|
Greg - 5/19/2013 2:59 PM 
Its technically supposed to be your legal name, but if it’s close enough, I don’t think it will matter. The scuba certification agency just doesn’t want one person taking a class for someone else :)
|
|
|
What about middle compared to first name?
|
|
|
Probably best to contact the certifying agency.;)
|
|
|
|
Greg - 5/19/2013 4:54 PM
It’s up to the agency. But using
the same name that is on a government issued ID would be best, especially if you lost the c-card and you needed to prove you are who you say you are.
|
|
|
|
Ok, I’ll have him contact the agency. That’s true about proof. It’s a complicated situation, we’ll probably just get him the name on his passport temporarily and then once that switches over we’ll change his c-card as well. Thanks for the advice! =)
|
|
|
I have some experience with this same issue . When I got certified, I used my middle name on my c card (that’s the name I use socially). Through the years so many times I seemed to be two different people, with my first name on my credit cards, passport, etc. When I most recently got my dry suit cert, the agency sent a new card. I finally gave up, and just had it sent with my first name on it. Now SSI has my dive history listed as two different people, and my card lists my number of dives as many less than actual. It only lists the dives done under my new card/name. They said they could merge the two accounts, but it is a bit of trouble, with lots of forms. So, my advice is to choose the name you want to use, not with the idea of changing it later.
|
|
|
|
Greg - 5/20/2013 5:24 AM
From diverray: Now SSI has my dive history listed as two different people, and my card lists my number of dives as many less than actual.
How does SSI track your dives? Do they have an online dive log that you fill out?
I also agree with picking a name now...instead of trying to change it later. I’m sure other agencies, like PADI, would have trouble doing the same thing. Especially first name. I can understand last name, like if you get married, but first name would be harder to change later.
|
|
|
I also go by my middle name socially. All of my "official" records (military ID, driver’s license, ssn, etc) all have my first name and, mostly, middle initial. All of my c-cards have my social name "Dale Hall." I don’t go by my first name in any unofficial instance and since I dive for fun, "Dale" will always be on my c-cards. And, to answer one of the OP’s initial question, I have never had anywhere in the Caribbean check my passport or any other official ID against my c-card when diving. 99% of the time, the stuff is in the hotel room or onboard the cruise ship when I’m diving anyway.
|
|
|
|
Ok. It’s good to hear that you’ve both had experience with having your legal documents like credit cards and things in one name, and your c-card in another and that you haven’t had any issues. He’ll be changing his name soon enough so I think we’ll just keep with his preferred name =) And I didn’t even think about keeping the documents in the hotel or on the cruise ship, I figured we would need to at least have our passports on us at a port from the cruise. Thank you all so much for the input!
|
|