Certification cards once again...

[Downing]

I also carry all my cards with me when I go on a dive trip. I keep them all, including my DAN card, inside my logbook, and I always bring my logbook. It even has little card slots on the inside front cover where the cards should go. No big deal.

I don't think I've ever been any place where I wasn't asked to provide at least my OW card along with my nitrox card if I was diving nitrox.

Hmm. Two negatives. My bad.

To put it another way:

I've been asked to show at least my OW card, along with my nitrox card if I was diving nitrox, everywhere I've been. I thought that demonstrating a certain level of training to the dive op so you can do whatever it is you're seeking to do was the whole point of having the cards in the first place. I'm pretty surprised to read that others haven't had the same experience.

When I was first certified, my instructor told me that my OW card was what got me the air inside a tank. In other words, I could go into any dive shop without an OW card and buy or rent any piece of gear I wanted except for a tank of air. Made sense to me. Sadly, she was wrong.

 

[String]

And frankly, how many dive centers need to see an obscure cert and are someplace with no electricity? .

Its extremely common for some parts to be without power for 6-7 hours at a time. Happens a lot in Egypt. If you rely on a card reader or internet or anything electrical to check certs it means you cant. Hence there always being a need for a physical card.

Reliable internet connections are even harder to come across. That and when something breaks if often takes "engineers" 3-4 months to bother fixing.

Cert checking needs to be as simple and low-tech as possible.

 

[Edward3c]

Hi,

Showing a BSAC Advanced Diver (AD) card would, and does, get strange looks when I'm signing up (outside the UK) for a 35m wreck dive. I do have a separate Nitrox card, as the Devil gas wasn't used when I qualified.

The AD course includes these 20 dives:

• at least ten should be carried out from boats.
• on at least ten the student should act as dive leader
• at least six should show depth experience greater than 30m
• on at least five occasions the student should act as Dive Manager (including taking responsibility for carrying out all planning activities):
• at least two should be full day diving activities, to sites which are unknown to the student Dive Manager
• at least one should be for a duration of at least two days, involving overall planning of the event
• the remaining two may be to either known or unknown sites

So to simplify things I often use an old 3rd Class card which has 2 star CMAS on it.

Regards

 

[Kingpatzer]

Its extremely common for some parts to be without power for 6-7 hours at a time. Happens a lot in Egypt. If you rely on a card reader or internet or anything electrical to check certs it means you cant. Hence there always being a need for a physical card.

You missed my question -- non-reliable or no power and the need to see an obscure cert? Remember I keep saying - the most common certs: OW, AOW, Nitrox, Deep, Dry, Wreck, Cavern, Ice, Trimix, Cave maybe one or two others printed on the card with the complete training history on the mag strip.

How likely is it somone is going to need to see a navigation and fish id cert?

Really?

 

[Robert Gillcash]

I've been diving since 1992, and over the years I've accrewed quite a few certification cards. And I bring them all with me on any dive or dive trip where I'm not going to be known to the dive operators. However not once in all those years have I ever been asked to produce a certification card.
But really we're only talking about a stack of cards about the size of a deck of cards. With all of the gear I carry, I figure I'd rather carry an extra couple ounces of paper and not need it, than come up against an operator who won't give me a particular gas because I forgot a card at home.

Similar years and certs, also, I bring the most important with me on a vacation.
Unlike you, every place I have gone they have asked to see my cert card, and most even asked to see my dive log.
This summer, in Italy, even though I showed my Instrutor card, the operator still quizzed me as to when I did my last dive and compared it to my dive log.
Be safe, take cards, take dive log.....

 

[AndrewA]

Over the years I have picked up a fair number of C-cards from an alphabet soup of agencies. I keep them in a business card wallet which lives (along with my old BSAC blue qualification book) in my loose leaf log book holder. If I am asked for a C-card I just hand the whole lot over and let them choose which bit of plastic works best. It often acts as an ice breaker when they ask "What is a First Class Diver? " or "Who are ITDA ?" Although as one of the previous posters suggested I have found that my Virtually Instant Scuba Access card has never been turned down!!!!

 

[DevonDiver]

I carry all my cards in a business card wallet also. That's 24 BSAC, SSI, PADI and DSAT instuctor cards, plus a TDI tech card...and my blue BSAC book.

Luckily, I spent all my money on training and memberships...so I don't have any credit cards to carry. This balances the load somewhat.