Using C-card images in lieu of actual cards

[Irish Diver]

Thanks for the program. I downloaded the dives from my computer and then began the arduous process of manually entering dives to get me up to date. Fortunately, all went smoothly.

I am curious as to whether anyone has used the PDF images of their C-Cards in lieu of actually producing the actual cards to a dive operation or dive boat? This is a great feature of the program, but I question whether dive operations are wary of relying on mere images. Thanks

[nick]

A good question - I've never tried it, but I would expect it may depend on the operator. Some are more strict than others.

I'm fairly sure that I've been diving with someone who didn't have their card, and I believe they looked up his name etc on the PADI site and verified it. So the card image would have the number and make that easy - I'm sure it's enough, but I'd take my card just in case. Perhaps a useful backup if you forget it?

[findbenjamin]

A caveat:
While the advent of the internet is entirely wonderful, not all dive operations have access to / can access at the time, the various cert. orgs. web presences.

With that in mind, I carry my c-card, and a photocopy of front and back taped to my paper log, and a digital copy of front and back on my iPhone. I showed a dive outfit in Hawaii the image that I embedded in MacDive, and while they were impressed with the application, they weren't happy as using the image alone as verification... however when I pulled out my manual dive log and iPhone copies, they were ok (I also had my c-card, but this was a test to check a lost c-card scenario).

[AH_Matt]

I've recently used a color copy of my Advanced OW card with two dive operators (plastic cards stuck in the mail). Of course, this was all within two hours of home and most dive operators know each other.

[Martin]

I was buying some gas in a shop a couple of months ago and when it came time to pay the blending operative asked to see a card. I had no card but had C cards available loaded in to MacDive and iOS synced with dive log on my iPhone which I showed him. Said operative stated he could only accept cards and that images were no good.

He probably uses two tobacco tins and a piece of string as a phone and thinks aeroplanes are the devils machines as well.

I collect my gas next week

Martin