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Patrick Norris wrote in article <6b3ao1$72s$1@la*.in*.co*>... >Dan, the WKPP people are excellent at what they do, but if you want to >convert the unwashed masses to your thinking, then perhaps George et al >should take a Dale Carnegie course. Rideculing all those who don't have your >opinions and setting the WKPP up as the self appointed Dive Police is the >quickest way to lose people. However, if the objective is just to have the >group massage their collective elitist egos, then you're on the right track. >I'm sure that you know most of the local dive community calls the group "The >Dive Nazis." Patrick, I don't think George will ever be known for his diplomacy :) .....you will find few really good divers however, that are more concerned with ending deaths due to unsafe diving practices, or the lack of adequate physical screening in advanced certifications, than George---his concern and contributions to safer practicces, should speak for themselves. Since George has seen too many people die due to incorrect proceedures they learned from instructors with a dangerous knowledge base, it is hard for him to be civil to people he feels are about to cause the deaths of more divers. If you actually saw someone you "knew" was about to murder someone else--a person who was really a pretty decent guy, someone you would want to help if you could---how would you feel about his murderer??? Would you be "nice" to them and stroke their ego??? As to the Dive Nazi stuff, ...funny, I have never heard that from S. Fl tech divers, and I've been doing the 200 to 300 ft stuff since around 1991...i.e., I know many in the S. Fl tech community, so I should have heard this. Some don't like his attitudes, as they conflict with those of their teacher, Tom Mount or other "Dive Demigods" like Gilliam, but I've run into few who don't feel George should not be listened to. I do know there is at least one group that dives deep, that could not possibly pass any physical screening you could imagine for tech diving---George calls them the Dinosaurs----some of them are nice people, but they should not be donning doubles to do 250-290 foot dives---there is just too much risk with insufficient gas exchange potential, as is seen in persons with no aerobic fitness who carry more than 90 to 150 pounds of excess fat around with them---perhaps this is the group you speak of??? I would hope that the smarter potential tech divers out there, will read between the lines, and decide that even though George is undiplomatic, no one in diving has a better safety record, and no one can equal the depth and penetrations he and his team have accomplished----to smart people, this is a resource to utilize. To thin skinned ones who are offended, its still much better to be pissed off than dead. Even if they have been offended by George, his proceedures and system could save their life some day, so maybe he's not quite as bad as Brett Gilliam or "Roger Steele" , or D.S. may want people to think. I would rather not talk any more about Andre in a public forum. If you want to discuss his past fitness to teach with me, lets do it on a dive boat or at one of the shops in Riviera. As to the threats DS made, we have several unimpeachable witnesses to these threats. But this is behind us now. We are committed to going out weekly until successful in the recovery----we will not let Elkin's widow or Claypool's widow down by a half hearted recovery attempt----once we find the bodies, they will be taken care of by the insurance companies. Again, we will be out every weekend doing grids between 230 and 300 feet, until we are successful. Period. And DS can smoke on that for a while:) >I respect your experience, and I'd like to dive with you some time, but a >lot of us here in WPB who knew those involved think a less hostile approach >whould be more constructive. I'm doing my best to be helpful to anyone who is not directly hampering our attempts to help the widows of Claypool and Elkins, and to protect future tech divers from accidents that should never happen. Regards, Dan > > >Patrick > -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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