Every few months, we receive an inquiry from a scuba diver who has lost, misplaced, or otherwise no longer has their certification card. They’re often heading on a trip (or sometimes already on a trip) and need proof of scuba certification so they can rent gear, go diving, or take an advanced class.
So how does a certified diver get a replacement certification card if they’ve lost theirs?
Like so many things in diving – it depends. To better understand why, let’s take a brief look at the history of scuba certification courses and the certification credentials that divers carry.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
While professional scuba instruction had it’s roots in the early 1950s, instruction for recreational divers started in 1959 with theYMCA scuba course. Their program was the first nationally organized underwater diving instruction program offered in the U.S. IDEA started Internationally in 1952.Non-profit NAUI was also formed in 1959, followed bythe for-profit PADI in 1966. The National Association of Scuba Diving Schools (NASDS) started with their dive center based training programs in 1962 followed by SSI in 1970.Professional Diving Instructors College was formed in 1965, changing its name in 1984 to Professional Diving Instructors Corporation (PDIC). International Association of Nitrox Divers, IAND, was formed in 1985, thenTDI was founded in 1994 after a split away from International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD) in 1993. There are now literally hundreds of scuba diving agencies offering a wide range of certifications, and they go back to the beginning of recreational diving in the 1950s.
So what does all this history have to do with getting a new c-card?
While recreational diving in the U.S. goes back more than 60 years, computerized records of certified divers do not. When a certification is entered into a database, it can take just a few minutes for the certifying agency to retrieve it and provide proof of certification to the diver, dive shop, or instructor (and send a replacement card, if needed).
If you’ve been certified in the past 10-15 years, chances are your certification record is in a database and can be quickly retrieved by your local dive shop or instructor with a quick visit to the certifying agency’s website. (See the links at the end of the article). An online verification will be all that’s needed for a shop to rent you gear or a resort to take you diving, and a physical certification card can be ordered and mailed to you for future use (for a replacement fee of $10-$50). Most dive centers will also accept a copy of your certification email if you received one after your certification.
If your course was taken decades ago and if the records are not digitized, however, it’s often a deep dive to try to retrieve it. This can take weeks, months, or even be impossible for the certifying agency to locate, and it seems that most agencies only have digitized records going back a decade or two. If you were certified before the early 2000s, there’s a high likelihood that your past accomplishments are not stored digitally and you’ll need to take another approach, which generally means taking another certification class.
If you were certified internationally by IDEA, you’re in luck though.Replacement certification cards can be obtained at www.idea-scuba.com as they have complete records from 1952 to present.
GETTING A NEW CARD
If your original certification was a long time ago and the agency doesn’t have you in their system, you still have several options to continue your diving adventures.
Find your original instructor, card, or training certificate
If your original instructor still has your training records, they can provide these to the agency to verify your training. If your instructor is still active, they can also order a replacement card for you. Alternatively,If you can find an old certification card or certificate of training, you may be able to send this in to the certification agency as proof that you’ve taken a course with them. Combined with your approximate date of training and instructor’s name, they may issue a new card to you.
Take a “Resort Course” or hire a local instructor
If you’re currently on a vacation and cannot provide proof of certification, you may still be able to go diving by taking a “resort course” (PADI refers to this as their “Discover Scuba Diving” course, and NAUI is “Try Scuba” and “Passport Scuba Diver“). This is a greatly abbreviated scuba certification course, often taught in a pool, where an instructor will review the fundamentals with you. After that, the instructor will take you diving in open water, under their direct supervision.
You may also be able to hire an instructor from a local dive shop to dive with you for more flexibility and to visit a wider variety of sites. If you’re an experienced diver, you’ll get through the skill checklist quickly and be able to spend the rest of the time diving – with an instructor.
Obtain an “Experienced Diver” certification
NAUI offers aExperienced Diver certification for people who have experience diving but do not have a certification card (either because they’ve lose theirs or never obtained one).
This certification is available for divers at least 15 years of age with a minimum of 25 open water scuba dives but who do not have formal certification (such as military, commercial, or scientific divers). The course reviews all the knowledge and skills taught in the NAUI Scuba Diver course, based on the experience and needs of the student. Graduates receive NAUI Scuba Diver certification with all privileges thereof as a NAUI certified diver. If you’re already a certified diver with recent diving experience, it may be a good option for you.
Take another fullcertification course
Another option to receiving new certification card is to simply take another certification course. While many experienced divers may balk at the idea of taking a basic scuba certification course again, it’s actually a great option for many reasons.
Most current entry-level courses have an e-learning program where you can do all the academic work at home, then review in-person with an instructor. You can complete your pool training in a weekend or two, then complete 4-5 open water dives on another weekend. It’s a great way to review all your knowledge, learn new techniques and skills, and perhaps meet some new dive buddies along the way.
Realistically, if you haven’t been an active diver for many years and are interested in diving regularly again, it’s best to take another full certification course to make sure your skills and knowledge are up to par and that you’re ready to safely dive again.
If you’ve lost your certification cards, hopefully this will help clarify the steps to getting a new card. If you have any other suggestions, insights, or experiences, feel free to share them with us and we’ll update this article with any new information you may have.
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Here are some links that you might find helpful in obtaining a replacement certification card:
NAUI – Certification Card Replacement Order Form
NAUI – Online Certification Verification
PADI – Replacement Certification Card Application
PADI – Online Certification Check (See your local PADI dive center)
SSI – Replacement Card Information
SDI – Verification of Certification website
TDI – Verification of Certification website
CMAS – Diver Verification
BSAC – Verify Certification
