I worked in the GOM for Epic until late last year when I took and instructing position at DIT. Let me give you a bit of information these people are ignorant of, or possibly just neglecting to tell you. A majority of the jobs in the Gulf of Mexico are run around what the large oil companies want. I'm talking about BP, Shell and Chevron. We affectionately call them The Big 3 in the GOM. Let's say BP decides they want to standardize all of their requirements for any diving contractor who wants to bid on their jobs (believe me that is exactly what they are in the process of doing). BP does a majority of their work in areas of the world who's diving is governed by IMCA regulation, so when they do put that standard into effect IMCA's certification will win. Regardless of what part of the world your job will actually be taking place. When that hammer does fall you will be better off having some kind of international certification than none at all. To GOM divers, we are the best in the world. To the rest of the world, the GOM divers and the ADCI are a bunch of rookies and cowboys. These certifications go beyond our ego's, what The Big 3 says, the diving world will do.

I'll tell you one other thing. When I left Epic, we were already starting to get all of our divers and tenders on their way to becoming IMCA certified. The way the gulf runs is changing. There are just a lot of people who are either unable or unwilling to change with it.