How to answer "what is your highest certification level"?

[NothingClever]

When I get on board, I just pull up my ScubaBoard profile, show my post count and go through a quick review of procedures for arguing with strangers on the internet and how to employ disgruntled cyber smackdowns against them.

Those guides and DMs catch their breaths for a second when they learn about my advanced keyboard warrior certification. They quickly move on to the positive, friendly divers who clearly need more assistance.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

When I get on board, I just pull up my ScubaBoard profile, show my post count and go through a quick review of procedures for arguing with strangers on the internet and how to employ disgruntled cyber smackdowns against them.

Those guides and DMs catch their breaths for a second when they learn about my advanced keyboard warrior certification. They quickly move on to the positive, friendly divers who clearly need more assistance.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gone for diving]

Quite the read....

So simple for me...
I fill the tanks...
My buddy brings the boat...
And I bring whatever piece of equipment
I want to dive with..

Wonder is there a vintage equipment card???
Or homebuilt rebreather card?
Padi must have something

 

[MichaelMc]

My certification card from IANTD did not mention oxygen at all (although it was used during the course in high concentration and it was mentioned in the course description).

At least the advanced class lists things on the website. For the non-advanced rec. trimix, the site does not even mention the O2 or He percent ranges. Nor is the target max END on the site. The card just lists the max depth of 132'. It clearly specifies its use as a deep card, but not so clearly as a the gas card it is meant as.

It is 21-40% O2 plus He for END of 80' or 100' (depending on which of the non-public class standards you read). And the manual describes 32/15, 28/25 and 21/35 as common blends for the rating. But none of that is publicly accessible.

Using it may require some hand waving with dive shops on the covered blend range. Or maybe a pdf of the manual on my phone.

ETA: Ahh. I am wrong. The site lists END of 100', which I think is a recent addition. That helps greatly.

 

[Subcooled]

Wonder is there a vintage equipment card???

Sure there is! Come to Finland and Historical Diving Society Finland will write one for you - if you deserve one. You pay the cost and I will sign it. You will be certified as a competent person to live and die in a Siebe-Gorman standard diving dress.

Just joking of course. Anyone can certify whomever to whatever they want - whom do you trust?

 

[Subcooled]

The site lists END of 100', which I think is a recent addition. That helps greatly.

Great!!!

Is O2 considered narcotic or not?

 

[MichaelMc]

Is O2 considered narcotic or not?

It does not say on the site, but the manual says O2 is as narcotic as Nitrogen. There is still the depth limit of 132' on the card.

 

[Lostdiver71]

Yes, O2 is narcotic! There is even some speculation that much of the "Nitrogen Narcosis" that divers experience is actually caused by Oxygen.

 

[Subcooled]

what is your highest certification level.

As high is the opposite of deep, my highest cert level must be PADI Equipment Specialist

I guess however that they expect one of these: PADI OWD, PADI AOWD, PADI RESCUE DIVER
The other certs you can rank by depth. Self reliant is only relevant if you're about to dive alone!

If you refer to ANY other agency then the average dive shop employee will stare at you and be confused.

I once said "full cave" and the dive shop person stared at me and asked if I was a PADI rescue diver. At that moment I felt the duty of care

 

[SlugLife]

Maybe zero? I don't think we have any kind of data of what percentage of divers present a higher level of certification versus those who present the lowest possible one. If a dive pro doesn't present their pro credentials to avoid liability, then they haven't attended Concannon's talk at DEMA where if there is an accident, he takes the list of people on the boat and asks the larger agencies if any of those people have/had professional credentials with them. There's plenty of stories of boats trying to offload new divers on dive pros, some who are happy to do so, others who say refund my money and pay my guiding fee. Again, no idea on the percentages of who does what.

And given how some CDs/ITs dive, maybe it isn't such a con after all to just present an OW card.

Unpaid labor is bad enough. Paying to work is twice as bad.

Obviously, there's basic courtesy, being a good dive-buddy, rescuing someone, etc. Though I'm certainly not baby-sitting anyone, training anyone, etc if they're not paying me. At that point, I might as well have a part-time job on a dive-charter, and earn a little money, instead of paying high-rates for the same thing.

For liability, it seems like an absolutely massive stretch to make a customer responsible for essentially baby-sitting another customer or employee. Their certification level is absolutely irrelevant. Even rescue-diver cert is really a courtesy to other divers, and I'd probably prefer to just skip that cert if it did cause a notable increase in liability.

I've only done one dive-charter myself, and it was an okay enough experience. But I'd have to say in general, I'd prefer to dive solo, if I have another means of reaching the dive-site.