Posted by Bill Johnson on November 20, 2001 at 11:58:12:
In Reply to: The 60 foot limit posted by Wayne on November 20, 2001 at 11:05:49:
Wayne,
You point out that the OW card has no limits printed on it. Does that mean that a diver in possession of such a card is qualified to dive to any depth or in any environment? Obviously not. I would also point out that virtually no card (ie. normoxic trimix, etc.) has it's limits printed on it. However, most diving professionals are familiar with the limits of each course, so they don't need to have the limits printed on the card.
The fact of the matter remains: Open Water training only addresses open water diving to 60' during the day. Does that mean that after 20 dives of experience, the Open Water Diver is reasonably capable of diving to 100'? The experienced Open Water Diver MAY be capable of a dive to 100'. But does that also mean that after 300 reef dives, the Open Water Diver is now capable of a dive to 130' or 200'?
The bottom line is that it is reasonable for operators to base descisions on the lowest common denominator (as you pointed out). It would be unreasonable for an operator to believe their boatload of Open Water Divers are all experienced, practiced and self-educated enough to steam off to an advanced dive site.
One thing is certain: an Open Water Diver has been at least minimally trained to dive in open water to 60' during the day.
Regards,
Bill