Posted by Low Requirements for Rescue Certification on June 17, 2000 at 23:22:16:
OK, I'm about to go on a rant here, so names have been omitted to protect the innocent. I need to know - am I being overly sensitive, or do I have a valid concern here? I'm in the middle of taking a rescue diver course (PADI) and I just found out that the classmate I've been buddied with hasn't been diving in 2 years, has never been diving in California or ANY temperate waters, and has no idea how to check his bouyancy with a 7mm suit. Today in the pool I had to help him put on his BC, because he's forgotten how to do it. When I suggested that maybe he take a refresher dive with an instructor or perhaps a tune-up class, he didn't even know the option was available to him. I don't think that the instructor or the shop has ever asked how much experience anyone in the class has or how recently they've been diving. All anyone needed to prove was that they had an AOW cert. This really, really bugs me. How can someone who doesn't have basic diving skills be expected to help anyone else in an emergency? The rescue class is a wonderful class for anyone to take, but shouldn't a shop make sure that the person have at least basic, current skills before they sign up? Isn't this just common sense?