Got refused boat dives due to 12 month break

[grantwiscour]

I'm usually asked when I did my last dive when booking with a dive op. It seems that I remember w/o diving in 6 months a refresher course is needed.

 

[RonFrank]

The need for instructors to have paying students may weigh into the 'how much have you been diving lately' equation. Divers have not been changing their behavior, or if they have they have been cutting back on diving. But this is the first time I have heard of requiring refreshers after just 6 months? Ka-Ching!

Sure its not a bad idea, but I have to wonder if the economy has more to do with it than safety. That's the lovely argument, you can always argue pro safety. But why is 6 months now more prudent when its never been a concern in the past? Is the fatality rate on the rise? Why the need for the change? If accidents are not increasing, then the answer is likely money, or lack there of. If new students are declining then were do shops get revenue? The established divers, but they already have certs, and gear. Well maybe they NEED expensive refresher classes... right?

Some home review, and a nice guided shallow reef dive works well as a refresher. You should not have to pay $50-$150 to have an annual review and in this economy people may not be able to afford it.

 

[scubamask]

As John said, neither of these accidents had to do with faded skills or lack of refreshers since one was not certified and the other was a regular, experienced diver.

I think if you had mentioned a couple of the Cozumel cruise ship divers who had perished in the last few years, among others, those would have a lot more to do with requiring recent experience or refreshers, and checking that dives are not beyond a diver's training or experience, especially in Cozumel.

I suspect that whenever there is a fatality, everyone will be much more attentive to any rules or regulations that are usually just overlooked.

 

[supergaijin]

There are scuba deaths every year. This year is no different.

Everyone who understands the inherent dangers of diving can appreciate the need for fluid skills and knowledge. At the end of the day, you're underwater with a limited supply of compressed air strapped to your back. People can and do, die for any number of reasons. The latest DAN report say that close to 9 out of every 10 divers were on their first dive of their vacation. DSD accidents or 'bad air' accidents can add to that statistic.

My view is that a mandatory 'check dive' for divers who cannot submit proof of their experience is a good thing.

My dive center will not allow divers to dive unguided without first showing their mastery of the skills that are required for diving in the Maldives. I am more than happy for divers to dive by themselves but the onus is on them to prove to me that they are safe, conscientious, prudent divers who respect the reef. One accident through 'perceived' negligence on our part will put us out of business in a heartbeat.

The same does not apply to rental car agencies....

If a valid driver's license is enough for a rental car agency or car dealer, why should a dive op require anything more than a C-card?​

​

Hertz or Avis do not have the same structure as a Diving Center- perhaps if Hertz required that one of their employees were in the same car that a licensed driver was driving around in a foreign country on vacation, there would also be a change in their policy? How long could a dive center last if there was a 'sign on the dotted line and it's yours' policy for every diver that walked through their doors? Apples to oranges.

 

[BluewaterSail]

Funny...I can't imagine the circumstance that could keep me away from diving for 12 months. I imagine there would be serious withdrawal symptoms.

 

[SeahorseDeb]

When we head to the day boat the next day, the answer to the question "When was you last dive?" is "Yesterday."
DivemasterDennis

Nice!!!! I would have been kicked out, because I would have replied "I haven't done it yet."

 

[scubafanatic]

Lesson Learned: Don't go more than 12 months without diving!

Lesson Learned: "anything you say can and will be used against you......"

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Lesson Learned: "anything you say can and will be used against you......"

That's the wrong lesson. Scuba diving is, by its nature, routine-oriented. Take a year off and you're highly likely to forget something important ... particularly if you've never dived often enough to have ingrained that routine in the first place.

And that doesn't just include beginner divers either ... even experienced divers entering an environment they rarely dive in can forget things. It's been nearly a year since I've been inside a cave ... and will probably be another six months before I can get back to it again. Despite my training, or all the experience I've had diving in other environments since, I'll hire a professional to go with me on that first dive back. It's not punishment ... it's prudence.

Regardless of environment or experience level, the lesson plan always starts with "safety first".

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[LaMissJude]

What I find surprising here, is when a diver dies, or has an accident, a lot of people say: "dangerous dive operations", "bad instructors", poor training", "stupid guide".
When we see a video showing a/some diver(s) obviously lacking training/experience, again: "dangerous dive operations", bad instructors", poor training", stupid guide".

When some dive operations take a step to try to keep people safe (because there are not only experienced divers who want to dive, and before becoming experienced, we all were beginners. As well as not all divers have the opportunity to dive as often as they would like) a lot of people start to say: "this is stupid".

Is it that wrong to ask to divers to be able to prove their experience?

Regardless of environment or experience level, the lesson plan always starts with "safety first".

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

And if the diver is able to prove his experience, showing that he is an active diver, his last dive happened recently (less than 3 months ago), for me it's easy, lets jump on the boat!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What I find surprising here, is when a diver dies, or has an accident, a lot of people say: "dangerous dive operations", "bad instructors", poor training", "stupid guide".
When we see a video showing a/some diver(s) obviously lacking training/experience, again: "dangerous dive operations", bad instructors", poor training", stupid guide".

When some dive operations take a step to try to keep people safe (because there are not only experienced divers who want to dive, and before becoming experienced, we all were beginners. As well as not all divers have the opportunity to dive as often as they would like) a lot of people start to say: "this is stupid".

Is it that wrong to ask to divers to be able to prove their experience?

And if the diver is able to prove his experience, showing that he is an active diver, his last dive happened recently (less than 3 months ago), for me it's easy, lets jump on the boat!

Perhaps, but the other side of that coin is that it's easy to fake a log book ... and plenty of people would, simply to avoid the need for a checkout dive.

When someone I don't know asks me to take them diving, I always want our first dive together to be simple ... regardless of their experience or training level. After all ... I don't know this person, and they could have a higher opinion of their skills than is warranted ... not like that ever happens ... :shocked2:

I don't mind that everyone be asked to do a checkout dive. I only ask that it not cost me an inordinate amount of the diving time I've paid for ... and that it be a reasonable evaluation of someone's fitness to go on the planned dive(s). For example, asking someone to kneel on the bottom, clear a mask and recover a regulator may satisfy the mechanics of a checkout dive ... but it completely misses the intent. The checkout dive I did in the Maldives is far more reasonable ... take the divers to an easy site, evaluate how properly they gear up and enter the water, watch how they dive, and decide their fitness accordingly. And skip the marketing crap that so often accompanies this exercise ... if I want to buy something besides the diving, I'll let you know ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)