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You folks may remember some Joe-King I did last month on this list. The good news is that afterwards I got a chance to talk to some people I hadn't spoken to for a while (like George and JJ), and meet some I hadn't (like Mike Tennant - he's actually a great guy). The bad news is that I smeared the reputation of someone who did not deserve it, namely JJ. George, Carl, and Mike are all regulars on these lists and play the email game, so although I attacked them - perhaps undeservedly - at least they trashed me right back. For all I may get annoyed at the bad behavior that is exhibited on these lists, I am now as great an offender as anyone. JJ himself, to his great credit, does not get involved in this game, and I certainly should not have dragged him in. On the more serious note of what I actually said about JJ, I believe that any negative statements I may have made or implied about his judgement, character, or ability were groundless. I talked to him and others about the facts concerning Carl and Mike's training, and I believe that he not only acted properly, but that he was more conservative than many other instructors would have been. In my eight years of "technical" diving I have seen some real one-week wonders, like open water divers who pay hundreds of dollars to muck around in Hal's Horror Hole for a couple days and then emerge with a terrifying gear and attitude, and a patch that says they are entitled to dive anything. JJ's training and standards are as different from this as it is possible to be, and go well beyond the standards of the agencies he represents. I have known instructors who represent particular gear lines, and push them on students regardless of their quality. JJ does not do this, but instead works with the students to perfect their configuration based on his own experience as one of the leading cave explorers of our time. If there is anyone who fills the shoes of Exley, as a world-renowned explorer who can and does pass on his knowledge to others, it is JJ. I should note that in many systems, JJ has already exceeded Exley's records, and the fact that he hasn't broken Exley's depth records only speaks for JJ's good judgement, not his exploration ability. I don't praise JJ based on what he or other people tell me, by the way, I say it because I used ot live in Florida, and have seen many of JJ's training classes and talked to his students. I have seen nothing in his training that warrants anything but the highest regard, and none of his students has ever had anything but praise for his instruction. Everyone I know, whether they love or hate George and WKPP, has the greatest respect for JJ. I think we in the diving world owe a great debt to JJ for showing what is possible in deep, longe range cave exploration, and for putting his life on the line to perfect the procedures, equipment, and gear configuration that have enabled him to do what he does. Unlike other explorers, who have witheld technical information from others, and in some cases used projects as excuses for showcasing technology which they have personally invested in, JJ has freely made information available. I personally owe a debt to him, since he approved me to dive with WKPP when I was in Florida, and I guess I haven't paid him back very well. I can't unpost the messages I already have already posted, but I can say that I was wrong when I posted them. I wish him nothing but luck, clear water, and going cave in the future. John ------------------------------------------------------------ John H. Heimann Sr. Product Manager Oracle Corporation Security Products 500 Oracle Pkwy, Box 659410 415-506-9750 (phone) Redwood Shores, CA 94065 415-506-7226 (fax) -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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