Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Message Display

 
 
Geo, 
 
A while back, Rod and I were having a disagreement regarding proper bailout
for use with the rebreather.  Leon and Rod had different opinions about
bailout in general (Leon teaches total reliance on the rig itself, while
Rod pioneered the use of bottom mounted ponies for bailout, to be used in
conjunction with slung bottles of various capacities and mixes depending
upon depth).  For the record, Leon does a fair amount of deep dives with NO
bailout (250 fsw +), and teaches his students how to use the rig to keep
yourself alive - but it has definite limitations which could lead to some
very bad consequences, which is why I now dive the Farb method. 
 
During the conversation, when I told Rod that I really respected him as a
diver, and respected his knowledge and abilities, he said the one thing
that ended the argument.  It was this: 
 
"If you respect the experience of someone so much, then why do you insist
on trying to invent your own method??" 
 
I had no answer, because he had nailed it on the head.  As strong as my
urge was to go with my "Personal Preference" I had to admit that that was a
stupid idea, considering I know two guys who have already gone through that
"experimental" stage and figured out the best rig arrangement before me.  I
was a virtual "newby" to rebreathers, yet I felt that I knew what was the
best way to dive them. 
 
It doesn't make much sense to put yourself through the process of trial and
error when you have the resources of others to guide you.  In other words,
you don't need to smash your thumb with a hammer to find out for yourself
that it hurts like a bitch.  Trust the guy who already paid the toll... 
 
This, it seems to me fits right in with what you guys at WKPP have been
advocating all along: 
  
"Watch what we do, because we already made the mistakes, and figured out
the best way to do this job..." 
 
I can understand why a lot of guys out there still insist on "personal
preference" since I was one of them for a time.  It's a hard thing to
break, since we all like to think we know what is best for us, and a lot of
people like to think that they are more qualified than they really are. 
Owning a TransPac doesn't make you a technical diver (whatever the hell
that is), and owning a rebreather doesn't make you a rebreather diver. 
Diving experience makes you a diver.  Period. 
 
The dive industry doesn't help much either, trying to sell you all kinds of
new gadgets every year.  The dive magazines rely upon such advertising, so
they produce articles advocating that you buy the latest-greatest-coolest
thing.  It is tough to look at all that cool neon-colored dive gear that
you just forked out $5,000 for and say to yourself "I just bought a pile of
neon-colored dog shit..." 
 
This is going to happen with rebreathers.  Companies who do not have the
jump on technology that BioMarine has are going to want to sell you a
rebreather.  They'll try to convince you that semi-closed is just as good
as fully closed.  They'll probably even try to sell O2 rebreathers, with a
warning not to go below 30 fsw.   There will be all kinds of neat ad's
showing people having lots of fun wearing a particular rebreather, and
there'll be certifying agencies eager to jump in and train these new
rebreather divers as fast as they can.  The more rebreathers out there, the
faster they will be certifying people.  (BTW - I know NOTHING about
CisLunar.  Rich loves his, and it sounds like a great unit - I only know
BioMarine, since that is what I own and dive regularly). 
 
I know that Rod believes that the rebreather industry will be able to
somewhat regulate who dives rebreathers in the future (which is going to be
the hot topic at the upcoming forum) - but on that point, my friend is
wrong.  
 
 Some schmo is going to go through all the training, no matter how
difficult it is, pass successfully, receive his new rebreather, then one
day, when he is old and fat, give it to his brother-in-law, Ernie, who will
have exactly 5 open water dives of any kind, and Ernie will sleep with the
fishes on his first dive.  Everyone will talk about how this dude died
while diving an XYZ rebreather, and XYZ company will be left trying to
explain that he was not trained and qualified, which will make one sentence
on page 98 of your typical dive magazine. 
 
The Dude predicts it will happen. 
 
I bought a rebreather because my partner dives a rebreather, and we work
together underwater and topside.  I got some great exposure over the course
of a year watching him and his unit dive 3-5 times a DAY while filming our
shows in some of the most remote places on earth.  His unit performed
flawlessly.   
 
 If he didn't own one, I probably would not have bought one myself.  From
the day I decided to buy a rebreather, I decided to look for the same one
that he and Farb had, because I had seen these units go through the fire. 
I finally got one which is identical to theirs, (except that mine is
prettier and I look better wearing it than they do...). 
 
Some may recall when me and Mount went to town a couple months ago about
IANTD certifying BioMarine rebreather divers.  I firmly agree with Rod on
that one - if you are going to teach, you've got to own one of the units
you will train people on, and have at LEAST 100 hours on the thing in open
water.  
 
 Diving semi-closed, and teaching fully closed won't do it.  Diving a Cis
Lunar, and teaching a BioMarine won't do it.  And not owning one should be
an automatic disqualification.   
 
And for the record, I really don't give a shit if the dude is a former Navy
SEAL, and dove Mark 16's.  The Navy regs as regards rebreather dives are so
totally different than what divers will do with the units in real life,
that if you are a former SEAL, you better find someone to give you some
REAL instruction first.  And if they don't now currently own and dive a
rebreather, then they should shut the fuck up.  I don't want to hear about
how great they once were, or how many dives they did.  Show me your fuckin'
unit, pet the big-assed pony, or go spank your monkey in private. 
 
The one thing that amazes me is that more people are not killed each year
in cave systems.  At least, I haven't heard of too many.  I don't know if
this is related to the training that cavers must go through, or the fact
that anyone dumb enough to kill himself in a cave is too scared to go in
there in the first place. 
 
Anyway, I've said enough.  I'll crawl back into my hole now.  I've got a
lot more rebreather dives to do before I can try to snatch the pebble from
Rod or John's hand. - Those two (Master Po, and Master Baiter respectively)
and Pyle can continue on... 
 
Kevin 
HeyyDude

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]