Not certified and still diving? How???

[ereediver]

Now this is an interesting thread, according to some PADI divers are poorly trained menaces to the dive community and a danger to themselves and others, but Joe Blow reads Alba Gerbawits's rules to SCUBA diving on line, no problem (fictional Characters, and resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental).
I glad other folks in the more civilized areas of the world don't have to worry about liability Codo's to you. On this side of the pond we do. Unfortunately if the moron injures or kills themselves, next of kin is there on the how much can I get bandwagon.
As for me, yes it is possible to dive without certification. It's possible to drive without a license. Would I do it "no", would I recommend it again "no" In fact it may be a good idea to completely remove that from the profile. It is too easy to lie about it anyway. So as with any advise, believe it if you want, or don't your choice. Heck you get bomb making advice on the internet. Having some recognized body give you information you can trust is essential whatever it calls itself.

 

[Rhone Man]

I think all the stuff about veteran divers needs to be balanced: in the old days, the only way they learned was by experience. Nowadays, you can take a short, conside course almost anywhere in the world and learn the basics of safe diving from an experienced instructor. So if you were starting from scratch today, why wouldn't you?

 

[CycloneFever]

Now this is an interesting thread, according to some PADI divers are poorly trained menaces to the dive community and a danger to themselves and others, but Joe Blow reads Alba Gerbawits's rules to SCUBA diving on line, no problem... Having some recognized body give you information you can trust is essential whatever it calls itself.

Yes

Nowadays, you can take a short, conside course almost anywhere in the world and learn the basics of safe diving from an experienced instructor. So if you were starting from scratch today, why wouldn't you?

and yes.

I just don't get the 'anti-teaching' establishment.

 

[captain]

Yes

I just don't get the 'anti-teaching' establishment.

It's not an anti teaching establishment, it's those who refuse to accept that others can learn just as much, just as well without a teacher. Just because one person can't learn on his own doesn't mean everyone can't.

 

[james croft]

I have been diving since 1967. For twenety years I did not have a C-card. I could get air with no problem. I felt I was up to date on diving skills and theory. I was self-taught and had dozens of books on the subject that I read thoroughly. As a small kid I learned how to equalize and clear a mask from a book and tried it in a pool-no sweat. I understood navy dive tables and could calculate how long I should stay down for. I never had a problem. Now I have been diving for almost 42 years and have hundreds of books on diving and dozens of cards.

The way I see it I was just as safe in the 1960's as I am the way I am diving now. There are a couple of things I do different, like safety stops, nitrox, and making even slower ascents than I did back in the day, but I suspect I could do without them and not get hurt. I do not recommend not getting training but am saying it can be done if a person gets the knowlege to do it safely, either by reading or by being mentored by a knowleable friend.

FWIW, my first C-card I got by swapping an instructor a pony bottle for the card.

 

[seaducer]

It's not an anti teaching establishment, it's those who refuse to accept that others can learn just as much, just as well without a teacher. Just because one person can't learn on his own doesn't mean everyone can't.

Yeah. But those people are becoming extinct today I am afraid. Back when it was common, or even necessary to teach yourself how to dive, people were independent, resourcefull, intellectual, and tough.

Even the children. Why, I remember playing on monkey bars that were way over my head, and on asphalt or concrete. When you fell off, you got hurt. Today, you need more pads than an offensive lineman in the NFL to climb 3 feet off the ground, which is covered in shredded tires. I used to ride my bike 3 miles to school, with just my friends. Now they can't even walk themselves to school if the school is directly across the street!

I remember my grandfather's car didn't have seat belts, they were optional. Now my car screams at me if I try to back it out of the garage just to wash it if I don't buckle up.

See, today's adults are just not that interesting. They are not that adventurous. They only want to pretend what they are doing is a little bit dangerous, for the rush. They certainly don't want to risk anything.

Older generations may well have ruined the planet, but mine is ruining the human spirit, what with their bicycle helmets and travel soccer teams Not to mention we are raising idiots who can't spell anything that has more than three letters. Or think that numbers and symbols are acceptable substitutes. Hell I am going back to college for a degree and I see it with the college students.
So yeah, if kids in college can't tell the difference between "you" and "u" on a term paper, they sure as hell can't learn scuba by themselves.

But you can be darn sure that they will one day be the lawyers that make sure no one gets the chance to do anything by themselves anymore... We just are no longer pioneering, no longer adventurous. If you can't do it on WII, it is just too dangerous.

NASA will never get to Mars, we don't have the guts to ask those that would to even go to the Moon...:depressed:

 

[CycloneFever]

It's not an anti teaching establishment, it's those who refuse to accept that others can learn just as much, just as well without a teacher. Just because one person can't learn on his own doesn't mean everyone can't.

But I don't really see that viewpoint being attacked. I do see the certification agencies being attacked though with money hungry and worthless training type insinuations.

I can totally understand the viewpoint that it's possible for people to learn on their own. I would even concede that as many as 'many' people (I wouldn't say 'most') could learn to dive safely on their own or with a non-certified instructor. And there's little doubt that in order to really be a great diver, there's lots of work to be done after learning the basics (outside of instruction, i.e. gaining experience).

But it's an valid concern that if someone is not certified, you have no way (unless you know the person) of knowing whether a person is safe to dive with or not. Certification doesn't guarantee that a person is a great diver, but it does impart an expectation that at least the person has been through a planned classroom learning session, and has practiced and demonstrated certain skills on confined and open water dives.

And yet some people are against this?

By the way, these comments are coming from someone who lives where it is dry and flat, knows no one who has ever SCUBA dived in their life, but wants to learn how. Good thing I view agency instruction/certification as a good option. For me, it's the only option.

 

[Rhone Man]

Why, I remember playing on monkey bars that were way over my head, and on asphalt or concrete. When you fell off, you got hurt. Today, you need more pads than an offensive lineman in the NFL to climb 3 feet off the ground, which is covered in shredded tires. I used to ride my bike 3 miles to school, with just my friends. Now they can't even walk themselves to school if the school is directly across the street!

I have some sympathy with the "kids are too molly-coddled these days" view, but only up to a point. It is pretty hard to tell someone who has had to bury their kid that we shouldn't try quite so hard to protect them.

 

[Sas]

Yeah. But those people are becoming extinct today I am afraid. Back when it was common, or even necessary to teach yourself how to dive, people were independent, resourcefull, intellectual, and tough.

Even the children. Why, I remember playing on monkey bars that were way over my head, and on asphalt or concrete. When you fell off, you got hurt. Today, you need more pads than an offensive lineman in the NFL to climb 3 feet off the ground, which is covered in shredded tires. I used to ride my bike 3 miles to school, with just my friends. Now they can't even walk themselves to school if the school is directly across the street!

I remember my grandfather's car didn't have seat belts, they were optional. Now my car screams at me if I try to back it out of the garage just to wash it if I don't buckle up.

See, today's adults are just not that interesting. They are not that adventurous. They only want to pretend what they are doing is a little bit dangerous, for the rush. They certainly don't want to risk anything.

Older generations may well have ruined the planet, but mine is ruining the human spirit, what with their bicycle helmets and travel soccer teams Not to mention we are raising idiots who can't spell anything that has more than three letters. Or think that numbers and symbols are acceptable substitutes. Hell I am going back to college for a degree and I see it with the college students.
So yeah, if kids in college can't tell the difference between "you" and "u" on a term paper, they sure as hell can't learn scuba by themselves.

But you can be darn sure that they will one day be the lawyers that make sure no one gets the chance to do anything by themselves anymore... We just are no longer pioneering, no longer adventurous. If you can't do it on WII, it is just too dangerous.

NASA will never get to Mars, we don't have the guts to ask those that would to even go to the Moon...:depressed:

Wow, way to generalise! And I notice you provide no evidence for all your generalisations.

I imagine your parents' generation thought pretty much the same about your generation. Every single generation thinks the one that comes after it is worse than them. I can't wait to see what I will be saying about young people when I get older

 

[ZzzKing]

P-P-People try to p-p-put us down...
J-J-Just because we g-g-get around...
Things they do look awful c-c-cold...
Hope I die before I get old.

-Townsend