Disclaimer: This article reflects my opinion based on what I have seen in the 20 years I have been in the dive industry.
This might be a very unpopular opinion, and it is going to hurt some feelings—but your certification card itself means absolutely nothing anymore.
What do I mean by that? I have met divers with Open Water or simple Advanced cards who are highly capable, independent divers, and I have had instructors on guided dives who were absolute liabilities in the water. How did we get here? It should not be like this.
The Illusion of Independence (The Baseline Failure)
The ISO Lie:
Open Water certification standards technically describe an “independent diver,” but the reality is the exact opposite. Most newly certified divers are completely dependent, functional only when blindly following a guide or instructor. Some friends of mine who started diving in the era before BCDs told stories of instructors passing around photos of deceased divers during the first class to make people walk away if they were not fully committed.
Of course, this is the other end of the scale. We definitely don’t want to go back there, but now diving is sold as something easy to do. People who are not really interested sign up for a quick course somewhere on vacation. Most of the time, they are not willing to put much effort in; they just want to have some fun. Unmotivated and underpaid instructors rush them through the course under massive time constraints from employers who are trying to turn a profit on a $300–$400 course and hopefully sell the “Advanced” course at the same time.
The Disconnection in Standards:
These holiday divers get the exact same level of certification—one that is “valid worldwide”—as a diver who actually went through rigorous training and can truly plan and execute a dive in conditions similar to what they experienced on the course, just as the certification states. Usually, these complex training programs take place in colder climates and tougher conditions, where experienced instructors understand the liability of issuing a certification. Furthermore, because these divers train close to home, they have more time to add extra days as necessary to reach the required level to dive safely.
My Debate Statement:
Certification cards should not be automatically valid everywhere around the world. This needs to be emphasized more. A diver shouldn’t necessarily need a completely new course for a new region, but rather a short orientation specific to that environment. This rule should apply to every level, from beginner to instructor! Why do I say that? Look no further than the Linnea Mills case—if you are not familiar with it, look it up and be horrified. I put the case file here
The Resort Dilemma:
There is nothing wrong with people wanting to dive for fun on holiday. But we should not give them an “Autonomous Diver” certification because pretty much 0% of those resort courses prepare divers to operate at that level. Ask any instructor whether they would allow their freshly trained Open Water divers to buddy up and go diving without supervision. If they say NO, then why are they certifying them? The answer is because agencies have trained people this way for so long that even these instructors’ own instructors have never seen a fully capable Open Water diver. They literally cannot believe that it is possible to teach someone to that level.
Food for Thought:
We should absolutely continue giving people a fun introduction to the underwater world. But if they are not committed to the extra work and time, they should not get a certification stating they are something they are not. Maybe we could introduce a “Shallow Resort Diver to 18m” and a “Deep Resort Diver to 30m” certification, alongside relevant specialties. These individuals could continue their hobby as guided divers, have fun, and do all the activities they do now, but these cards would not count toward professional-level courses.
The Generational Decay of Instruction
The Defeatist Attitude:
Instructors frequently argue that it’s “impossible” to train a beginner to true competence within standard course timeframes. While it is literally true that a diver rarely reaches the required level in such a short window, the industry’s response is broken. Instead of leveling up the training, it was more commercially comfortable to accept this substandard timeline just to keep making money.
Blinded by the Baseline:
The acceptance of badly trained divers exists because the current generation of instructors has never actually seen or taught a rigorous, properly executed course. They are measuring success against an already broken, bottom-tier standard. If an Open Water student “survives”—even if they are visibly out of control of their buoyancy and need constant reminders to check their air pressure—the instructor feels forced to certify them after four dives because failing them is bad for business. An unhappy client might leave a bad review. Consequently, these divers will either lack confidence and probably never dive again, or—thanks to the Dunning-Kruger effect—they will think they know everything and jeopardize their own safety and that of their buddies.
The “Self-Regulating Market” Lie:
Let’s be honest. In most places, they cut confined water training to the absolute minimum. I have worked in big resorts where we were forced to break standards to quickly push students through their skills. The agencies didn’t care. They were 100% aware that standards were being broken, all while telling new professionals that this deviation was absolutely fine. Course Directors rigorously study overly detailed standards, thinking that if they teach by the book, the diver will be well-trained. But they frequently miss the point of looking at the actual student to see what is missing.
A Real-World Example:
I had a Divemaster trainee who was almost finished with his course when he came to assist me. After a few questions, I realized he had zero idea how a dive computer worked. No other instructor had told him to use one; his last dive with a computer had been during his Rescue course. The dive center provided free computers for all courses, including Divemasters, but nobody had bothered to tell him to grab one. When I pointed this out to his mentors, they cited time constraints and argued, “The candidate is just doing the course for fun, he doesn’t plan to work as a Divemaster.” Sure, for now—but what if he changes his mind later? Will his card state that his course was rushed and merely a box-ticking exercise? Obviously not.
The Domino Effect:
Poorly trained Open Water divers become poorly trained Advanced divers, who become poorly trained Rescue divers, eventually becoming incompetent instructors. The rot rolls upward, degrading the entire industry. They accept this substandard level as normal because it is all they have seen throughout their entire careers. It will be incredibly difficult to change course and raise the level again.
The Standards Lie:
Let’s look at just one example: most agencies allow an 8:1 student-to-instructor ratio, then conveniently add the fine print to “reduce ratios as necessary.” I would love to see any executive member of a major training agency effectively teach a class of eight Open Water divers on their own—even if the students are perfect and the conditions are better than ideal. It is impossible. Even if everything goes absolutely perfectly, by the time the group finishes practising skills, at least one student will be low on air and the class will have no time left to go for an underwater tour. This teaches them zero independence or navigation skills; they just spend the dive praying another diver won’t kick their mask off. There is simply no way to properly supervise a group that size.
I have taught many classes with six divers, and to be honest, we had some close calls. If ratios need to be reduced in almost every real-world case, it proves the baseline number is too high. But because that magic number “8” is written in the manual, dive shop owners and managers—who often haven’t taught in years or aren’t instructors themselves—assume it’s easily doable and wonder why the instructors are complaining. In places where the managers are actively teaching instructors, the ratio is almost always capped at 2 to 4 students. Ratios for children should be even more restricted, and instructors should get extra training on practicing sound judgement – for example why would one buddy up kids together in bad visibility? We all know the case I am referring to, but in case you are not familiar with it, here is the article.
Instructors are not encouraged to exercise caution:
While understandably the dive centre manager wants to see the job done, it is rare that the instructor’s call is truly supported. I have talked to instructors where management left the instructor to argue with the client about payments and missed dives. It is not their job! If the management does not trust the instructor to make good decisions, should not employ them. If they do, then back them up! Big shoutout to my former boss Simon, who always backed us up!
The Plastic Worthlessness of C-Cards
The Illusion of the Plastic Trophy:
Certification cards have become participation trophies. A wallet full of plastic or a digital profile packed with specialties does not equal competence; it just means you paid the retail fees. Even in a best-case scenario, a card only proves that a diver possessed the knowledge and skills at the exact hour of their check-out dive. The industry treats these titles like status symbols to be collected. I have had students with instructor cards sign up for technical diving courses who actively struggled with basic mask skills. When I stopped the course, they asked to just do guided dives at their current certification level instead. The harsh truth is that their actual ability belonged in an Open Water confined water session. You are not supposed to leave a confined area until basic skills are mastered to the point where you can repeat them at any time with total ease. Buying a title doesn’t change your baseline skill level.
Skill and Muscle Memory Decay:
Divers operate under the delusion that a skill learned once for 30 seconds in a swimming pool a decade ago remains permanently hardwired into their brain. It doesn’t. Skills go away, physiological adaptations decay, and memory fades under stress. This applies to every single tier of the sport, all the way to the top. I have seen rebreather divers certified to 100 meters and beyond kneeling down at 90 meters and bouncing uncontrollably around on the bottom. I could not believe my eyes—but yes, it happens. If you do not actively maintain your muscle memory, you are a beginner with a dangerous title.
The Liability in Deep Water:
High-level certification titles often mask deep-seated panic and a lack of fundamental skills. A highly certified, incompetent diver is the biggest liability on a boat because their ego outpaces their ability. Many divers are incapable of making good decisions, even when risking their own lives. For example, on a recent liveaboard, a diver had to perform an emergency swimming ascent because they ran out of air. How did it happen? They kept signalling to the guide that they were low on air, but they were ignored. If you are low on air, you deploy your SMB and ascend with your buddy. Why would you continue following a guide who is leading you to a potential death? But because divers are conditioned to trust their guides and instructors blindly, they do not question them even when they are obviously wrong.
The Solution: Hard Expirations and Proven Competence
End the “Begging” for Refreshers:
The industry’s current approach—politely begging or recommending a “Scuba Review” or refresher course—is a pathetic failure that caters entirely to diver vanity. Some divers throw a tantrum when asked to perform a simple check dive (not even a refresher) before going on a deeper adventure. They should be the ones asking for it!
Hard Expiry Dates:
Certifications must have an expiration date tied to a combination of elapsed time and logged, verified dives. No recent dives? The card expires. On online forums when someone asking how to get back in the water after a 10 year gap in diving, even instructors recommend taking a scuba review, instead of re-taking the entire course, because that is what the standard says and cards are valid forever. Ok, the diver refreshes some open water diver skills. What about knowledge about the rest of their levels? If they are AOW or deep diver? There is no refresher on that. But the person will not be ready to jump back to their previous level. Even people who dive regularly lose certain skills. It should be normalised to go and refresh them all, and have awareness about what is not there anymore.
A possible solution: Earn It or Re-Do It:
If a diver cannot actively demonstrate strict skill proficiency and current theoretical knowledge upon assessment, they shouldn’t get a quick tune-up—they should be forced to re-take and re-pay for the entire course from scratch. This is a completely accepted procedure in many other fields, like aviation or skydiving. Hobby pilots and flight instructors have to prove their abilities regularly to keep their licenses. Paying an annual renewal fee should not be enough to maintain teaching status. Even actively teaching isn’t a guarantee of quality anymore, as the results show. I have seen seasoned instructors telling students shockingly false and dangerous information, or instructors who are completely unable to perform the skills themselves. All agencies promote teaching neutrally buoyant, but I am still waiting to see a class where the students perform skills while hovering. Honestly, I’m surprised if I even see the instructor do it. But with the lack of a governing body, who will be an impartial person to do a peer review of whether an instructor is still capable of teaching up to the necessary level?
Concluding Thoughts
- A Wake-Up Call: If a diver’s feelings are hurt by demanding they actually prove they can survive independently underwater, they shouldn’t be in the water in the first place. Safety doesn’t care about ego.
- The Market Will Force It: If the dive industry does not level up and shift its own standards, external forces will do it for them. Governments will step in. Insurance companies will deny coverage—which is already beginning to happen in some parts of the world. We will see an increasing number of accidents if we don’t do something drastic soon.
- The Bottom Line: We need better instructors who are genuinely committed to the job, which is only possible if an instructor can actually live on their salary. Maybe course prices should go up. Diving should not be a cheap sport. Course prices have stagnated for a long time while everything else has gotten more expensive. How is that sustainable? You tell me.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! What could help the situation? Organised workshops for divers and instructors? How could we level up the knowledge of divers and the quality of instruction?
