Cross over from Public Safety Diving?

[Nugget1412]

I currently hold an SSI open water certification and I want to advance, the rub is I have several specialties but I'm not sure if they carry over. I have FFM, Dry suit, ice, and dive rescue 1 from Dive Rescue International, while maintaining my national registry paramedic. Are there any agencies that will recognize these for the rescue and medicine components as well as FFM and dry suit? It sounds lazy I suppose I just don't really want to pay to redo things I have and do regularly, with the public safety I also have around 30 dives.

 

[VikingDives]

I currently hold an SSI open water certification and I want to advance, the rub is I have several specialties but I'm not sure if they carry over. I have FFM, Dry suit, ice, and dive rescue 1 from Dive Rescue International, while maintaining my national registry paramedic. Are there any agencies that will recognize these for the rescue and medicine components as well as FFM and dry suit? It sounds lazy I suppose I just don't really want to pay to redo things I have and do regularly, with the public safety I also have around 30 dives.

I was in your place once upon a time. . . Yes, I think there are.

I was OW with PADI and IRRC, I think I could have crossed over my DRI open water for credit as advanced, had I checked (I didn't even think about it until I read the standards when I became an instructor).

I can't speak for agencies, but I'd be willing to bet that SDI would cross over those specialties. I'd recommend going on to the website (Learn to Dive - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI) and using the chat function. You'll talk with someone from headquarters who will give you their take.

I can't see why most of those wouldn't cross over to SDI, or ERDI (and ERDI specialties qualify for rec. credit if memory serves).

The same is probably true for most agencies that have a PSD component (PADI), but regardless, I'd talk with the agency's HQ for an opinion, as you local dive shop is unlikely to know or have dealt with this in the past.

I'm happy to help you navigate this if you need assistance, and thanks for doing what you do.

 

[Nugget1412]

I was in your place once upon a time. . . Yes, I think there are.

I was OW with PADI and IRRC, I think I could have crossed over my DRI open water for credit as advanced, had I checked (I didn't even think about it until I read the standards when I became an instructor).

I can't speak for agencies, but I'd be willing to bet that SDI would cross over those specialties. I'd recommend going on to the website (Learn to Dive - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI) and using the chat function. You'll talk with someone from headquarters who will give you their take.

I can't see why most of those wouldn't cross over to SDI, or ERDI (and ERDI specialties qualify for rec. credit if memory serves).

The same is probably true for most agencies that have a PSD component (PADI), but regardless, I'd talk with the agency's HQ for an opinion, as you local dive shop is unlikely to know or have dealt with this in the past.

I'm happy to help you navigate this if you need assistance, and thanks for doing what you do.

Thank you for your feedback, I will have to try that as I spoke with my "primary" dive center and his answer in a nutshell was SSI may recognize them but he will not because those are classes he teaches and wants the coin. I love diving and love to do it for work and fun so I see no reason not to go for my instructor and eventual master, just seems silly to redo classes in skills I literally do professionally. Thank you so much for the guidance Viking!

 

[Nugget1412]

Thank you for your feedback, I will have to try that as I spoke with my "primary" dive center and his answer in a nutshell was SSI may recognize them but he will not because those are classes he teaches and wants the coin. I love diving and love to do it for work and fun so I see no reason not to go for my instructor and eventual master, just seems silly to redo classes in skills I literally do professionally. Thank you so much for the guidance Viking!

Follow up question, does the acronym truly matter as far as diving places around the country?

 

[rongoodman]

Why do you care if these specialties carry over to another agency, unless you need one as a specific pre-requisite for further training? You’ve taken the courses and mastered the material, so what difference does the agency on the card make?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Why do you care if these specialties carry over to another agency, unless you need one as a specific pre-requisite for further training? You’ve taken the courses and mastered the material, so what difference does the agency on the card make?

He says he wants to become an instructor. So he needs to work his way up some agency's ladder (or cross over somewhere on the ladder).

 

[VikingDives]

Follow up question, does the acronym truly matter as far as diving places around the country?

No, the agency doesn't really matter. Most dive shops are going to recognise most of the larger agencies. If you get to really niche agencies, you might have to explain a little, but generally a c-card is a c-card.

 

[Nugget1412]

He says he wants to become an instructor. So he needs to work his way up some agency's ladder (or cross over somewhere on the ladder).

Correct all of the major agencies require specialties to advance up the ladder.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Correct all of the major agencies require specialties to advance up the ladder.

We can distinguish you, who wants to advance up the ladder because your goal is to teach diving or lead dives, from someone who wants to advance up the ladder to learn new skills (commendable) or just for the sake of advancing--collecting certification cards (perhaps not as commendable). In your case, you already have much of the skills and training involved, but you actually DO need the cards.

 

[Nugget1412]

We can distinguish you, who wants to advance up the ladder because your goal is to teach diving or lead dives, from someone who wants to advance up the ladder to learn new skills (commendable) or just for the sake of advancing--collecting certification cards (perhaps not as commendable). In your case, you already have much of the skills and training involved, but you actually DO need the cards.

Partly, I actually have cards just not from a recognized agency which is why I ask about crossover.