Divemastgerdennis posted
"I don't get it. How inconvenient is it to carry something the size of a nitrox C-card ?"
Well let's see. I have a stack of cards fully two inches thick. Do I sort through the lot for that or those card/s needed for the specific dive I intend on doing? I really don't think so. The shop was being pound foolish. To have had the cylinders filled with EAN, they could reasonably assume they had a card, unless they filled them themselves and in which case odds are very high they had the requisite training.
Safe Diving
---------- Post added May 15th, 2013 at 06:51 AM ----------
I don't get it. How inconvenient is it to carry something the size of a nitrox C-card ? And doesn't at least PADI now have an on-line "look up" to to confirm certification if you don't have a card? Ok, so you were put off by the experience, but hey, this is such a prevenatble thing, that the lesson learned for all thread readers is simply this: when engaging in any activity that requires or may require certain credentials, be sure you carry those credentials with you. That includes having your drivers license and proof of insurance when driving, appropriate C cards when diving, and so on. Sorry, JahJahwarrior, but on this issue, I think your anger and retaliation may not be appropriate. But then, I am not there in Florida and I do not know the people you were interacting with. Maybe they were being a little overcautious, but you should not be surprised that they wanted to see a nitrox card.
DivemasterDenis
I wouldn't say it is FAR from the standard. There are dive operations all over the place that ask for a nitrox card if you are diving nitrox on their boat . The fact is that there are people around that dive and have no formal training. Formal training is not a "real" requirement. But at the same time don't expect a dive boat to take you out diving just because you have money and a fancy set of dive gear.
I dove uncertified for YEARS. All from my own boat, and I knew that if I wanted to dive on a charter that they would ask me for a card. No nitrox course for any agency that I can think of states that when you have completed the course that you are qualified to get your tanks filled. They state that you will be qualified to conduct dives using enriched air up to 40% O2.
These shops are well within their rights to ask you for a nitrox card if you will be diving it from their vessel. Just the same as if you show up with trimix and want to use it on their vessel.
Then does that mean when I show up with a dry suit I have to show my drysuit cert? I have about 1000 dive dry and no cert. I also dive a homemade MCCR and no CCR card, yet have over 300hours on the unit. I can go on.
To the original poster's point, if the dive was within Nitrox range, where was the boat's captain's liability for diving nitrox? Air is nitrox. remember?