How to answer "what is your highest certification level"?

[JohnN]

Most often when diving with a new dive operator or even the same dive operator with a new/different crew you will be asked a few questions such as when was your last dive, have you dived in cold water, how many dives and what is your highest certification level.

I can easily tell the op when my last dive was, how many and if I have cold water experience.

I don't know the answer to the last question because I don't know how different certifications are ranked. I am guessing that OW is the lowest, AOW next, Rescue next. Where do the other certifications rank? If asked does does Solo/Self reliant rank higher? How about Deep or Wreck or Cave, Nitrox, drysuit, etc?

Most often when diving with a new dive operator or even the same dive operator with a new/different crew you will be asked a few questions such as when was your last dive, have you dived in cold water, how many dives and what is your highest certification level.

I can easily tell the op when my last dive was, how many and if I have cold water experience.

I don't know the answer to the last question because I don't know how different certifications are ranked. I am guessing that OW is the lowest, AOW next, Rescue next. Where do the other certifications rank? If asked does does Solo/Self reliant rank higher? How about Deep or Wreck or Cave, Nitrox, drysuit, etc?

 

[Bob118]

A while back, I had to email my certifications when booking NITROX dives in advance. I sent my trimix card and they wouldn't accept it.

 

[Cdncoldwater]

A while back, I had to email my certifications when booking NITROX dives in advance. I sent my trimix card and they wouldn't accept it.

That's crazy, to my knowledge nitrox is a prerequisite for trimix; must have been inexperienced staff.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That's crazy, to my knowledge nitrox is a prerequisite for trimix; must have been inexperienced staff.

That's an insult to inexperienced staff.

@Peter Guy experienced the same thing. He asked for trimix without the helium. LOL. They still said no.

 

[scubadada]

Why not just supply the certification the operator is asking for?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

This is why I always have my Advanced Nitrox card with me along with my trimix & solo cards. The TDI AN cards clearly state ‘qualified in the use of 22 to 100% oxygen’. To the untrained staff the TDI Trimix cards don’t clearly state what level of oxygen you are trained to use. If a staff member doesn’t understand the TDI training progression I could see how they could come to the conclusion that a Trimix card wasn’t adequate.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Why not just supply the certification the operator is asking for?

to carry fewest cards? You'd think a trimix card would basically cover everything.

 

[DavidFL]

A while back, I had to email my certifications

The most recent activity in the thread is in response to a post about emailing certs, so carrying fewest cards wasn't the issue.

I have scanned copies on my phone and in the cloud, and when I'm showing up to dive with a recreational dive operator that is new to me, I carry an ancient instructor card [for 'highest level of certification'; much more recent tech certs notwithstanding] and my PADI Nitrox card. I always make sure to get that screening done before boarding the boat so the physical cert cards go back to my truck.

In all of the frustrations of dealing with bureaucracy, getting past the screening to book dives or board boats ranks pretty low. I'm glad the operator is still operating and has found at least some entry level people to do the screening stuff. It has been my experience that a high percentage of dive professionals in the day-to-day recreational dive industry have little or no knowledge of tech training, tech certification agencies, tech diving equipment configurations, so not surprising that someone doing screening by email wouldn't.

Maybe I'll start a thread in the pub about checking in for a medical appointment for which I always have to surrender my insurance cards and ID for either scanning or matching with whatever they scanned in the past, and then being asked to manually fill in forms with the information on those scanned cards.

 

[azstinger11]

I like using my LA County card, so far only one shop in Florida said we won’t take it.

 

[scubadada]

I like using my LA County card, so far only one shop in Florida said we won’t take it.

I got this card almost 16 years before you were born, haven't shown it for quite a while. I used to show it for fun (mine), it was never turned down, but I did have to offer an explanation sometimes. I always had a more modern backup card, just in case. I have always regretted not having the time to take the LA County Advanced Diver Program before I moved from Los Angeles in 1980