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>The word about technical training needs to be out there to recreational
>divers being lured into "the next level" of how to choose a competent
>instructor. Perhaps a slightly scary but toned down account of our poor
>record. I am sure companies sell lists of specific diving groups.I
>personally am sick to death this am of what I've been reading and am
>willing to help with this or any other legal project that could save a
>life. I've already asked UNDERCURRENTS to help out on this.

Mark,

It's unfortunate that there isn't some way to get and keep stats on 
divers who are tech trained. There should be some way to review the 
training organizations methods and standards. Maybe there should be an 
organization that tech training organizations belong to voluntarily but 
don't own and therefore can't control, but that has the power by proxy to 
enforce its standards. A group that would do unbiased inspection and 
review of training, equipment and instructors. That could do onsite 
random inspection of training dives and do random post-training testing 
of divers who have gone through an organization's training regimen. It 
could set and enforce training standards agreed to among the agencies and 
by an independent review board. It could set minimal experience standards 
for each level of training and perhaps maintain a web page or publication 
for reports on safety, violations and accidents.

NAUI, CMAS and PADI could be involved in pointing students interested in 
tech training towards such a resource that would be a Consumer 
Reports-like documentation of who and what to avoid and make suggestions 
to prospective students on how to prepare and proceed with technical 
diving training--and what are good and bad reasons for seeking such 
training.

Of course, nothing remotely like this exists today. The training agencies 
that are out there are unlikely to want to succumb to outside review and 
control of their methods and whatever power such an agency might have, 
short of the government getting involved, which is not desired by anyone, 
would be at the pleasure of the very agencies it inspects.

In a way, technical diving training is a little like the Wild West before 
law & order came. Lots of stupid cowboys out there doing lots of stupid 
shit! When I started cave diving there there was an eight year period 
when no trained cave diver died in a cave. That was just about the time 
tech diving was becoming "mainstream," and you were just starting to see 
ads for cave and tech training. Well, tech diving is a consumer item now 
and people like Jane and those other three who died recently and all 
those "deep on air" dead divers will not be coming home again for the 
rest of their lives. 

She was 47, I'm 46. I know I look forward to another lifetime, almost, of 
experiences; of books unread, of dives undone, of travel, of meals at 
sidewalk cafes in Paris and hiking in the Alps or the Rockies, of skiing, 
of shooting rapids in my kayak, and every other exciting experience that 
one can have as a mature adult. I look forward to seeing my son have 
children and watch them grow and be Grandpa and watch my son struggle and 
succeed in life and I want to spend many of those days with someone I 
love and have all of that to remember when I am finally too old to do 
much more than read. What a waste when someone dies in a stupid and 
unnecessary manner. 

"There's nothing in this cave (ocean) worth dying for."

Later,

JoeL
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