Should Dive Certifications be a "license"

[Quero]

...let them be shark bait...
...You can't spend your entire life worring about everyone else.
...bottom line, more room on the dive boat for me...

But when a diver is trained in rescue techniques (as a rescue diver, for example) and is on a boat with a "shark bait" diver who needs rescuing, the rescue diver is morally bound to participate in the rescue as long as it does not present an unreasonable danger to her/himself; further, s/he may be *legally* bound as well. For dive professionals the duty of care (i.e., "worrying about people") is even more pressing. Saying that unskilled divers who may get into trouble are "shark bait" and "leave more space on the boat" for more proficient divers is a bit harsh, IMO.

While I do not believe that most divers I see need full-scale bi-annual recertification documentation (as described by DiverDaniel), I can recognize that this kind of across-the-board regulation is easier to enforce than a reporting system that would require individual divers to get a refresher or give up diving. If the agencies themselves made a strict 6-month rule, there would no doubt be a hue and cry claiming they were doing it simply to "sell" a refresher course, with that tired old refrain "the almighty dollar" rearing its ugly head.

[acelockco]

But when a diver is trained in rescue techniques (as a rescue diver, for example) and is on a boat with a "shark bait" diver who needs rescuing, the rescue diver is morally bound to participate in the rescue as long as it does not present an unreasonable danger to her/himself; further, s/he may be *legally* bound as well. For dive professionals the duty of care (i.e., "worrying about people") is even more pressing. Saying that unskilled divers who may get into trouble are "shark bait" and "leave more space on the boat" for more proficient divers is a bit harsh, IMO.

A bit harsh, yes, but that is the way I usually am.

As far as an unreasonable danger, how is this for reasonable. If I am on a dive boat and see something happen, I think I could make the danger reasonable as long as I had already completed 1 dive. See, during your surface interval you are decompressing, it is not advised to do much physical activity while decompressing. I think being in any part of a rescue operation would put me at risk of getting decompression sickness. Now that is my story and I am sticking to that one.

Now I definately understand your side of things as you are a dive operator and have to take responsibility of these people. Most operations take care of this by requesting to see your log book so they take you to an appropriate dive location. I know you are not going to be taking newly certified divers to the deep technical dives with low visibility and strong currents. Just as I know if you enjoy having a long term business, you will also not bring highly skilled divers to the shallow 25 foot reef that has 100 feet of visibility, no current, no challange for them and nothing new to see.

Isn't it nice that you can do it how you want rather than being told another way to do things?