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Jim Cobb wrote: > Sender: Thomas A. Easop Date: 7/6/98 12:20 PM > > >Yes, thats true. I'm just not ready to absolve the students completely for > >something as simplely understood as bouyancy control. Its not rocket > >science, and > >shouldn't be a problem when you are in a tech class. > > In a tech class the instructor has say over how you are configured. It is > assumed here that the reason you are taking a tech class is to learn how > to configure and use your gear. Why do you make the assumption here that > the student already knows tech before taking a course in it? I learned all about buoyancy, wet suit compression, dry suit compression, change in tank buoyancy as you breath it down, and that different tanks have different buoyancy way before I took my first tech class. > In the recent tripple death in west palm beach, the student was an > accomplished diver, no doubt well versed in buoyancy techniques. But he > configured himself exactly as the instructor required. This is due to the > teacher/student relationship where it is presumed that the paid person, the > teacher, has more knowledge in the area of instruction than the payee, the > student. OK fine. But then if the student is so accomplished, why did he dive to that depth with the new kit? Because he trusted the instructor, paid him money? Didn't he test it out in shallow water first? Plus, there was more than a simple weighting problem going on during the WPB tragedy. > Instructors take advantage of this relationship all the time to foist bogus > equipment on their students. Witness the constant stream of OMS bondage wings > for sale on this list. Unfortunately that is how this business works most of the time. It has disgusting potential. I avoid that situation. I have never taken a class that required me to get new equipment and bought the equipment from the instructor. I go elsewhere for the kit or elsewhere for the instruction. > >You are right. In fact the duty to rescue another diver comes before the > >duty of > >an instructor to his students. Its like a subset :-) > > IMHO, an instructor should not teach students in a any situation where > there is even a slight potential for his attention to be diverted from > his number 1 preoccupation, his students. If this means hiring a boat > exclusively for the training or diving at sites which have no > distractions, a small price to pay don't you think? I absolutely agree. You misunderstood me. An instructor's duty to rescue a student comes from him being a diver. As a diver he has a duty to attempt rescue of another diver. Divers first, student/instructor second. > >I never meant to say all involved shouldn't shoulder their fair share of > >blame, > >legally and morally. I concentrated on the student's share. Sometimes in a > >discussion with some of the Florida Elite I stoop to their ways and get way > >extremist. > > In as serious a sport as tech diving, our focus should be on the truth > not the confrontation. Are we still talking about tech diver list? -- Guns and Armour of SCAPA FLOW 1998 Underwater Photographic Survey of Historic Wrecks http://www.gunsofscapa.demon.co.uk -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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