C-card legal requirement for recreational diver - which countries?

[miketsp]

We have just discovered that the Brazilian Navy is checking the c-cards of recreational divers as from Jan 1st this year. (Could be as they board the boat or even at sea.)

This is based on a regulation issued by the Navy that is mainly aimed at commercial divers, but there is one clause that says that while it does not apply to recreational divers these must carry and present their c-card.

At first sight it seems to be unconstitutional as regulations are only supposed to clarify and implement laws and not introduce new requirements - but that's another discussion.

So apart from Quebec D) can you tell me in which countries a C-card is a LEGAL requirement?

What penalties would apply if any?

 

[flots am]

So apart from Quebec D) can you tell me in which countries a C-card is a LEGAL requirement?

I believe France does also.

flots

 

[miketsp]

I believe France does also.

flots

I see that France legally requires both a c-card AND a valid medical certificate less than 1 year old.

 

[graham_s]

Saudi Arabia.
You need a license from the Coast Guard.
To get it you need a medical and a current C card.

 

[rambaldi]

I would guess parts of Australia?

 

[Griffo]

Queensland, Australia.

Sort of. It'ss actually more a code of practice, but basically unless a business can prove in court that it's own safety system is up to scratch, it in effect becomes a mandatory requirement, so people take it as law.

http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/recreational-diving-recreational-technical-diving-snorkelling-cop-2011.pdf


All the states have similar requirements but QLD is the most strict.

 

[miketsp]

Queensland, Australia.

Sort of. It'ss actually more a code of practice, but basically unless a business can prove in court that it's own safety system is up to scratch, it in effect becomes a mandatory requirement, so people take it as law.

http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/recreational-diving-recreational-technical-diving-snorkelling-cop-2011.pdf


All the states have similar requirements but QLD is the most strict.

I would not class that one as a LEGAL requirement as it gives significant latitude to the business to assess the competence of a diver. As I read the code for example, if a diver appears at an operator with a CMAS *** certificate issued in 2000 but that legally expired in 2005, while at the same time this diver has 1000 logged dives with 100 in the last year, the operator would easily be able to consider this diver apt for a dive even though legally his certificate is expired (I don't know anyone outside France that renews CMAS c-cards - I have one way out of date and it's never been refused).

What I'm looking for are situations where a government official could stand on the dock, ask for your c-card and prohibit you from getting on board if you can't present one that is current even though you convinced the business operator that you were trained and are capable of making the dive.

 

[ajduplessis]

Some of the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) here require a permit to dive. They will not issue a permit without c-card. Huge fines for diver and boat owner if diving is done without permit.

 

[Martigan]

I can, sort of, speak for France.
If you want to dive on your own, alone or with friends but not in a club or with a dive op, you are not required to have any certification.
If you want to dive with a dive op, you should have a french level 1 or an equivalence delivered by the dive op, depending on log book, foreign c-card and/or evaluation dive (theotically, you can go to a dive op, say that you have thousands of dives but no c-card, and after a check-out dive, he can deliver you an equivalence, even if you don't have a c-card. From a pratical standpoint, they would require one, but it is not a legal requirement.

As for the medical form, I believe it is only a strict requirement for the diving lessons for level 1 and better, and that some dive op only require a medical self-filled form for first dives and for recreational dives.
I am not one hundred percent sure about this last point.

 

[beester]

I think there is some kind of confusion regarding CMAS certifications.

CMAS certifications (with exception of instructor levels) never expire (so EN 14153-1, -2, -3). You might have an expiration date on your CMAS card but this is not linked to the expiration of your non-instructor certification but to the possible expiration of your medical certificate.

Dive-insurance and medical clearance can be linked to your card, and if this is the case you get a new card re-issued with a new expiration date every year. However this says nothing about your certification, which remains valid regardless of whate date is on the card.

Instructor level (EN 14413-1 en -2) this might be the case. Certifying federation can demand from their instructors to remain up to speed on procedures, if not their instructor certification could expire (depends on the CMAS federation I guess), but they would remain their lower level non instructor certification.

Hope this clears things up.