Highest certification level - Please explain.

[Divin'Papaw]

Somebody--was it @boulderjohn ?--had an anecdote about a tank monkey doubting that a Trimix card sufficiently qualified him for a Nitrox fill.

This is why I have three cards in my wallet ... trimix, adv nitrox, and solo. With those three I should be covered. I never assume that my trimix card will allow me to get a 100% O2 fill. I've run into my share of clueless shop tank monkeys.

 

[Miyaru]

The highest certification is the Altitude Diving Specialty

 

[scubadada]

When asked for highest certification, I usually put down PADI Rescue/SDI Solo

 

[tursiops]

The highest certification is the Altitude Diving Specialty

Good one!

 

[Edward3c]

Totally confused the operator last year when I put down Advanced Diver/Advanced Instructor.

 

[TMHeimer]

This question would be much clearer, and easier to answer across multiple agencies, if you separate the concept of "certification" from "training."

What is your highest training level? That may or may not correspond to a certification level.

Another thing that makes it difficult to answer is what means "highest?" Gives you the most freedom in how you dive? Allows you to go the deepest? Cost the most? Has the most prestige? Prettiest card? Instructor with the most celebrity status?

Another thing that makes the question difficult to answer is...who is asking it? Someone curious about scuba? A diver operator on a waiver?

Paraphrasing H.L. Mencken: For every complex question there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.

That's probably the best answer to a pretty much unanswerable question.
On another note--Rescue is not required for PADI Self Reliant. I GUESS you could be fairly "self reliant" without the self-rescue stuff taught in Rescue, because there would be no buddy to rescue. We've all discussed why it's called Self Reliant and not Solo in past threads.
I recall that of her quite a few certifications, TS & M listed "Full Cave" as her highest.

I suppose you could also use the context of teaching vs. diving. What's higher, a full Trimix type cert. or a Master Instructor who doesn't tech. dive at all? I don't THINK you need a tech. cert. to be a Master Instructor, but could be wrong.

 

[MichaelMc]

On the question between rescue and solo, of the 5 agencies with solo like certs:
- SSI: rescue is pre-rec for independent
- SDI and Padi: solo / self reliant have higher cert and much higher 100 dive requirements
- IANTD: deep is pre-req for self-sufficient. Their rescue reads like their OW description...(?)
- CMAS: rescue and how-to-find-my-buddy-or-surface self rescue have the same pre-req, 2 star.
- None have solo as a pre-req for rescue

Incident prevention and self rescue, components of rescue, are fundamental parts of solo diving; done when the third part, buddy-rescue, no longer exists.

Those might move it from 'pretty much unanswerable question' to 'heavily leaning one way'.

 

[CWK]

Somebody--was it @boulderjohn ?--had an anecdote about a tank monkey doubting that a Trimix card sufficiently qualified him for a Nitrox fill.

I had the same issue on an Indonesian LOB where the Cruise Director, a scuba instructor from England, still insisted in being shown a Nitrox card.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Somebody--was it boulderjohn ?--had an anecdote about a tank monkey doubting that a Trimix card sufficiently qualified him for a Nitrox fill.

Okay, I took 10 seconds and looked for it. Turns out it was NWGratefulDiver's anecdote:

Then there was the guy in Bonaire who insisted I didn't have the proper certification to dive nitrox, because I handed him a Trimix card. I finally had to say "OK, give me trimix then ... just don't put any helium in it".

C Cards Requirement or Recommendation?

 

[tmassey]

I hate that question. I usually answer the same way I answered in my SB profile: I don’t know: does a straight beat a flush? If asked on paperwork, my answer is PADI Master. I carry that card and Nitrox in my wallet. If I need to show something else, I’ll do so only if asked for a specific card.

I’ve seen problems develop usually only one way: trying to show a card that’s too high. It either confuses someone, or makes them defensive or have an attitude. You want a nitrox card? You get a 40% nitrox card.

Oddly, at the high levels, I rarely have to show a card. Want a deco tank of O2? When they see my gear and if I’ve talked in general to them for a bit, they don’t ask for anything: they just give it to me.

Diving doubles exclusively seems to help that...