Posted by Kendall Raine on June 19, 2001 at 15:50:46:
In Reply to: "Probationary Diver" - what & how restricted? (nt) posted by AADIVER on June 19, 2001 at 15:07:34:
Bob didn't go that far so what follows is mine.
The probabtionary card has more psychological/optical value than restrictive value. It's not legal or even particularly formal. Afterall, diving remains self-regulated, and rightly so. It would make sense to prescribe limits for a probationary card, like no-deco, max depth of 60 fsw, common sense stuff like like.
A novice could request a regular card upon completion of x number of dives. You could require log books as evidence if you want. To me, what matters is that the trend of aggressively representing to people that they're ready to dive to 130 fsw after a "Deep Diving" specialty, or penetrate a wreck after a wreck specialty, is countered by the learner's permit nature of the probationary card. Personally, I'd like to see the deep, ice, wreck and cavern specialties stricken from the PADI menu altogether since I think PADI's merit badge approach is wholly antithetical to overhead diving. Yea, yea, I know, fat chance.
Please don't anyone point out that the above hypothetical system is open to abuse, OK. I know that. Regulations and restrictions ain't the point. The probabtionary card idea is based on the presumption that most divers, if properly educated, will use common sense and, with knowledge, self-regulate their risk exposure out of self-interest. The concept of a probationary card is simply one way to that end.