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Capt J.T,
In a message dated 98-07-10 22:52:59 EDT, you write:
<< So lets change this out come,then you tell me what you think.What if
Jim
were unable to locate the diver that did not have a liftbag.The diver is
never found.The capt. will always carry the blame for having lost a
diver,when infact you have 4 divers that did not follow the plan.More
people will remeber the name of the boat and not the diver that was
lost.Sounds to me like you owe Capt.Jim Mimms and crew I hope you tip well.
After some of the harsh things said about Capt.Jim in the Jane Ornstein
death,its good to hear something like this.
Capt.J.T. >>
-------------------------------------------------------
Blame is something that is assigned, often by the unworthy, and
responsibility is something that is assumed. As long as divers and surface
people do their best nothing more can be expected or asked.
Yes, we do owe Jim and we dive with him regularly. He took us out on
this day in spite of conditions that would normally have kept him in because
he knows our ability. We went with him because we know his ability. No
one would have dumped any blame on anyone here if a diver had been lost
because we all accepted the risk and know that all involved are only human.
The fact that they are good, conscientious, and capable humans made the risk
acceptable and any assignment of blame for an accident or loss would have been
unreasonable given that every man would have done all humanly possible to both
avoid and ameliorate the consequences of any problems.
This dive was a bit of a mess because we lost the float but all worked out
well because the divers were able to handle the problems in stride. It was
not a case of the divers not following the plan but of a sudden unexpected
change in plan and what I consider an easy to make minor mistake in the dive
leader's judgement.
We are all adventurers and explorers to some degree and this carries
certain responsibilities to self and others that must be accepted by all
involved as well an an understanding of and preparation for unavoidable human
frailties and shortcomings. This is what separates the men from the boys,
not only in diving but in all life's adventures. I try to dive with "men"
(male and female - young and old).
It is ok to make mistakes; it is even ok to be stupid now and then. It
is not ok to be spiritually slovenly, ever, and the habitually irresponsible
are the epitome of the spiritually slovenly.
If I were ever to die while one of these men were at the helm I would go
out knowing they are busting their asses to prevent it or to save me as much
as any human could and this is all I could ask. I owe it to them to do the
same and because they all know I will, each of us will, all the debts remain
pretty much paid up with no need to call them in when the need arises.
Being prepared to function as a team member and partner means more that
being willing to take risks to save a life - it means making yourself prepared
by study and practice to be worth something in a crisis. These kinds of
relationships don't come automatically, they are high maintenance things that
demand commitment and honor, but the reward is priceless. It opens doors
that can be opened in no other way - not by money, influence, or love - and it
makes for a relationship between men who trustingly share adventures that most
women are intensely jealous of.
This is diving Mon !
Those members of the ignorant self centered masses who jump to assign blame
with little knowledge of the character of those involved lack this sense of
honor and spend life wallowing in the soil they make in their own beds.
Honor is an alien concept to many people and they neither expect it or extend
it which leaves them living a defensive suspicious life at every turn. They
will expend little or no effort to be prepared to function as a team member
yet they expect everyone else to be watching out for their welfare and take
responsibility for their safety and happiness. The world is chocked full of
them and they make me want to puke. They are the real reason for your high
insurance costs and they are so stupid, short memoried, and easily bought and
manipulated with shiny trinkits that what the public sheep think is
pathetically insignificant to anyone with a soul to answer to.
Some might say that Jim should have stopped this dive with Jane before it
started but like the rest of us embroiled in this extremely complex
socioeconomic fray Jim must juggle an array of needs and responsibilities that
sometimes clash under conflicting pressures. I do not know the fine details
of this incident and it is not my place to ask. Perhaps he decided that this
was a time to act as a taxi driver or that it was not his place to intervene -
you can't save everyone from themselves and none of us wants to be the scuba
cop.
I have no doubt that Jim carries some pain because of this because he is
the type who accepts responsibility by nature and because the self is the
harshest critic, not because others point a finger. Of all those involved I
believe he has earned the right to forgive himself for being human "if" there
is any need and he strikes me as the kind of man for whom this will be enough.
From what I have read on the list it appears that the instructor was
grossly negligent and it is quite possible that Jim was as much a victim of
this as was Jane.
It seem to me from these accounts that Jane was not prepared for this course -
at the very least, she should have know better than to dive a dry suit for the
first time under such conditions. And yes, I believe a student carries some
responsibility to be prepared for the courses they embark upon.
It is a huge mistake to expect to get everything you need to dive any
specialty from the course alone without considerable personal initiative on
the student's part. This works ok in the recreational realm where escape is
relatively simple and accommodated by pat procedures but it is an educational
habit and attitude that must not be carried over to the technical world.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to add Rob Palmer to my
list of the proven honorable. A diamond of a Scotsman and a Man's Man in all
respects - lost to me in the midst of a budding friendship but carried with me
always as an example of what a diver, a man, should be. If only all divers
could have been influenced by him - perhaps we would have something closer to
the comradery we all wish this sport represented.
Well my paper is wet now and I'm sure this is more thinking than you
bargained for so I will step down.
May you find good partners on land and sea,
Chuck Boone
--
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