It's my understanding that once you are certified for SCUBA and passed the test ... you are certified for life.
EEEEEEEEEK! Does seem they'd require some sort of refresher course!
It's been almost 15 years for us (daughters wanted to do it when they were young) and I certainly wouldn't be qualified to scuba now ... even if I wanted to.
Seriously, is this true: Once Certified, Always Certified?
However, as was stated, most dive operators I've used require your last dive be within the last 6 months to a year, otherwise they insist you do a refresher dive with an instructor. I think this is a very good idea, but unfortunately there's no way to verify when someone's last dive was. They could look at your dive book, but most divers don't keep them up to date, so the operator just has to take the diver's word for it.
I have over150 dives and am open water, advanced open water, and rescue diver certified, but I don't care how many dives someone has or how certified they are - the most important thing about scuba diving is safety and that is something you never want to take for granted at 100' underwater!
If it's been more than a couple of years, I would highly recommend someone do a refresher dive just for their own safety. Most dive shops will do this for a small fee at a local pool before you go on vacation. And if you haven't used your equipment in a year, I would also highly recommend you have it serviced by a qualified technician.
It's my understanding that once you are certified for SCUBA and passed the test ... you are certified for life.
EEEEEEEEEK! Does seem they'd require some sort of refresher course!
It's been almost 15 years for us (daughters wanted to do it when they were young) and I certainly wouldn't be qualified to scuba now ... even if I wanted to.
Seriously, is this true: Once Certified, Always Certified?
I have my C card and have not scuba dived for a long time. I am glad that I can use my own judgment and take whatever refresher dives I would feel comfortable with and not some government person telling me I can or cannot dive.
I'm not aware of any laws that require certification before scuba diving, so government would not get involved in this. But I don't know any reputable dive operation that does not require certification before taking you on a dive. Since the certifications are issued by various agencies such as PADI, NAUI, SSI, YMCA, etc, it's basically up to them to issue requirements and advisories, while it's up to the dive operators to set their own policies.
I once dove with a group and we were all asked to show our C cards and asked when our last dive was. One guy said he forgot his card and the dive operator let him dive anyway. Turns out, he was not certified and had never dived before. His buddy talked him into going on the dive and they basically lied about everything. When they got down to 85', this guy was sucking up air like crazy. He used up his air in 15 minutes and had to surface - the rest of us were down for about 55 minutes. He also did not clear his nose properly on the way down and ended up with a bloody nose. He's lucky he didn't kill himself!
Obviously, I blame him for being an idiot, but I blame his friend who should have known better and also the dive operator for not insisting he prove he had been certified. Luckily, in this case, there were no major injuries or fatalities.
Because scuba diving certification is not regulated by law, there are always going to be problems like this. So I'm not sure that implementing laws is a bad thing. After all, we're required to take tests to get a driver's license, which must be renewed periodically. I wouldn't have a problem with the same type of requirement for a scuba license. After all, laws are made to protect people. And yes, often these laws are made to protect people against themselves and their own stupidity. But others can be affected by someone using bad judgement.
For example; my rescue instructor told me about an instructor friend of his who was trying to help a diver that had gotten himself in trouble. The diver was not with the instructor, but was from another boat. Long story short, because the diver was very new to diving and attempting a dive that he was not qualified for, he got into a situation that he could not get out of and resulted in the death of the instructor who was trying to rescue him.
Bottom line is, scuba is an awesome adventure into an amazing world. But it's like anything else in life; if you do it right, you can enjoy something truly wonderful. But if you do it wrong, it is dangerous and can result in death or permanent injury if not treated with utmost respect and concern for safety.
Unfortunately, there are too many people that treat scuba diving too lightly.
I am certified but have not dove for quit a few year. I would not consider diving again without taking a refresher course.
I do not know if it a local law here but when I recall being told that you can not rent tanks without showing your C-card.
I did rent a tank and dove alone once many years ago. The dive was to bolt together supports for a dock we were building at my dads cabin. I was only in about 8 feet of water. I had others keeping a close eye on me just in case.
I am certified but have not dove for quit a few year. I would not consider diving again without taking a refresher course.
I do not know if it a local law here but when I recall being told that you can not rent tanks without showing your C-card.
I did rent a tank and dove alone once many years ago. The dive was to bolt together supports for a dock we were building at my dads cabin. I was only in about 8 feet of water. I had others keeping a close eye on me just in case.
Reputable operators will not rent you equipment or fill your tanks without your C card. But if you have tanks and they are full, you can go diving anywhere without a C card, especially if no operator is involved. I have a friend who dives lakes and ponds at golf courses to retrieve golf balls. Makes alot of money, but even though he has all the equipment and fills his own tanks, he's never gotten certified. So anything is possible if you want to beat the system.
I am certified but have not dove for quit a few year. I would not consider diving again without taking a refresher course.
I do not know if it a local law here but when I recall being told that you can not rent tanks without showing your C-card.
I did rent a tank and dove alone once many years ago. The dive was to bolt together supports for a dock we were building at my dads cabin. I was only in about 8 feet of water. I had others keeping a close eye on me just in case.
Bliz .... Our next door neighbors often do this in our lake to check out our docks' structure. It's quite helpful to all of us and they like the opportunity to check out their equipment . Good for you! Feel certain what you did was MUCH appreciated.
I have my C card and have not scuba dived for a long time. I am glad that I can use my own judgment and take whatever refresher dives I would feel comfortable with and not some government person telling me I can or cannot dive.
Yes! So much better when we can make our OWN decisions without goverment intervention! We know better than anyone what we can and can not do!
I my case, it's totally unlikely I'll ever dive again ... just don't want anyone telling me I would not be allowed to do so.
While I absolutely have NO wish to ever SCUBA again, I really do like having my "C Card" ....
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SCUBA: Once Certified -- Always Certified
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SCUBA: Once Certified -- Always Certified
EEEEEEEEEK! Does seem they'd require some sort of refresher course!
It's been almost 15 years for us (daughters wanted to do it when they were young) and I certainly wouldn't be qualified to scuba now ... even if I wanted to. 
Yes! So much better when we can make our OWN decisions without goverment intervention! We know better than anyone what we can and can not do! 
While I absolutely have NO wish to ever SCUBA again, I really do like having my "C Card" .... 
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