Should a C-Card be Required to Buy Gear?

[Diver Dennis]

Should my mom or my significant other be prohibited from buying me a SCUBA present like a computer because she doesn't have a C-card? Hmmmm...

I think your heart is in the right place, but it is just not practical, and anything that could potentially hurt sales in this business is definitely not going to happen.

Gift certificates will work. A good choice, especially if the non diving buyer does not know anything about equipment but as you point out, tough to police on internet sales.

I would hope that there aren't many people stupid enough to buy equipment and try and learn to dive on their own but I'm certain there are some.

 

[Lone Frogman]

Should a car be sold to someone with suspended license?
Should a gun be sold to someone without hunter safety class?
Should yeast be sold to someone under the age of 21?

There are more important things to regulate - guns, alcohol, cars.... I think it is silly to regulate scuba equipment. It is nothing more than expensive toys.

What he said and ...., I voted don't even go there.

 

[ScubaTexan]

See above (#9)

 

[oreocookie]

What do the three choices have to do with having a c-card... or anything else?

ps- if a reader has "no opinion", the generally won't respond to the poll.

The idea behind the 3 choices is that some people want to buy gear so they can use it during class, maybe a good idea. To a certain extent, that's part of the question... in general, during an OW class, you get to try some equipment, maybe how much different gear you try depends on your lds, but you've tried some before buying. if you want to look at the question as " should the sale of scuba gear be regulated?" then consider the options: Yes, definitely... Yes, to a certain extent... Not really... Definitely Not.

as for the no opinion, i probably should have put something along the lines of "on the fence" or something, but i didn't

 

[Doc]

There are more important things to regulate - guns, alcohol, cars.... I think it is silly to regulate scuba equipment. It is nothing more than expensive toys.

You've been buying the wrong guns, alcohol and cars if you're not calling them expensive toys.

 

[jimdiverman]

The idea behind the 3 choices is that some people want to buy gear so they can use it during class, maybe a good idea. To a certain extent, that's part of the question... in general, during an OW class, you get to try some equipment, maybe how much different gear you try depends on your lds, but you've tried some before buying. if you want to look at the question as " should the sale of scuba gear be regulated?" then consider the options: Yes, definitely... Yes, to a certain extent... Not really... Definitely Not.

as for the no opinion, i probably should have put something along the lines of "on the fence" or something, but i didn't

You seem to be talking about two completely different things...
1) Trying out new gear before you buy it as a new diver, and
2) Restricting sales of most SCUBA gear to certified divers.

I totally agree with number 1. That is what I did. I put money "on account" with my LDS until I was Advanced OW certified, had used a number of different gear items out of rental, and decided on what I wanted to purchase.

I completely disagree with item #2 for my previously stated reasons.

 

[300bar]

No way,how about your granny want to buy you scubagear for xmass.
Get real,does she has to get het OW before buying you a present.

 

[oreocookie]

You seem to be talking about two completely different things...
1) Trying out new gear before you buy it as a new diver, and
2) Restricting sales of most SCUBA gear to certified divers.

You're right, I should have phrased the question slightly differently, my intended question was more along the lines of #1, but since it hasn't turned out quite that way, I'm still interested to hear people views about #2, if there should be any restrictions at all, though I know that it would be almost impossibly to police such a restriction.

 

[Diver Dennis]

It's pointless to have any restrictions if you can't police them.

 

[300bar]

That's exactly what I meant, I didn't consider buying for other people as gifts, and was thinking items such as tanks, BCs and regs, the main equipment that will get a new diver into the water.

And even so,who am I or you,to tell anybody what they can or can't do.:no
It's their life,NOT yours,NOT mine.
You can buy a gun and shoot your brains out,who's gonna stop you.