Are specialties becoming required for diving?

[Ron Brandt]

I know a girl thats a photographer on land and wants her Underwater Photo Speciality so she can get work as an underwater photographer....

It's her thinking that this will really help get her employment at a resort. I guess she thinks of this a type of Microsoft cert.

Ron

 

[PerroneFord]

I remember in 1990 I dived a few days with UNEXSO. I present my PADI OW card and the DM asked when was the last time I was wet. I was honest and said a year. He said get in the pool and had me complete a few tasks. I was impressed that this operation as an added value required this.

You know what? I respect this. If a dive op looked at my cards and and logbook and said, oh, you've done 50 dives in the past 6 months, overheads, some below 100ft, some approaching 2 hours, sure you can dive the Spiegel Grove... I'd be ok. If they said well listen, we want to see you in the water first, I'd be ok with that two. But to greenlight some guy with an AOW card who hasn't seen the water in 2 years and has 12 dives to his name, and arbitrarily shut down someone with 10 years of experience, dozens of recent dives, just because they can't produce on AOW card, seems silly.

If the dive is deep, or will involve penetration, or it's a night dive, I can see wanting to have some evidence of training or experience in those environments. Nothing wrong with that at all. But like the O.P. is discussing, what is with having locking down a diver with 20 years experience to 60ft of he can't provide a "Deep" card?

 

[SparticleBrane]

I am of the understanding that NAUI OW cards are good to 130'.

 

[Jamie_r]

in my opinion i think part of it is so organizeations and LDS's can get alittle more cash flow comming there way. the other part is important like nitrox, deep, wreck(penetration) etc..

just my
$1.24

 

[engdiver]

I always considered specialty classes to be designed for honing your skills as a diver. AOW already covered deep and night diving allowing you to dive in these areas up to 130'. I have dived beyond 100' many times without a deep cert card.
Experience to operators should be the key to what is allowable beyond what is taught in basic and advanced open water classes. Requiring a specialty card for what is standard recreational diving I feel should not be done.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

IMO it is more driven by the fear of litigation (CYA) by the dive operators than by any insidious conspiracy by the cert agencies. I think they have simply responded to market demand. However, based upon the advertising that I see (for example, PADI's specialty of the month program), you could make a strong argument that they are also CREATING market demand as well.

In their defense ... IMO with a good instructor, a specialty course is a very good way, maybe even the most economical and safe way, to pickup new knowledge and skills. With a bad instructor, they are simply frustrating and a waste of time and money. But should a specialty be the REQUIRED way to learn ... you name it, wreck diving, deep diving, drysuit diving, anything. Absolutely not. A spec card from a bad instructor is worthless while skills learned from a skilled, highly competent mentor can be worth their weight in gold.

 

[REII]

Someone told me I couldn't do the Spiegel Grove without an AOW card. I said no problem. Heck with 'em.

You actually can do the Spiegel without an AOW card. Ocean Divers in the Port Largo canal in Key largo will accept a dive log showing experience of that level and depth if you do not have AOW.

TOM

 

[Walter]

Something's wrong, Perrone. We are agreeing more and more lately.

 

[Jibeho]

I am of the understanding that NAUI OW cards are good to 130'.

That is Correct NAUI 130 PADI 100

Edit: Sorry I meant the AOW cards

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I am of the understanding that NAUI OW cards are good to 130'.

NAUI recommends a max depth of 60 feet for the newly-certified OW diver. Of course, if you choose to go deeper, the NAUI police won't come down and give you a ticket or anything ... but there's no way I'd give any OW student of mine the impression that it was OK for them to go to 130 without further training and experience.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)