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Kevin: I think the issue here is not of diving solo, but the whole spectacularly market-driven motive of the "cash for card" agencies in promoting the "new" certification. It depresses me how many divers seem to fixated on the latest certification they can accumulate. Certifications come to be an end in themselves, and not a means to an end. Cave Diving is one, and there is a suprising number of people where I live (Vancouver) who are "cave certified", but will likely never dive in a cave here in Canada (or elsewhere, for that matter), but seem to think it's a "cool-C". My own philosophy (and y'all need not embrace it) is that I train for what I need. If I *need* to pay someone to be able gain access to some dive site or other (cave or otherwise) or properly do something in diving, then I'll do it. If you think that techdiving is "rocket science", you might well be mistaken. I think you'll find that a lot of the folks here have more than their share of "self-training" stories. Ask George about who signed his mix diving certification - yet, he's a recognized expert in deep exploration. To be certified to dive solo? I can picture the weenie (=stroke, perhaps) with a C-card envy snapping up these courses. Just proof that much of the diving population really is using just a small percentage of their brain power. I think that the folks that follow the Techdiver list, are, pretty much, a lot who think outside the "PADI envelope" (which seems to be encompassing a wider number of agencies). I dearly hope some of the "cash for C" agencies monitor this list, and that their monitors are bursting into flames right now. -----Original Message----- From: kevin.obrien03@us*.cg*.co* [mailto:kevin.obrien03@us*.cg*.co*] Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 7:45 AM To: Manos Manoli Cc: techdiver@aquanaut.com Subject: Re: Solo cash classes At the risk of being severely flamed by many on this list, I have to disagree on the solo diver issue. I think that, for certain individuals, there is nothing wrong with wanting to dive solo. Aside from freedom of choice, which presumably we all agree on, there are valid reasons for some divers to want to dive solo. Underwater photography is a perfect example. Most of the time the buddy is bored to tears or nowhere to be found, as the photo diver moves very slowly and may spend a lot of time (maybe the entire dive) around a single subject. But let's get to the point that seems to irritate most of those against solo diving. You see it as a greed issue for the agencies. That's pure bullshit. Most of the time, the agencies are well behind the diving community, only finally creating new training after there is a proven demand for it. Come on, use your heads, is an agency going to spend lots of $$ creating training materials, spending legal fees, etc. for a course that only a very small number of people will pay for. Of course not. The agencies are for-profit businesses. They provide a service that a reasonably large group of divers will want -- enough so that they can make money. And making money isn't bad. Anyone else on this list in business ?? Do you want to make money -- or go broke ?? In fact, profit at the agencies allows them to do research, create new training approaches and other things that have made this sport safer every year. So, to the question of solo diving. Why not allow a capable diver that has appropriate training and experience to dive alone if he/she chooses ?? At a minimum, the agencies might require advanced/rescue level certification, minimum of 100 dives, max. depth 80-100 ft, completely redundant gas supply with min. volume, say a 13 cf pony, etc. as prerequisites. As a recreational diving instructor, I can tell you that when I have a group of non-certified open water students underwater on their training dives, I am diving alone. Who's going to help me if I have a problem ?? One of the students ?? Not a chance in hell. OK, I've said my piece. Flame on. Safe diving -- KOB. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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