Hi There, this is a great topic. This idea, although a very good one, is/will not be recieved well by the general scuba diving public. I am afraid that most will disagree with the idea of being forced to re-qualify by demonstrating certain pre-set physical skills or endurance, even if the physical skills/endurance level was skewed based on age and experience. The reasons that I have heard are: we need as many scuba divers as possible; all scuba divers dive different ways, some very relaxed and safe and others very stressed and take great risks, therefore it would be very hard to come up with some sort of guideline or standard that would be fair to all; we dont need any scuba police. My opinion is that it would be a good idea for certifed divers to have the opportunity to re-qualify if they want to. If they wanted to test themselves and see how they manage by having some sort of skill/endurance test, they would be able to. Of course, most could do this on their own, but I think it would be a good idea to offer some sort of cert, beyond a refresher course that would show that someone has done a re-qualify course.
I am pretty sure that this idea will flamed by other divers. There are divers who refuse to practice good safe dive habits, apparently because they dont want anyone telling them how to dive, regardless of the sound logic of the safe scuba diving habit and how accepted it is in the community. I am certain these people will not be in favor anyone judging there fitness/skill level. My opinion is that it is a good idea to offer it as an option if someone wanted to test themselves.