Anyone in Boca Raton (area) willing to dive with an almost OW certified diver??

[boulderjohn]

I wonder though, there are a couple students who have been diving for years in my class. Were they just illegally diving this whole time? Is it really a huge problem to dive without being certified? I know it's not smart and potentially very dangerous if you have not been taught safety techniques but logistically how much of a problem could it be?

It is not against the law in most places. There are individual sites that demand it, pretty much all dive operators require it, and dive shops will want to see a card before filling a tank. If you can find a way to get your tanks filled and either dive from shore or your own boat, you can get away with it forever.

But anyone who is certified and helps an uncertified diver do those dives is taking a liability risk. The odds are pretty strong that nothing will happen and everything will be fine. But my recent experience with that lawsuit I mentioned tells me to be ultra-careful.

Kelemvor's suggestion is a good one. If I were in the area and you were willing to pay a very small fee and sign a liability waiver, I would do a Discover Scuba session (or more) with you.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

It can only kill you once. :cool2:
I think everyone is trying to tell you that once you have the training/certiification you are in a better position to decide for your self the dangers and risks you are willing to endure... Don't worry about what others are doing - that will only get you in trouble. Do the risk/reward for yourself and you will be a better diver for it.

as mentioned above, you need to get air to dive. no cert, no air. whoever gets you a tank exposes themselves to major liability issues in case something happens to you. also, virtually all dive ops will check your certification before they take you out on a boat. just finish your cert in boca, return home and do it again with your dad. i know a guy who did it twice for his girlfriend.

It's the liability thing.. like others have said, if you borrow tanks from your buddy and go out diving uncertified, nobody will know.. but.. what if something happens, either to you or your buddy? And even the best relatives and friends may be encouraged to file a lawsuit in their grief.. just not worth it.. sorry..
I love taking new divers out and showing them the reef. I love the excitement over them seeing something for the first time. It's an awesome experience. But I am not gonna take that risk with somebody not certified.

If you really want to dive, seriously consider a discover scuba, or get your cert down here. Then you can go back and tell your Dad how awesome it is. Be there when he sees the cool stuff for the first time..

 

[ScubaDoo83]

Aww hell, I'm just being impatient. I've got unlimited pool time until this cert dive so I guess I'm just gonna feel like a Sea World whale for awhile in that 10' pool. I don't want to pay for that test twice so wait it shall be. Thanks for the information.

 

[wspalding]

Aww hell, I'm just being impatient. I've got unlimited pool time until this cert dive so I guess I'm just gonna feel like a Sea World whale for awhile in that 10' pool. I don't want to pay for that test twice so wait it shall be. Thanks for the information.

The Discover Scuba option that Jenny mentioned is a good compromise. You'll get to experience all the thrill of a cert dive on a shallow reef. Totally worth it if you are anxious to get an ocean dive in.

 

[havnmonkey]

It's not illegal to dive without a certification. However, no reputable dive shop or boat will ever let someone rent gear, tanks, fills, or dive without a cert. And any "friend" with a boat that lets someone dive without a cert is going to face a huge lawsuit if anything happens, possible criminal negligence to.

My advice? Go get certified without your father if you can't wait that long and then dive his cert dive with him. OR, just enjoy some snorkeling, that's what my gf did while she was waiting for her OW class.

 

[Reef Crawl]

Just read this earlier and saw your post.

The Dive

Not long after her first pool sessions at a local dive center, Abby was invited on an offshore outing by friends who were active divers. In spite of the fact that she was not yet certified, someone assisted her in obtaining a full set of equipment and an air fill so she could join the group on a shallow reef dive with a maximum depth of about 30 feet. Diving from a private boat, the group entered the relatively calm seas and found what officials would later deem a "mild current" running in the area. Apparently, there were no specific buddy teams, so Abby was both uncertified and effectively diving alone.

Read What Happens: :reaper:

 

[ScubaDoo83]

Ok ok enough fear mongering, I've decided just to wait. Also, everyone in that story was a moron for not sticking to the buddy system.

 

[Reef Crawl]

Wasn't fear mongering just commenting. Glad you're waiting. I work the ER and saw 5 drownings this past summer alone. However, to be clear, Not a single one of those were dive related. Just sayin'.

 

[ScubaDoo83]

I appreciate the concern, being a statistic is not what I had in mind when I started my diving adventure. My rush is similar to the plot of Game of Thrones.... "winter is coming." I bicycle, motorcycle, jetski and now dive. I really just need to move.

 

[Tom Winters]

So why didn't you just get a c-card down here in a couple of days and then go diving and avoid all this drama.

When you got back to Kentucky, you could hide your card in your wallet under the condom, and then you could light a fire under your dad's arse and tell him, "Hey pops, let's finish the course, ok?"