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Hi Dan,

Just a few questions.
Do you not agree that in deep/technical diving that your mental state of
preparation, and attitude, are easily on par with your physical state in the
matter of importance, for the safety of the diver? Will the cert agencies
require a mental profile next? Mental stress tests to evaluate performance
under pressure with task loading? I agree that every new diver should be
trained. I don't agree with the process at the technical level however. I was
told that when I started diving the only way to improve your diving skills is
to dive often. I was told this by people who I respect for their knowledge,
dedication to the sport, interest in newcomers, and the also practice what
they preach. This begets a natural evolution, development of skills, and
progression, if the interest is there in the individual, to move on to more
technically oriented diving. I do not see this promoted by the agencies. I
took my OW and the same day I graduated, signed up for AOW, in 3 weeks with 12
dives in my training log book, and none in my regular log, I was an advanced
diver, my card said so, it must be true. Now look at tech certification. You
take Nitrox, do 4 dives, Advanced nitrox, no dives with some agencies, and
right in to Intermediate Trimix. I paid my money, did my 2 dives "up to" 165',
( what if there are only depths "up to" 90' available? the show must go on)
and my 2 dives "up to" 200 ( this time pushed it to 130') no minimum depths
are required. I am now a certified trimix deep diver, qualified to dive on my
own to 200', my card says so, it must be true ( actually, the IANTD profile
says that you are qualified upon completion to dive normoxic trimix to a depth
of 200', it doesn't actually say you are qualified to dive to 200', just
breath the mix at that depth).
Do you agree with this proccess? Do you really feel that adding another level
of control and confusion for an instructor will make the root of the problem
go away? Or possibly is the answer that a few people saw a good thing to make
a buck on, and jumped on it before enough research, time, and testing was done
on the subject of education in deep diving, to effectively put together a
viable program of education. Is it possible that there are tragic events in
tec diving, because of tec agencies, not in spite of them? Do they sell a
false sense of security? Are the instructors really qualified? I don't mean a
few instructors at the top, deep diving is a potentially deadly practice, I
mean are ALL instructors qualified. Are you aware that to be Nitrox instructor
all you need to do is be a certified OW instructor, and take the basic class?
Is this qualified? Is there a reason ( besides financial) for the need of a
few to feel that they have to control the individual and how he or she chooses
to progress with their education in diving at this level? 
I prefer to learn through the mentor / apprenticeship/ frequent dive system,
exercising of course, my personal freedom and choice. The great thing about
this system, is you never stop learning, and never think you know everything
because you have a card that says you do.
I do believe the tec agencies have their place though, and that is in the
teaching of theory, physiology and physics as it applies to diving.  However
when it comes to technical diving, I do not believe the agencies should have
the right or ability to exercise any control over the personal choice of any
diver, as I believe they are unqualified to do so. I believe it is the
Captains right not to let a  diver on his boat certified or not, to do a
particular dive, or a  buddy not get in the water with a diver he is suspect
of, as certification has nothing to do with diving skills and experience. Case
in point the diver being certified for trimix in WPB with 83 dives. How can a
Captain trust that a diver is qualified for a dive, just because he holds a
certification card with this going on? I just don't believe that the tec
agencies are far enough along in their evolution that they should be dictating
to anybody, tec certification should be wholly voluntary, not required. 
If I am not mistaken, I recall certain threads on the list from people
discussing their preference for diving trimix at depths as shallow as 100fsw,
and how it enhances performance. How do they propose that the average rec
diver gets his/her tanks filled. Get trimix certified doing 200fsw tec dives?
I feel this is just an example of how poorly some things are thought out in
this industry, and how overated  these cert cards are. I believe there are
better solutions than more regulation.

Best regards,
Kevin Gannon


<< > Mike,
 > All I'm really doing is adding one more training aspect to the
 > certification.  I imagine you will agree that EVERY new diver should be
 > "forced" to go through a "training class" and "training dives" to
 ultimately
 > be granted the certification----your opinion above could be taken out of
 > context, to imply the "personal Freedom" loving divers  want to have their
 > deep certification cards mailed to them, and they don't feel they should
 > have to learn any skills, any information, or demonstrate any ability---it
 > is simply their right to dive deep if they want, and IANTD or TDI ought to
 > just mail them a card if they pay for it.
 > I do not think this is what you are suggesting, but it is still related.
 All
 > I want to do is add a fitness standard to the skill set that must be
 > completed. Anyone willing to "train" to become a tech diver, should be
 able
 > to accomplish the minimum fitness standards, if they want to tech dive bad
 > enough. The ONLY divers that will get excluded, are the horrible fat slobs
 > with zero aerobics, no will power to fitness train for their goal, and the
 > ones that smoke several packs of cigarettes or ounces of pot daily---these
 > need to be excluded for their fitness failures, or the rampant deaths
 their
 > certifications will result in, will cause dive charter boats to equate all
 > tech diving certification as suspect, and they will deem it unsafe for
 them
 > to take tech divers out. Mike, this is ALREADY happening.  I can give you
 > the names of MANY dive boats in Florida who have seen so many deaths, they
 > will NOT take tech divers out any more. If you don't want to adress this
 > problem, because of the personal freedoms it conflicts with, you will be
 > working toward forcing each of us to have to buy their own boat, and dive
 > with an unskilled crew sitting on our own boat.  This will get scary.
 > Regards,
 > Dan
 >
 >
 >>
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