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I agree completely. Like I said, there are some points where I
think PADI could do better, but they are so far removed from deep
air it's not funny. Examples:
- In general, I believe they too strongly project the notion
that all diving beyond the limits to which they have chosen
to teach is irresponsible. (However, I *do* believe PADI's
limits are appropriate for most divers! Not that most folks
have an innate limitation like some would have us believe
with deep air "tolerance" -- the limitations I'm referring
to have more to do with the commitments we're each willing
to make to training, gear config, and other issues that
contribute to individual fitness for advanced diving.)
- Breathing the long hose should minimally be discussed -- I
think it's way better than the "golden triangle" approach
that's taught. It's true that some folks aren't comfortable
having a reg out of their mouths momentarily, but masking
that problem with an inferior donation technique doesn't
make it go away.
- The snorkle mandate is nuts for most if not all diving,
and even if for some reason you must take a snorkle for
some contingency stowing it on the side of your head
until you need it is still a poor choice.
- I would like to see greater discussion of O2 toxicity
right from the start of the curriculum, and probably
some other physiology issues like PFOs. It should be
absolutely clear to even the most basic student why
PADI's limits are what they are -- not just "cross
this line and you're not 'safe' anymore".
- It needs to be made clear that when the instructor
says something like "there's no guarantee you won't
get bent if you stay within the limits", that it's
not just the usual butt-covering we've all come to
expect but that there really *is* a lot about this
stuff that we don't predict accurately.
- I'd like to see greater discussion of redundancy, and
of how this is tied in to buddy-team philosophy for the
type of diving they're teaching.
Nevertheless, within the limits they've defined, I don't see
any of these issues with PADI killing people with the extreme
frequency of deep air. Anybody who can't see how PADI and TDI
are different with respect to safety is beyond me.
- Todd
> From eschmidt@pu*.br*.fl*.us* Mon Dec 8 16:35:38 1997
> Date: Tue, 09 Dec 1997 04:34:45 -0800
> From: eschmidt@pu*.br*.fl*.us* (Erik Schmidt)
> To: Todd Leonard <toddl@in*.co*>
> CC: divetek@we*.ch*, techdiver@aquanaut.com
> Subject: Re: Deep PADI Bullshit
>
> I'm glad to see this reply posted! I was about to write one myself.
>
> I am a PADI Instructor and a technical diver and I am ALWAYS learning. I
did a
> small amount of deep air diving for a while, but as soon as I learned about
the
> hidden dangers of it, I stopped. Even if something bad had happened while
deep
> air diving, I would not have blamed PADI. They specifically say 'No diving
beyond
> 130 ft!'. So why would they have anything at all to do with me diving below
130
> ft???
>
> I am a certified cave diver and Nitrox Instructor. I am getting ready to do
> Trimix soon. I'm getting more and more involved in technical diving
rapidly. I
> have learned to seperate recreational and technical diving. In fact, much
of what
> I learn in technical diving can be translated to my teaching of recreational
> divers. I believe that my students come out with a much better
understanding of
> what is really happening to their bodies and a better idea of where diving
can
> take them than students from a non-technical PADI Instructor. My students
come
> out of Open Water class with an understanding of the dangers of deep air and
the
> benefits of mixed gas, and are certainly much better prepared to go on to
> technical courses should they choose than average OW divers.
>
> I make part of my living as a PADI Instructor. Don't put ME or my certifying
> agency down because someone who carries a PADI card chose to be stupid and do
> something that is specifically frowned upon in every PADI manual. PADI is
not
> causing any problems right now... Certainly nothing like over at TDI'm going
to
> die from deep air! Leave PADI alone. Get a clue.
>
>
> Todd Leonard wrote:
>
> > Roberto, it seems to me that there is a very fundamental
> > difference here -- these dives were *way* outside anything
> > that PADI teaches or endorses. Contrast that with the deaths
> > occurring on dives that were actually part of TDI training.
> > They are not the same issues at all.
> >
> > Dumb diving practices are dumb regardless of one's agency
> > affiliation. But get it straight when you talk about the
> > degree to which agencies are involved in promoting what's
> > responsible for these completely unnecessary deaths.
> >
> > PADI has flaws. Unlike TDI, teaching deep air is not one
> > of them.
> >
> > - Todd
> >
> > > The last two death are PADI's not TDI,IANTD pr PSA, but from big mama
PADI.
> > > Is everyone afraid of talking about the PADI bullshitter? I am not.
> > > Are you all afraid about loosing your PADI card or what?
> > > There are, and there will be more PADI kids that think they are related
to
> > > God because they went trough their IDC-IE, and a lot of them will die
with
> > > deep diving. They do not want to learn, the typical answer is:
> > > <I do not want to be a student for the rest of my life...>
> > > Any "technical agency" mixed gas course is better then nothing.
> > >
> > > Roberto
> >
> > --
> > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
> > Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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