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Greg - 4/25/2014 5:28 AM 
Only if they want to teach and certify people. The RSTC sets standards that all scuba organizations teach according to. And as long as the organization is recognized by others, to get airfills, get on dive boat, etc., then you’re good.
But you don’t need to be part of a scuba training organization if you only want to sell gear and travel.
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If they were purely a "dive operation" meaning they only ran a dive boat for divers....I guess not but I would not be diving with an outfit what was not.
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Here on the Jersey shore most dive boats are not tied to a dive shop, the shops just book seats so no training tie ins either. Many in Florida are like that too.
Most but not all liveaboards are tied into a training organization so they can do check out dives.
I’ve never seen a dive shop that didn’t teach
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Only the instructor must be affiliated in good standing with one such sanctioning body to offer training and certifications. A diving business is not required but if they are selling training they will need to be to get insurance. If the instructors are each insured or the region doesn’t require insurance they could be operating in a grey area.
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KD - 4/26/2014 9:00 PM
I am operating a very small dive centre (max 6 divers) in Philippines and am thinking of becoming independent. We dont have a resident instructor - the nearest one is 150 km away.
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Mate, that entirely depends on the country. There seems to be an assumption here that all countries have the same regulations for dive operations. They don’t. Many countries don’t require it, but there are other countries that have some strict "guidelines" about how to run a dive boat.
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