Certification Requirements?

[ucfdiver]

A couple of years ago I contacted the Amoray dive resort. I was told that my 1977 NASDS certification only allowed me to go to 60 feet. (I recall being certified to 132 feet.) Anyway, the old and recent experience in the log did not matter. I never did the AOW, as it was not invented when I got into diving. Recently, the classes I've seen for it were not particularly advanced.

I took a short vacation elsewhere. At least i as not surprized by showing up and then hearing "no".

Good. I hope more like you stand up to the fund raising schemes set forth by the rec diving agencies, and refuse to do business with places who refuse to honor cavern/cave cards as a substitute for AOW.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

A couple of years ago I contacted the Amoray dive resort. I was told that my 1977 NASDS certification only allowed me to go to 60 feet. (I recall being certified to 132 feet.) Anyway, the old and recent experience in the log did not matter. I never did the AOW, as it was not invented when I got into diving. Recently, the classes I've seen for it were not particularly advanced.

I took a short vacation elsewhere. At least i as not surprized by showing up and then hearing "no".

I remember my OW cert that didn't have a limit. It just certified me for OW diving... As long as I followed the Navy dive tables, I was certified to dive. After becoming an instructor, I was with another certified instructor in Coz. We set a dive plan on the wall and set it for 165'... It included a decompression dive on air... I was major narc'ed at 150' (after a night of drinking... but, that can happen at any time...), and I thought at the time that I needed to really keep a tab on my depth/time...

I caught my "instructor" buddy at 245', by his fin ( I am sure to this day that he would have kept going...)... He looked at me like I was crazy for stopping him... (I will never forget that look in his eyes, and the surprise I had at that look) I had a set limit for myself to do this rescue... it was 250'... at that point, I was going to turn around, no matter what... I spent the next 1 1/2 hours hanging on the drift (I had no tables to rely on... [before computers... I had my bottom timer from U.S. Divers attached to
my console]), but... I figured a long stay at 20, a longer stay at 15, and a really long stay at 10 would probably work out... It did for me...

I did do the after lunch dive at 45' and survived my "closest" threat to life while diving... To this day, I have never been past 150'... There is nothing I want to see that deep... EVER again (of course this was in my early 20's when I was going to live forever... )

 

[BUGBAGGER]

Good. I hope more like you stand up to the fund raising schemes set forth by the rec diving agencies, and refuse to do business with places who refuse to honor cavern/cave cards as a substitute for AOW.

An NASDS certification is not a cave nor cavern diving cert.

 

[Thalassamania]

You don't say how much experience your dad has. As others have pointed out, the community standard here in the Keys requires "recent verifiable deep diving experience" to put open water divers on the deep wrecks (Bibb, Duane, Spiegel, & Eagle).

As an open water diver, your dad qualified to dive to 60' max, in conditions similar to those he was certified in. If he wants to dive deeper, he should (IMO) continue his diving education.

For the same price as a guided dive, your dad could make an Adventure Dive (or two) with a local scuba instructor; and credit those dives toward his Advanced Open Water certification down the road (no time limit to complete).

Dive safely, have fun, and never stop learning!

As an diver certified thirty years ago he was (and is) "qualified" to 130 feet.

 

[Stu S.]

What the UCF diver is mentioning is guys like himself continue their dive education through cave and cavern programs. They don't get the PADI-NAUI AOW cards.

After recent reading, it seems like a wave height limit may be a more appropriate restriction than a depth limit. None of this can be readily enforved. When I read about a Dad and a 13 year old son diving off a 24 foot boat in 8 foot seas, that's real risk.

 

[Whyphysco]

I think that it was just a misunderstanding by someone who didn't know diving history and was not sure what choice to make. In the persons defense if he or she didn't know that OW certs used to be to 130 feet, he made the right call by not allowing you to dive, just for liability sake. You cannot blame someone for airing on the side of caution, because there are alot of basic OW certified people who shouldn't go deeper untill they have experience.

But as divers we should not talk down about continuing education and that it is important to take an advance class to help work on polishing your skills, becomeing a better diver, and get dive experience with a trained professonal. Learning underwater navigation, low vis diving and starting to task load are important to becoming a better diver, not to metion bouancy control, which seems to be a missing from basic classes lately.

Taking an advance class will never hurt anyone, and i recommend that people take it as soon after there basic class so that the information is still fresh.

On a less serious note, hope everyone has gotten into the water this year already and everyone is having fun!

 

[paulwall]

I remember my OW cert that didn't have a limit. It just certified me for OW diving... As long as I followed the Navy dive tables, I was certified to dive.

+1 for me. I was certified in 1988, full 8-week course, full weekend of checkout dives.

First dive post-cert was 131 ft in Panama City. Most recently, I got my chops busted in Curacao for not having my AOW. The DM wasn't even born when I got certified (slight exaggeration)!

Now, however, I can't continue to higher levels without passing through that AOW cert. I hope I'm ready.

 

[ucfdiver]

An NASDS certification is not a cave nor cavern diving cert.

Ah, by bad, I skimmed and read nss-cds

 

[Boiler_81]

Same boat as you, I was certified in 1984. 130 feet was the recommended limit. While not endorsing it my instruction also threw in decompression diving. The instructor did tell us with a wink and a nod we should get additional training prior to doing decompression diving.

I broke down last year and took an advanced class. I certainly did not learn anything I already did not know. I now have a check mark in the box for the card checkers.

+1 for me. I was certified in 1988, full 8-week course, full weekend of checkout dives.

First dive post-cert was 131 ft in Panama City. Most recently, I got my chops busted in Curacao for not having my AOW. The DM wasn't even born when I got certified (slight exaggeration)!

Now, however, I can't continue to higher levels without passing through that AOW cert. I hope I'm ready.

 

[sasscuba]

You don't say how much experience your dad has. As others have pointed out, the community standard here in the Keys requires "recent verifiable deep diving experience" to put open water divers on the deep wrecks (Bibb, Duane, Spiegel, & Eagle).

As an open water diver, your dad qualified to dive to 60' max, in conditions similar to those he was certified in. If he wants to dive deeper, he should (IMO) continue his diving education.

He has in excess of 3000 dives. Back when he was certified there was nothing more than Basic open water certifications. He is certified to 130, that was the limit even back then. We have been all over the world diving together and yes he sometimes get odds looks because some have never seen a Basic card but he likes it and he has never been denied diving. He is now 62 and has no interest continuing his diving education.