovery ... which I did while hovering a few inches off the bottom in three feet of water. The DM then asked me to do it again ... this time while kneeling on the bottom so he could make sure I have enough weight ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[BluewaterSail]

Then there's the other side of such laws. A few years back I did a trip to Roatan. They asked me how many dives I'd done in the past 12 months ... "About 300 ... but no, I don't travel with my log book". So they asked for my highest level of certification ... "Advanced trimix, but I don't have that card with me. Here's my NAUI Instructor card, though."

Then they told me I'd need to do a checkout dive. OK ... except that they won't be able to do one until tomorrow, so I missed a day's worth of diving while waiting for them to schedule this important safety check. The checkout dive consisted of me showing them I knew how to assemble my rig, then doing a mask flood-n-clear and a reg recovery ... which I did while hovering a few inches off the bottom in three feet of water. The DM then asked me to do it again ... this time while kneeling on the bottom so he could make sure I have enough weight ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Did you do what he asked, or react in a violent manner?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Did you do what he asked, or react in a violent manner?

Neither ... I told him there's no excuse for any certified diver to do anything on their knees, and that if I can hover in three feet of water then I'm properly weighted. He got, from my tone of voice, that I was NOT going to be kneeling on the bottom and said "OK" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DivemasterDennis]

There are a lot of casual divers around, and there is a place for them in our sport. However, I can't imagine anyone arguing that it is ok to just go diving when you haven't had scuba gear on for more than a year. In anticipation of a trip, at the very least a pool session is appropriate, and yes, many operators will want to see a scuba review sticker if your last logged dive was more than a year past. Those in the thread who suggest misrepresenting the time since your last dive are NOT being helpful. They are being, frankly, reckless at best and stupid at worst. If you are spend thousands on a vacation, why not spend another $60 to $80 and get re-familiarized with the equipment and the skills necessary for safe diving?? It's just a good idea for the diver, whether they have 10dive or several hundred. A scuba review at our shop, covering everything PADI specifies, runs about three hours, and we extend longer if the diver requests work or we perceive the need for work on a particular skill or skills. I have never had a refresher student who was not really glad they took the class.
I should also mention that on occasion my wife and I will go on a trip where she has not dove for close to a year. First, we have a pool session before the trip. Then, in those instances, we go on a shore dive together as our first dive. It's like a scuba review with stuff to look at. When we head to the day boat the next day, the answer to the question "When was you last dive?" is "Yesterday."
DivemasterDennis

 

[mathauck0814]

When we head to the day boat the next day, the answer to the question "When was you last dive?" is "Yesterday."

I always get such incredulous looks when I write "yesterday" or "Tuesday" on release forms. Clearly I'm lying and no one dives except on vacation.

 

[boulderjohn]

I just had my car in for routine maintenance. I also knew there was a minor brake problem which they fixed. It cost me a few hundred dollars, which I paid without a second thought. Many people will go through something like that several times a year, and they see it as money well spent to make sure everything is working and safe when they drive.

I find it ironic that some people will balk at the minor cost of a single scuba review course before a vacation.

 

[supergaijin]

In the Maldives a 'check dive' sometimes called an orientation dive is compulsory for divers who haven't dived for 6 months or more.
I ask a few questions about NDL's, go through breathing patterns, boat procedures and diver/DM responsibilities. The list of skills is simple: weight check, reg recovery, mask clearing, OOA and hovering and then we continue for a dive on the reef.

If the u/w skills cannot be performed satisfactorily, the diver requires a refresher course. What kind of refresher course is the catch. Some dive centers are charging like a wounded bull for basically the same dive but a bit of briefing before hand- essentially a DSD for certified divers, and this usually takes a couple of hours. I think this is a waste of time and effort as it teaches nothing more than a properly done check dive.

There is a PADI tune-up which is pretty comprehensive and takes pretty much the whole day for many people but at least they're getting their money's worth and a proper refresher course, and we get decent divers in control of themselves. We give an OW manual and revision in the afternoon for divers to work on independently, and we use this as a base to see what the diver remembers and what they have forgotten. And they cost money! Ours for example is $199 which may seem like a lot to many people but it goes in to much more depth than a 'standard' tune up including a full skill circuit, SMB use, compass use, buoyancy skills, basic rescue techniques etc. If the diver(s) put in as much effort as we instructors do for this course, it'll be money saved in the long run.

IME the divers that howl about having to do a check dive are the ones that usually need it the most.

 

[redacted]

I just had my car in for routine maintenance. I also knew there was a minor brake problem which they fixed. It cost me a few hundred dollars, which I paid without a second thought. Many people will go through something like that several times a year, and they see it as money well spent to make sure everything is working and safe when they drive.

I find it ironic that some people will balk at the minor cost of a single scuba review course before a vacation.

Did your mechanic recommend the service or require that you accept and pay for the service before he could return your car? I had a brake repair shop try to pull that one on a friend of mine as they wanted him to pony up for a $99 brake job as the advertised $29.95 did not apply to his nothing special Toyota.

I have no complaints about a checkout dive but denying service at the last minute or requiring an expensive ($100+) refresher with no assessment of skills other than time since last dive is not acceptable. The real shame in this case is the cruise line could have easily done an in pool assessment and tune-up if necessary.

Find other cruise lines and other dive ops.