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Hello, The current thread about "nitrox for the masses", and is this a good thing, seems to have an underlying whiff of elitist thinking, of "us vs them", that I find a bit distasteful. I've been diving since 1972. It's been my observation that divers in gen- eral are an intelligent group. This is especially so for those who stick with it and become regular, avid participants. WHile "technical diving", be it Nitrox, deep air, trimix, caves, whatever, certainly requires extended training, additional equipment, and a fair boatload of discretionary income, I don't see it being beyond the intellectual capacity of the average person who acquires an advanced certification and logs a decent number of dives (insert yer own arbitrary number). What is required to be a good diver in general is *commitment*. The more advanced the diving, the greater the level of commitment that is needed. I think, and hope, that what IANTD means in their recent "SCUBA Times" ad is that every diver has the potential, if he/she has the desire and will make the necessary effort, to advance to a more challenging and difficult level in this sport/avocation/way-of-life of ours. I see it as an attempt by IANTD to demystify advanced SCUBA technique (or at least a segment of it). Increased participation will also increase IANTD's income, but if proper training standards are maintained, that is not a bad thing. Any diver's advancement in diving should be predicated on his/her desire to advance. It should not be hindered by a bit of fear or lack of con- fidence, which most of us have felt on occasion. Certainly, such fears should be allayed, not worsened by sotto voce hints that "now, now, this is too complicated for you. Stay in your place". We were all rank beginners at one time. Years ago, with a mere five dives in my log, I sat on the gunwale of a dive boat off NJ. It was hot, I was queasy, and I was scared. The wreck a full sixty-five feet deeper than I'd ever been, and every foot looked like a yard. My buddy seemed calm, but he wasn't a lot less green than I was. The "old pros" on board talked to us, calmed us (me, at least), and made sure that we hadn't made any gross equipment errors. A pair even volunteered to accompany us on the dive. It would be very melo- dramatic to say they kept us alive, because nothing went wrong, but they made us comfortable. A muttered "oh Jeez, what a pair of idiots", and I might have given up wreck diving as too intimidating a thing populated by intimidating people, or more dangerous, I might have been too embarassed to ask for help and advice later on. But...I was helped, I persevered, I advanced. I always try to remember that day, when I see a new-ish diver who's forgotten his knife, or snarled her octopus beneath her BC. Anyone contemplating some sort of advanced diving needs encouragement, not a gauntlet of fear and discouragement to run. In this sense, IANTD is for everyone who desires it enough to do it right. Dave Ventre Quincy, MA (for reference, I am: YMCA Basic, PADI AOW, PADI Research Cert., been diving since 1973, ended a 10-year surface interval in 1992, absolutely in love with diving again, not NITROX trained (yet?), contemplating some advanced training, and have absolutely no financial interest in IANTD. This can also serve as the introduction I never made when I signed up for this newsgroup).
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