Have anyone been turned down for diving because of their certification agency?

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That agency is a complete fraud, as has been reported on scubaboard frequently. The PADI website has a clear warning about them. The last time I looked into them, the agency home address was a vacant lot. Mr. Holt was once a NAUI instructor, but he was kicked out. I wrote to tne AZ attorney general, but apparently they don't pay attention to out of state people who have not personally been taken by one of their businesses.
 
Beware of online training with Scuba Divers of America. Their certification for Nitrox use was not accepted on a trip to Bonaire in Sept 2014. They claim it will be accepted anywhere in the world. They are not a PADI org ( my mistake for even going with them!) or associated with any other accredited dive org. They also use the name Aquastrophics on some of their correspondence. Dive Friends would not accept the online training provide by SDA. It cost $89. I have emailed and spoken with the contact for SDA, David Holt. His reply when told Dive Friends did not accept his training program was "well, they should have." I have filed a report with the BBB in Lake Havasu City, AZ where Mr. Holt said they are based, although they have a PO Box in the neighboring town of Parker, AZ. The website also asks upon completion of the test if you want your cert express mailed. The trip was coming up soon, so I requested this. They charged my cc $38, and Mr. Holt admitted on the phone he did not think it was stated on the site that there would be a charge for this service. I asked for a refund, but don't expect to get it. They also offer online SCUBA training, which I doubt would be accepted either. Thanks to Dive Friends of Bonaire for calling this to my attention. I didn't think a supplementary class for Nitrox would be that scrutinized, but it was and it's probably for the best.

---------- Post added October 9th, 2014 at 02:30 PM ----------

I agree, see my other post.Beware of Scuba Divers of America. Nitrox card NOT accepted in Bonaire, Sept 2014. It's not listed with RSTC although SDA claims they are. Pass the word and put David Holt, Aquastrophics and Scuba Divers of America on the Blacklist!
Bellen4,

Thank you for posting about your experience with SDA / Aquastrophics <also known as Online Scuba Lessons>. From time to time they come under discussion/debunking here on ScubaBoard, but we seldom get specifics from those who have attempted to use their cards. Also thank you for reporting him to the BBB. For a bit more info, NAUI suspended then revoked David Holt&#8217;s credentials in 2006/07: NAUI Quality Assurance
 
I understand Hans Hass had a similar problem… Hans Hass of all people!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will not question your statement but I will question your source of the statement.

Hans Hass was much revered by the early divers in Europe as well as the US as a
true pioneer of the underwater world. He published his first book "Dive to adventure" in 1939 and a year later produced his first film "Stalking Underwater' and his monumental and very exciting "Under the red sea" in the mid 1940s.

I always appreciated Dr. Hass'e statement when asked about his rival Cousteau "For Cousteau there existed only Cousteau. He never acknowledges others or corrected the impression that he wasn't the first in diving or in underwater photography"

Dr. Hass accomplished every thing at least 10 or more years before JYC and most concede ten times better

According to all reports and Dr. Michael Jung's biographical book "HANS HASS, ein leben lang auf expedion; ein porprat" Dr. Hass gave up diving in 1961 to pursue his interest in behavioral science and also publish a number of books.

At the time of his departure from active diving in 1961 LA Co and a struggling NAUI were the only major US certifying agencies. So it is doubtful if he was ever required to be certified, in the US or Europe.

Dr. Hass passed away in 2013, he was 94. He was survived by his wife Lotte and son Hans


However, the late great pioneer diver/author Vane Ivanovic did experience a bump in the road.
For your information;
The spear fishing/diving books published in the US and great Britain by the late great Ivan S. Ivanovic aka Vane Ivanovic are as follows;

>Sub-marine spearfishing by I.S Ivanovic, Nicolas Kaye, London, 1950;

>Spearfishing (same book) A.S. Barnes, NYC, 1951 (These two books are Very Rare, therefore very expensive to purchase IF they can be located)

Mr. Ivanovic then changed his name to "Vane Ivanovic"

>Modern Spearfishing, was published by A.S. Barnes, NYC, 1955:

>Modern Spear fishing, was his last and totally revised book. It was published by two companies;
Kaye-Ward, London, 1974
Henry Regnery &Co, NYC 1975.

LX; Memories of a Jugoslav was the last book authored by Vane Ivanovic, which was published in the US in 1977 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ). A 435 page autobiographical account of an amazing life of adventure which included at least three chapters related to diving; Spearfishing; page 329, Sharks; page 333, British Virgins Islands; page 349.

Vane who was born in Yugoslavia in 1913 passed to the big reef in the sky in 1998 in his adapted country of England.

Interesting side bar, Reg Valentine, the British diving author certified Vane as a diver several years before his death - seems he didn't have a "C" card and rules are rules in jolly ole England especially for a fuzzy faced newly minted English PADI type.


SDM
 
&#8230; I will not question your statement but I will question your source of the statement.

Hans Hass was much revered by the early divers in Europe as well as the US as a true pioneer of the underwater world. He published his first book "Dive to adventure" in 1939 and a year later produced his first film "Stalking Underwater' and his monumental and very exciting "Under the red sea" in the mid 1940s&#8230;

Naturally I agree with your sentiments and astonishment. Unfortunately, I bet less than 5% of active dive masters at resorts worldwide have any idea who he was. It has been a long time since any of his books were in print. In fact I have met a few 20-something divers who didn&#8217;t know who Jacques Cousteau was, but the name seemed a little familiar.
 
I had my YMCA card turned down on St Thomas back in '95, not because of the agency, but because, after carrying it in my wallet for 25 years there was very, very little of that card left. The op actually looked at my card and started laughing!
A quick dip in the pool, and one dive with their ow class, and the dive op then honored my cert, with a warning that I might want to get myself a replacement c card.
I replaced the damaged card and also grabbed the optional CMAS card, and a few years later did a couple PADI certifications, as a way of updating my training.
 
I understand Hans Hass had a similar problem… Hans Hass of all people!

Well if Hans Hass turned up without a card, I would 1.) not let him dive, 2.) make him pay a beer fine for wearing his mask on the forehead
220px-Hans_Hass.jpg

:)
 
Well if Hans Hass turned up without a card, I would 1.) not let him dive, 2.) make him pay a beer fine for wearing his mask on the forehead
View attachment 194917

:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well if Hans Hass turned up without a card, I would 1.) not let him dive, 2.) make him pay a beer fine for wearing his mask on the forehead"


He was your countryman, although he resided in Lichtenstein for many years prior to his passing in 2013 at age 94. He was one of the all time greats of modern self contained diving. You should honor him and treat him with great respect for his many pioneering efforts.


You may want to re read the following post:


I will not question your statement but I will question your source of the statement.

Hans Hass was much revered by the early divers in Europe as well as the US as a
true pioneer of the underwater world. He published his first book "Dive to adventure" in 1939 and a year later produced his first film "Stalking Underwater' and his monumental and very exciting "Under the red sea" in the mid 1940s.

I always appreciated Dr. Hass'e statement when asked about his rival Cousteau "For Cousteau there existed only Cousteau. He never acknowledges others or corrected the impression that he wasn't the first in diving or in underwater photography"

Dr. Hass accomplished every thing at least 10 or more years before JYC and most concede ten times better

According to all reports and Dr. Michael Jung's biographical book "HANS HASS, ein leben lang auf expedion; ein porprat" Dr. Hass gave up diving in 1961 to pursue his interest in behavioral science and also publish a number of books.

At the time of his departure from active diving in 1961 LA Co and a struggling NAUI were the only major US certifying agencies. So it is doubtful if he was ever required to be certified, in the US or Europe.

Dr. Hass passed away in 2013, he was 94. He was survived by his wife Lotte and son Hans


However, the late great pioneer diver/author Vane Ivanovic did experience a bump in the road.
For your information;
The spear fishing/diving books published in the US and great Britain by the late great Ivan S. Ivanovic aka Vane Ivanovic are as follows;

>Sub-marine spearfishing by I.S Ivanovic, Nicolas Kaye, London, 1950;

>Spearfishing (same book) A.S. Barnes, NYC, 1951 (These two books are Very Rare, therefore very expensive to purchase IF they can be located)

Mr. Ivanovic then changed his name to "Vane Ivanovic"

>Modern Spearfishing, was published by A.S. Barnes, NYC, 1955:

>Modern Spear fishing, was his last and totally revised book. It was published by two companies;
Kaye-Ward, London, 1974
Henry Regnery &Co, NYC 1975.

LX; Memories of a Jugoslav was the last book authored by Vane Ivanovic, which was published in the US in 1977 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ). A 435 page autobiographical account of an amazing life of adventure which included at least three chapters related to diving; Spearfishing; page 329, Sharks; page 333, British Virgins Islands; page 349.

Vane who was born in Yugoslavia in 1913 passed to the big reef in the sky in 1998 in his adapted country of England.

Interesting side bar, Reg Valentine, the British diving author certified Vane as a diver several years before his death - seems he didn't have a "C" card and rules are rules in jolly ole England especially for a fuzzy faced newly minted English PADI type.

SDM
 
He was your countryman, although he resided in Lichtenstein for many years prior to his passing in 2013 at age 94. He was one of the all time greats of modern self contained diving. You should honor him and treat him with great respect for his many pioneering efforts.
SDM

Come on, there was a smiley in my post :) Hans Hass is at least as well-known as Costeau in Austria, and maybe the first ever underwater footage I saw as a child. Definitely one of my big heroes.
 
I have not been turned down by my PADI Cert card but as soon as they find out I have a colostomy bag they demand to see a medical release. Although PADI has it listed on there medical release form, DAN does not consider it a problem for diving. The doc who did the operation sign off after I fully healed and passed a stress test. Years ago I had a YMCA cert card from the course taken with them when I was 16. I went in the service at 19 and by 21 was an ranger and after two tours of Nam I was full time with a National Guard unit the 19 SF 206th special ops group and trained as a combat diver. I had no problem getting tanks filled until 1984 but then quit diving and later moved to New Hampshire - no diving there just skiing and mountaineering. Later in 2012 being retired in the Florida Keys I decided to start diving again. Paid for the course and it was fun hearing the instructor tell me how he felt stupid teaching me but I assured him that a lot had change since I was last diving and I appreciated the class. Now I am a master diver with PADI but I don't think my YMCA certs from my teens would have gotten me far in today's world.
 
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Those old Y cert cards are still good, they have no expiration date, but the training could certainly do with some updating.

My first encounter with a BCD in the mid 80's convinced me that some retraining might be advantageous.
 
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