Basically, you're saying that certifications issued by big certification agencies are worthless.
Yep. There's literally no value in them.
They're a proof of training, not a 'proof of competency'....and definitely not any sort of license which entitles anything.
I specialize in deco and overhead diving. It's potential very dangerous. Do you think I give a hoot about someone's card collection when deciding whether to entrust my life to their abilities and competency?
Recreational diving is less dangerous. Nonetheless, does that change any real parameters to excuse a diver who may, or may not, prove to be a safety hazard to themselves or others?
Over the years, I've been involved with, or witness too, numerous situations where divers have been refused diving. Sometimes it's a skill or competency deficit needing rectification or a realistic lowering of ambition. On other occasions, it's because the diver was just dangerous and had a dick attitude.
A C-card proves zilch beyond that the individual
once-upon-a-time did a course with a given syllabus. It's a snapshot of a moment in time, not a guarantee of present/future suitability.
Yet, you sell such certifications yourself.
No. I sell training.
My goal is to develop diving ability.
I don't "sell certifications". This notion underpins everything that's wrong with the modern scuba industry.
My students pay me to deliver training. Sometimes that's formal courses, often it's workshops, clinics and mentoring.
On formal courses, my students get a C-card once their performance meets (my interpretation of) the performance requirements of that course. They earn that, however long it takes them. Many continue training even once they've met that standard.... recognising there's still improvement that can be made.
Hard to believe, but a great majority of my students don't give a hoot about plastic c-cards. They want ability, not tokens.
If asked to demonstrate that ability, I doubt any of my students would have issue with it. Why should they?
Once you grasp the simple concept that
proof of past training doesn't equal
proof of current ability, the benefits of checkout dives become clear and logical.
Would it be a better situation for people if there was no checkout dive, but people proving incompetent on a dive were ejected from the water and forced to sit out the trip on the boat? That'd ruffle egos and waste people's money significantly more...
I used PADI as an example because it's what you list on your website.
To a certain extent, I need liability cover for developmental courses. That's all.
I often get asked
why i teach PADI courses. It seems incongruous, given my views on quality training.
The fact is, agency doesn't really matter to me. I don't get aroused or attracted by one agency abbreviation versus another.
My courses, standards and how I teach, would remain the same whatever agency I affiliated to.
People who shop around "to buy a certification" will generally opt for the lowest cost, quickest and most convenient provider of certifications. That's not me.
My market is people who want abilities, not certifications.