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Amazing!! There's been more crap on the line about these 
chambers than anything I can recall, or at least anything that 
has to do with diving.

Here's a couple facts and some thoughts worth maybe a few cents:

1. These folks are poor, they were poor before the lobster trade got
big and they will be poor when the lobsters are fished out. And 
they're not alone -- MOST of the population around them is desperately 
poor, but most are inland where they don't dive and don't get bent. For
the record, the people bringing in the gear and tanks, and the buyers,
aren't making big bucks either. Most of them aren't even evil.

2. Nobody's going to legislate or ENFORCE anything that is going
to help the divers out or stabilize the lobster fishery. It's small stakes.

3. Divers are getting bent. A chamber can slow that down if there's 
enough of them, they're taking enough hits, and they'd give up some 
of their diving time for chamber time BEFORE it gets impossible to 
undo a lot of the damage. Otherwise it's like anybody else in a 
dangerous and mismanaged occupation. 

4. Since we're apparently not in a hurry to throw bucks at anything 
else the local population needs, the chamber is the only show in 
town. That means what matters is: how much use is the chamber
going to get (bodies, hours, and most of all number of divers whose
health is a lot better for getting there), and who is going to be there 
to see that it stays operational? 

5. At a guess, I'd be willing to bet that the answer to #3 is yes, there's 
enough divers who need chambers and will get there to be worth putting
money into them, and I would bet somebody is going to be working 
hard on #4. That leaves #1 and #2. Those we can maybe put off for a 
week or two. 

6. Now a last question: there's been a lot of publicity, how much 
money has come in? The sky's not the limit here. Is the take 
already enough to get a couple chambers staffed, supplied with O2 
and working? 


Now back to techdiving maybe? While I've been doing this George
has given more sound advice for us new intro cave divers, and 
there's been enough new questions on rebreathers to make me 
want to stay off them. Useful.  
  
Dave Smith
U Tx School of Public Health

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