Charters not accepting certain agencies?

[flyingDiver75]

The good news is you are not short of choices to get to the O from Pensacola!

 

[outofofficebrb]

I can assure you...I was certified through PADI and I definitely didn't get 5 OW dives w/ one of them being a skin dive and have 12 hours pool training or 12 hours classroom.

 

[A. Boyette]

It's been so long ago I'd have to go back and look at my old dive logs as I believe we did 4 OW dives for the OW cert but I could be mistaken. But I know for a fact we didn't do a "skin dive" for my PADI OW cert or AOW cert. My LDS does offer "skin diver" as an optional class though.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

world recreational scuba training council has SDI on the list of agencies that participate in maintaining the agreed upon minimal standards...
United States Council - WRSTC

And yet they don't have Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation SCUBA, the oldest certifying agency around (since 1954).

 

[Sam Miller III]

And yet they don't have Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation SCUBA, the oldest certifying agency around (since 1954)
.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@MaxBottomtime

Max,

As I recall

LA Co UW Instructors association was formed in the summer of 1954 and of course is the oldest certifying agency not only in the US but in the world. It is the grandfather of all other agencies, NAUI, PADI and the rest of the instructor alphabet

Their representative (s) were invited to the RSTC . In order to become a member LA Co would be required to water down their programs to conform to the RSTC structure which they refused and walked out .

When one becomes a LA Certified diver they are a complete diver - not one who was trained for transport from surface and back .and is required to take additional training courses to become some what safe- and still is only one who dives and is not a diver. There is a huge difference !

There is so much evidence of poor training as noted by people who dive but are terrified to dive with out a dive guide to hold their hand during the dive -- or panic when they loose contact with their hired dive guide--

They are people who dive but are not divers

The La Co UW Instructors program is a regional program in its 64h year. It is still producing extremely well trained knowable physically fit instructors who produce well trained knowledgeable divers -- not people who just dive

Yes Max their is a difference --- a huge difference !

Sam Miller, 111
LA Co UW Instructor
NAUI Instructor
PADI instructor
CMAS instructor
(and a lot of other Instructor programs )

 

[Diving Dubai]

And yet they don't have Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation SCUBA, the oldest certifying agency around (since 1954).

Second oldest. BSAC was established in 1953, but what’s a few months between friends

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Industry standards require a minimum course that includes: 12 hours academics, with an instructor in a classroom (not online), 12 hours pool training with an instructor, and 5 open water dives including 4 on Scuba and one skin dive.

So I guess they don't accept PADI C-cards either?

 

[Edward3c]

Second oldest. BSAC was established in 1953, but what’s a few months between friends

ScotSAC was a year earlier 1952.

 

[Neilwood]

So I guess they don't accept PADI C-cards either?

It appears that the vast majority of WRSTC OW qualifications wouldn't comply with their standards.

 

[Mr. Manfrenjensenden]

From the Viking website if anyone doesn't want to look it up.

The last bit in parentheses about not accepting SDI is no longer there, as of this morning. The rest of it still is.

Here's what's listed now on their charters page: "All participants must be certified through an internationally recognized and accepted Scuba Training Agency. The Captain and Crew reserve the right to assess the abilities of any and all divers aboard the boat and deny dives to those who do not meet the mimimum [sic] proficiency and standard of training required for open water diving."