Down in the Fl keys the diveboats take on the role of dive police with 
gusto. They want to see you in a jacket BC, Al80 and with console and 
octo flapping in the breeze or they are not happy campers.

And the buddy system is shoved down your throat with robot-like 
efficiency, making no effort to match interests and capablilties. 
Ironically surface intervals are next to none because after all there is 
another load of cattle waiting at the dock for the afternoon trip.

I am happy to dive up here in the freedom of the northeast. I thank the 
stars for unobtrusive Captains and indifferent mates. Lazy surface 
intervals shooting the shit with other liers, er, divers. I dive the way 
I want do dive and, due to the generally half-assed training by 
half-assed instructors, most of what I learn is done the hard way.

How could I learn if I were not given the room to make errors? Wrolf, old 
buddy, while you are learning by rocketing screaming feet-first to the 
surface, I remember the dark days of the pony bottles, the vest BC, the 
wreckreel fiascos, the white-knuckled grip on the hangbar while I drug it 
and half a dozen other divers to the surface because I forgot to let the 
air out of the BC. Yes, the freedom to fuck-up is my right as an American 
Citizen and I exercise it on a regular basis in the Great North East.

 Jim

Sender: Mike Zimmerman  Date: 7/14/98 8:32 AM

>> 
>> You just stated that divers that have the certification cards are sometimes
>> not really able to do the type of diving for which they are certified. So 
how
>> does it help if the boat checks credentials ??.
>> 
>> There are many good divers that are able to do very technical advanced dives
>> that don't have the credentials. These divers are often more Qualified and
>> experienced than the "instructors " teching tech diving.
>> 
>> It puts the boat in a bad spot being held liable for knowing the difference
>
>Agreed.  Boats are either just taxis, or dive police... they cannot 
>reasonably
>be expected to do a little of both... that "little" become open to 
>interpretation,
>obligation, and lawsuit.
>
>As for DVIEACE's comments...
>
>earilier re: the parachute analogy... get the hell out of the way... ganny
>is preparing to jump... and do you want nuts or pretzels during your
>in-flight snack?
>
>And as for legal/moral.... legal no... four letters... T-A-X-I
>
>Moral... hey we all care about our fellow divers and don't want anyone
>to get hurt... I can be a really nice and helpful guy, but that's
>when I WANT to be, not because some over-zealous lawmaker decides I HAVE
>to be.  You don't want the LEGAL obligation to protect fools from themselves.
>You'll be in jail in 2 seconds, its an impossible job.
>
>Mike
>


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