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From: <Tennantm@ao*.co*>
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 01:58:56 -0500 (EST)
To: joeking@ro*.co*, techdiver@aquanaut.com
cc: mkravit@mi*.co*, JerkyDiver@ao*.co*, gmiiii@in*.co*
Subject: Get it straight-Joe or is it Jeff?
To spineless

OK asshole, you crossed the line.  Step up to the plate and show us the balls
you don't have.  We have already seen the fake ones you got for Christmas.
 First of all let's get to the bottom of this: you are way off base and your
posts clearly show how fucked up you are.  You were not there, so you do not
know what happened or the events even leading up to it (you can only
speculate at best).  If you really want to know, then you should ask someone
who was involved.  This whole fucking thing has been around before and it
doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out, obviously if a half-wit
like you can do it.  What happened was the direct result of several mistakes
made on MY part.  It had nothing to do with George, JJ, or any of the other
guys.  BUT, THEY are the very reason why I am alive.  If I had been diving
with someone like you, I'd be dead.  Was I a stroke?  I don't think the word
accuratley describes it...........I think STUPID DUMB FUCK would be more
appropriate, although I can think of many more adjetives that could be used
to describe my actions on that day.  

Yes, "I" was a dumb fuck.  First, I had my head up my ass and thought I was
invinceable..............which was the wrong attitude to have as nobody is
invinceable (we can not breath water).  Second, to me it was a routine dive
(no big deal) in one of the easiest caverns in the world with absolutely
increadible vis.......How could anyone screw that up.....(well I sure did).
 Aside from thinking I was "bulletproof", I was very
comfortable.............too comfortable, over confident, etc.  Walk in the
park, I have done several dives in much worse conditions....like just about
every dive I had done up to that point was in worse conditions than this and
was much more intense.  I mean this was a no brainer...............Yeah,
right.  Then, there were several mistakes I made in the water......not just
one.  I was intent on doing something that would not immediatley fix the
situation (turning on a light).  I was too clamn when I knew I was fucked,
(don't panic, got plenty of time).  

So tell me "know it all", what happened.  You don't have a clue, so let me
give you a double shot from the clue bar so you can atleast get it straight.
 

I had surfaced after doing a support shift and ran into JJ on the surface.
 He ASKED if I would LIKE to run in some remaining deco bottles with him
(read it again "ASKED IF I would LIKE", never forced, lured, or otherwise).
 Sure, why not I thought.  I checked my gauge and figured I had enough gas,
as it was a "short routine no-brainer" and wouldn't take much (obviously I
did not have enough).  We clipped the bottles on and took off.  Keep in mind,
that though JJ was my instructor in a PREVIOUS class, this was not a class
and had nothing to do with instruction.  It had to do with helping out at an
exploration site that my previous instructor was diving at.  Furthermore, on
this dive he was my dive partner, NOT my instructor.  Jarrod is an excellent
instructor, but this was not instruction, it was a set up for exploration
which is totally seperate from instruction.  Anyhow, we took off.  We had
three bottles a piece to drop.  He towed me in on his scooter (I held onto
his ankle).  I was looking around in awe of the absolute vastness of this
increadible cavern, and reached for my light to turn it on.  That is when
everything happened.  I needed to use two hands to twist on the bezel, so I
let go of JJ.  I was slightly negative, so I inflated my wings, and ran out
of air in the middle of all of this.  Not sure if JJ could see me to be able
to tell what was wrong, and not wanting to just yank his reg out of his
mouth, and wanting to make sure he knew I was out of air, I continued to turn
on my light.  I never got it on.   I placed importance on the wrong thing,
letting him know something that was quite obvious.  I had three bottles on me
and should have just grabbed one of those.....that would be too easy (DUH).
 I chose to signal I was out of air, as I had plenty of time......(so I kept
telling myself).  "Why didn't JJ try to give you his reg", someone asked me.
 He did.  Several times.  But he couldn't get it into my mouth as my main reg
and back up reg were in the way (my main reg was in my mouth, and head was
tilted down).  "Well, why the fuck didn't you just get those regs out of the
way and take the one being offered", I have been asked.  At that point I
couldn't grab anything, I tried.  I had become so back logged on my gas that
I was in major O2 debt and was very dizzy from the CO2 buildup and started
fading out to blackness.  I had wasted too much time calmly trying to turn on
my light, instead of doing the most logical thing and just reaching down and
grabbing a reg from the bottles I was carrying.  Boy did I fuck up.  Yes, YES
"I" fucked up........no-one else...........Everyone else did it right.  I was
lucky that I was diving with the best of the best, as THEY pulled my dead ass
out.  If they had been a spinelss fuck like you (Joe), I'd still be dead.  I
would have been left, or just sent up to the surface on my own by some weenie
too afraid of getting bent.  But no, people with true balls put their ass on
the line for me, and to them I will always be grateful.  

What does this show.  Number one, it shows we are human and make mistakes,
that for the most part is how we learn (although, I suggest you make every
effort to learn from my mistakes on this one).  Two, it shows you why you do
NOT EVER VIOLATE RULE NUMBER ONE!!  Shit happens sometimes (for whatever
reason) and you want a buddy that can deal with it incase you (for what ever
reason) can not.  Is this an excuse for not being self
sufficient..........HELL NO, that is bullshit.  Most of my dives are
solo.......this one was a walk in the park............Which brings me to.....
Three, you can DIE on any dive....5 feet or 500 feet (you can not breath
water).  Attitude can be one of your biggest enemies, and this clearly points
that out.  And Four, it shows what a TEAM is all about, you do what it takes
to get the job done, and if someone fucks up, you do what it takes to bring
their ass home and keep them alive.  This whole thing does nothing more than
demonstrate the excellence of the WKPP as they handled MY fuckup very
effectively.  

It would have been too easy for me to call it quits after that, and it blew
my wife's mind when I got back in the water the next day.  I had to.  I knew
"I" fucked up, this was my doing.  I could sulk, pout, and feel like a real
ass, or make the best of a bad situation, learn from my mistakes, and STILL
feel like a real ass.  Since I would feel like a real ass no matter what I
did, I chose the later as NOT diving is NOT an option for me.  

What many people fail to see is that this was the result of MY mistakes,
nobody else's.  These guys are the reason why I am alive, NOT the reason why
I drown.  I was there to learn, and that I did.  Fortunately, out of the
casket.  Yet, spineless fucking morons try to find fault with those who put
their ass on the line to save mine...............What is wrong with this
picture!!!  If you have something to say to me, then stand up and say it to
my face.  Don't be a spineless piece of shit that hides behind the mask of
anonymity.  Someone as spinless as you (Joe) told me that anonymity promotes
honesty.....this is only true if you are totally ball-less.  If you have a
problem with me or something I say.....then let's hear it.  But don't hide
and lie and take totally cheap shots at those who actually DID IT RIGHT
(WKPP).  I was the one that fucked up, flame me.  But have the balls to stand
up and do it face to face.  

For those of you who want to learn from this, take it and learn what you can.
 BUT for those of you who wish to point the finger and create problems for
others........... Go fuck yourself!!

Sincerely

Mike

PS  BTW, there is no tunnel, and there is no white light; unless this was an
indication of where I was headed. ;-)

PSS  Yes, there is a source of bad water somplace in the system G-, either
that or spring water is just not what it is cracked up to be.  



A person lacking in some major anatomical parts wrote:

George,

I really appreciate you helping out a new diver like this.  All this
air management stuff is so complicated.  I had heard that cave divers
turn at thirds, and should be self sufficient, but now I know this is
ridiculous! I mean, how could you guys go as far into caves as you do
if you only breathed one third of the air in your tanks on the way in!
 JJ clearly teaches you to "do it right" -- if your air hits zero, you
need to be able to depend on a well-trained buddy to haul you out of
the water and give you CPR.  This must have been Ed Suarez's mistake -
not having a well trained buddy.  I can see that if I want to be a
record setting cave diver, I should get both me and my dive buddies
trained by JJ.  

--
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