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Will writes:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Now wait a minute.  I realize that I'm new to this list of 
ego-narced emailers, but really.  I took a "deep air" course,
and while I had lots of prior experience doing deep air well
beyond the 170 fsw limit of the course (like twice as far beyond),
I found it interesting.  Not interesting as a deep air training
course - that part was pedantic - but interesting because it introduced
me to diving with doubles, proper technical equipment, "solo-psychology" 
(aka self-reliant) diving, and just how stupid it is to do really deep air.

Quite frankly, IMVHO, the real dangers of deep air are not really experienced
at the 160-170fsw depths of the course, and the transferred psychology
of responsible diving is the real take-away - definitely "de-machofying"
the deep-air experience, while instilling the desire for further 
technical training.  I freely admit the agencies are out to make a buck,
but I personally walked away with a much deeper sense of responsibility
than I entered with, which eventually led me to more specialized training.

Granted, this may very well have been the bias of my highly experienced
instructor, but I suspect that most instructors have the same level
of integrity and sense of responsibility as mine.
-Will
..>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>............


Will, I do not know who your instructor was, but given the criteria you
describe I would say he did a very good job.

Your assesment of the value of such training (not certification) is correct,
it's ultimate purpose is to discourage, not encourage diving past acceptable
limits on air. Further, this limit must be arrived at by accounting for a
number of variables, both individual and physiological as well. There is no
magic number or blanket philosophy to cover the limits, although common sense
should cover a large degree.

With training adaptation does occur, but this adaptation only last as long as
the series of dives last. What does last is the proper training where you
learn the proper respect for your physcological and physiological limitations
as well.

Now finding an instructor who has the experience, attitude, and of course the
desire to teach you these things may be the most difficult challange you
face. There are a lot of good teachers out there, but there are also a lot
who think they know an awful lot more than they do. The responsiability to
seek out this person has to lie with the candadate, not any given agency.

Safe Diving,  Tony M. Satterfield

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