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More like a state of masturbation.

-Will

On Tue, 2 Dec 1997, Shaun P Beevor wrote:

>                        A  STATE  OF  MIND
> 
> 
> Recently I made a comment that technical diving is a state of mind, upon
being asked to explain this (by a non technical diver) I found myself at a loss
for words.
> Like trying to explain love, to someone who's never been in love, this as you
will probably understand is harder than it sounds. 
> It's my honest belief that there are many divers conducting  technical dives
who should not be considered technical divers. This as you can imagine is not
an 
> opinion that will make me a popular member of the technical diving community.
However I strongly believe, it's an issue that needs to be addressed, even if it
> means rocking the proverbial boat.
> So first let us examine in brief, what are generally considered to be some of
the key phrases & beliefs in the technical diving community, followed by a state
> of mind comment.
>  
> Redundancy: Technically correct? Redundant systems, often considered at the
heart of technical diving are now, & have always been readily available to both
the
> recreational & technical diver. So does this mean that John Doe, who dives
with a pony bottle strapped to his rig is a technical diver? No, not at all,
but it
> may well indicate he has a healthy respect for his environment. Putting Mr
John Doe well ahead of many self proclaimed technical divers & bringing him
closer 
> to that state of mind.
> 
> Oxygen management exposure: With the rapid growth of the recreational nitrox
industry, O2 management has become an everyday event, dispelling the myth that
> this is purely the realm of the technical diver.
> The question is, do you choose to follow or ignore the already hazardous
industry guide lines? There are many divers who chose to ignore them, believing
> that they are only relevant, if you're not conducting deep air dives.
(Charles Darwin, come on down) 
> 
> Staged decompression: let's not get confused here, all diving is
decompression diving, whether it's 30 feet  or 200 feet it's all the same. What
makes
> the difference is whether you can ascend directly to the surface or not, if
you can't it's a staged decompression dive. So does this mean that if you
> practice staged decompression you're a technical diver? I hope not, as I know
of many non technical divers who regularly perform lengthy staged decompression,
> with the nearest stage bottle being at the local dive store. Definitely the
wrong state of mind.
> 
> Gas management: A very broad term, which you could say covers everything from
getting back to the boat with 100psi, to the rule of thirds. But Let's face
> it most divers practice some form of gas management, so what makes a dive
technical? Well technically speaking, the rule of thirds is generally considered
> the industry standard, but there are many technical divers who chose to
ignore this rule. Instead, they prefer the it'll be OK rule. A very questionable
> state of mind.
> 
> Overhead environment: Ask any diver what an overhead environment is & you'll
probably get the same answer. "Well it's when your in a wreck see, or you 
> know in one of them there caves." Not a bad answer, & for the most part
correct. So if you're in an overhead environment are you conducting a
> technical dive? No, not necessarily. Again there are many recreational divers
who frequently dive in both real & virtual overhead environments, but are 
> far from being technical divers. It's a question of respect for your
environment, Surely a state of mind.
> 
> Diver responsibility: I think now that were getting down to the real issue of
technical diving, responsibility to one's self & to those around you.
> A diver, whether they are technical or recreational is often judged by their
peers, according to their behaviour. Are they responsible? The answer
> may be yes, but does this make them a good technical diver? The answer may be
no.
> 
> you're probably asking yourself, so what is this state of mind he keeps
referring to? How can it be defined?
> Well, I'm not sure it can, all I can say is that technical diving is the use
of all of the above procedures, & some. But the real meat of it is,
> that no matter how well trained a diver is, if he doesn't feel it in his
soul, he's probably not a technical diver.
> 
> ARE YOU?    
> 
>                       Shaun P Beevor.
>           
>               1314 william st
>                 key west
>                   fl, 33040
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