Lost my PADI card - do i need it for diving?

[fjpatrum]

The replacement costs $60, which sounds like an outrageous ripoff. Even downloading an electronic card for Android costs $60, which is even more ridiculous as it costs $0 for PADI to issue.
Do I need it to go diving or will any ID suffice (considering it's easy to look up online)?
I'm in Australia, if that matters at all.

Thanks.

If you're diving with a PADI operation, call them beforehand and see if they can look you up in their computer. If so, problem solved.

 

[Bopper]

Next recommendation....once you have it, take an electronic picture of both sides and keep a copy on your laptop and...smart phone as a back-up.

Smart! I just did that with mine.

 

[Mustard Dave]

I had a similar experience. I thought I'd dropped my wallet in a taxi and began the process of getting replacement cards. PADI's UK website said it was something like £22 so I sent a snotty email to customer services. The reply I got was as follows:

Dear David

I’m sorry to hear that you have lost your wallet containing your PADI card.

The current replacement card fee is £26.40 including VAT, whether you prefer to have an eCard or a plastic certification card.

This is our standard replacement card fee

Kind regards,

Natasha Weetch
Assistant, Customer Services
________________________________________
PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa
The Way the World Learns to Dive®

PADI are nothing but robbing bar-stewards!


A PADI dive centre should be able to look you up. If you go somewhere non-PADI affiliated, and there is a PC, you can go on the PADI website and log onto ScubaEarth - you need to sign up first (surprisingly PADI do not charge for this!). It will list all your PADI certs and the date you obtained them.

 

[Allan C Smith]

It's $37USD here in the States to replace a card. Absolutely outrageous IMO and when I found that out my opinion of PADI went way south.

I know some operators will verify that you're certified by verifying your identity then logging online to PADI and cross checking. Ironically, the way they verify is by going through the motions of ordering for a replacement card for you (of course they stop before they submit the payment).

EDIT: Typically you should contact them so they can verify you PRIOR to you arriving at the boat

Actually not true. Any Padi pro can do a dive check for you. With out having to go through the motions of getting a replacement.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

For $60 I would consider skipping the replacement and taking AOW.

The AOW card will be honored in place of the OW card everywhere and is sometimes needed for some dive op at deeper sites.

 

[Doc Hock]

I am glad this was brought up! I just scanned my cards, but it got me thinking, where do you keep your c-cards? I keep all but my AOW with my scuba gear in my dive bag in a ziploc. THe AOW is in my wallet, but it got me thinking what would happen if my dive bag was stolen? I know a lot of guys keep their c-cards in their dive gear and it got me thinking about it. WHy do I, I have heard some op won't let you dive without certain cards, such as Deep, Dive Suit, etc.

 

[spectrum]

Do you need it? Well sort of...
To buy air anywhere you want
To dive on any charter you are qualified for
To get into any private dive site

In some situations they can verify you online but same can't I'm sure some won't want to bother.

That being said it's just an OW card so play leapfrog to a next certification and make this part of deciding which agency you go with next. If you switch you will somehow need to convey to the the new agency that you have OW though. Maybe do PADI nitrox and go from there.

Pete

 

[fjpatrum]

Do you need it? Well sort of...
To buy air anywhere you want
To dive on any charter you are qualified for
To get into any private dive site

In some situations they can verify you online but same can't I'm sure some won't want to bother.

That being said it's just an OW card so play leapfrog to a next certification and make this part of deciding which agency you go with next. If you switch you will somehow need to convey to the the new agency that you have OW though. Maybe do PADI nitrox and go from there.

Pete

You know, I've always been asked for it when signing up for charters but no one has ever asked to see my card for air fills. Hell, I've only been asked for my Nitrox card in 1 place (of the 2 or 3 I've filled my tanks). Maybe they assume when I come in that I am certified because of something else I say or do but it's certainly not because they've seen my card. That said, I have yet to be on a [new to me] boat that didn't ask for it.

 

[Bratface]

I'm sure the dive op will look up your card but you may have to wait until all other divers are checked in or there may be some problem with the internet the day you go diving and you won't get to go because they can't verify your card. Many people show up here in the caribbean without their cards and have had it happen to them. I agree $60 is a big rip off for a replacement card. If you are going international, you may want the security of having your card so you can go diving.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Locally (California) being asked for a card is the exception rather than the rule. That maybe because most people locally are diving their own gear and the norm is to dive indepently.