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-----Original Message----- From: Dan Volker <dlv@ga*.ne*> Newsgroups: rec.scuba Date: Tuesday, May 05, 1998 8:33 AM Subject: Re: Geroge Irvine > > > > >John Brett wrote in article <354ed837.10757380@nn*.ne*.uk*.ps*.ne*>... > >>On Mon, 04 May 1998 00:10:03 -0700, Carlos Ricoarango >><cubancafe@wo*.at*.ne*> wrote: >> >><snip> >>>In a recent issue of Deep Tech, fully on quater of the magazine >><snip> >>George Irvine has frequently and publicly attacked TDI's policy of >>teaching deep air. >> >>TDI is owned by Bret Gilliam. >>DeepTech is owned by Bret Gilliam. >> >>You've already worked out the answer, now you know the reason. >> >>As Reef Fish points out, GMIII is rarely diplomatic, quick to condem, >>and harsh in his judgements. Given the number of bodies of friends & >>'technical diving' students he's recovered, I no longer find his >>attitude surprising. >> >>His motives, however, have always been to improve the safety of the >>technical side of diving, and I've always found him very willing to >>help. Look at the message, not the delivery. >> >>John Brett > >In the last 10 years since I started diving with George, he has always >looked for better and safer ways to tech dive. This is what originally got >him in to cave diving----it was a way to obtain a higher order of skills, >which would make the deep ocean diving safer. This desire pushed George into >working together with Dr. Bill Hamilton on experimental trimix and O2 deco >tables, back in the early 90's, which led to the WKPP's dramatically better >system of gas utilization ( far better than "posers" like Mount and IANTD, >who never really understood what is was they should be trying to >accomplish). When George became director of the WKPP around '94, he >instituted what they now call the "Doing it Right" philosophy, which ALL >team members had to follow if they wanted to be in the water. With >implementation of this system, accidents stopped happening, even though >going over a mile into a cave is far more dangerous than any deep ocean dive >on 300 reefs or wreck will ever be. One of the "MAJOR" elements in George's >philosophy was the way the "Buddy system" is used. George liked what PADI >and NAUI had started with buddy systems, and was appalled at the stupidity >that came out of guys like Tom Mount and Brett Gilliam, (IANTD, TDI) where >they created an entirely different conception of buddy system >interaction----these guys pushed the idea that each diver needed to be >totally self sufficient, and buddies were there, but not really there for >"you"---they were not to be counted on, and the only person you were >responsible for was yourself. This"enlightened Self Interest" sickened >George, and his Doing it Right philosophy would dramatically differ from the >"tech agency" stupidity. George had all his people dive EXACTLY the same >gear configuration, and dive EXACTLY the same procedures. Anyone they would >dive with, would dive just like them, and solve problems essentially the >same way----and your choice of buddies one considered one of your very most >essential gear choices. Your buddy was your redundant backup, and you are >his redundant backup. If your buddy runs out of gas, its as much YOUR FAULT >as it is his, since you should know your buddies gas supply at all times, as >he should know yours. While this is just one small part of the Doing it >right system, it immediately began saving lives. This is also the reason >that George was so upset over the recent death of the girl in Pompano Beach. >This poor girl was "buddied" to an instructor----her instructor. She , >according to this Dereck guy ( her instructor) signaled to him she was out >of deco gas after they had returned from the bottom and worked their way up >to the 40 foot stop. Dereck should have been monitoring her gas usage, and >should have known exactly how she was doing. In fact, she had plenty of gas >left in her deco tank---we all saw this when we got her body on the >boat----yet Derek thought she was out of deco from the signal she gave him, >and chose to signal her to go up to the 30 foot stop by herself, and breathe >her oxygen mix ( 80/20) .....He SHOULD have been glued to her at this >time----an emergency was in progress, since after a 5 to 13 minute bottom >time, no where near enough deco gas could have been used to have emptied her >deco bottle. Yet Derek ignored this, as well as his responsibility to air >share with his buddy---and he sent her up by herself. When she blacked out a >few moments later, and Dereck was not watching his buddy, his student, she >fell toward the bottom. Dereck saw her falling first 20 feet below him, then >50 feet below, and then out of sight. He said on TV last night he could not >go after his student ( who had put her life in his hands) because he was >down to 1500psi in his back tanks----but these were low pressure 100's, and >he had only used up about a third of his total gas. >Derek may have learned a terrible lesson from IANTD----that a diver is on >his/her own if tech diving with other divers, and even with the buddy. If >IANTD ( Tom MOUNT ) had listened to George about proper use of the buddy >system, or about proper gear configurations, or about how much time you >really need on deco, then this girl Jane would be far more likely to be >alive today. >George has been warning Mount and Gilliam about this type of thing for >years. After seeing many deaths occur due to these guys ignoring his >warnings, George started insulting these guys and their instructors, on the >tech list and cavers, since he felt they were murdering fools, and he could >not sugar coat this, or suck up to their massive egos. >When we brought Jane up on Sunday, George sat by himself afterward for close >to 40 minutes, and would not talk to anyone. It soon became apparent he was >visibly upset, and just trying to contain it. He knew the girl's death was >caused by the failure of his warnings to be heeded. >This is NOT a rivalry between George/WKPP and IANTD. One is a scientific >team of divers. Non profit. They have made repeated safety warnings for over >5 years, with no commercial benefit. IANTD is a commercial entity that makes >huge money training people, in a manner that we see as blatantly unsafe. >IANTD has more accidents and deaths than you can count, while WKPP has the >most spotless safety record in diving. who do you want to listen to??? > >From what I have just experienced, I do not think George has been harsh >enough with Mount or Gilliam. They have contributed to the deaths of too >many divers, and they are creating an image in the general public's mind, of >diving as an "unsafe" sport----while the only thing that is really unsafe is >their teaching and training methods. It has to stop. We cannot let these >fools keep killing people. >Dan Volker > > > > -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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