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In a recent post Bill Mee put forth the following: <The boat captain is the last line of defense against self destructive <stupidity and dangerous risk fraught practices. You need to be prepared <to turn people away if they don't meet basic criteria. You can be sure <that the attorney for the plaintiff (i.e., the dead diver's relatives) <will consider you in the same light as the getaway car driver unless you <have enforced basic standards. If you don't believe me, go ahead and <ask one of them. The boat Captain is just like a Taxi driver. He/she takes me from point A to point B (and sometimes point C) then returns me to point A. That's it. Plain and simple. The boat Captain is not responsible for what gear I choose to dive with nor are they responsible for me following the standards I was taught by whatever agency trained me. A Taxi driver who transports a criminal away from the scene of the crime isn't liable for anything unless they had a part in planning the crime or with intent, aided and abetted the criminal in the getaway. <You all know who they are and they are on these lists. <Releases mean nothing in the face of obvious negligence. Do not under <any circumstances accept only training agency standards as being <sufficient. You must be your own filter. (See WKPP.org website for gear <rigging information) "Do not... accept only training agency standards" and "you must be your own filter."? How many boat Captains have trained to the standards of the divers they take out to the wrecks? An OW only certified boat Captain have any right to tell a Nitrox certified diver how to do their dive? Or whether they are competent to do the dive? I don't think so. <CAPTAINS DOZEN PLUS: <1. All stage and deco bottles must be marked with 3" MODs on both sides <of the bottles so that the MOD is easily visible to other divers while <submerged. That's sort of a common sense thing. Not the dive boats responsibility either. The diver should insure that this is done. <2. No Air diving below 120 fsw, preferably 100 fsw. But doesn't a PADI basic standard allow air dives to 130? And whose basic standard do you follow? PADI which allows a little deeper or NASDS which sets their limit to 100? <3. Mixed gas i.e. helium, nitrogen oxygen mixes must be mixed to an EAD <of 100fsw or less. Divers must sign off that they have the correct mix <for a dive. If the diver has analyzed their mix and marked their cylinders unless they filled it themselves (i.e., at home or elsewhere as opposed to a dive shop) then they have already signed off on the mix. <4. Remixing must be done so that the resultant mix has an EAD of 100 fsw <or less. Verification of the residual tank pressure and signed <confirmation of the helium content and EAD of the remix should be <enforced. Again, this is the divers responsibility, and some divers prefer an EAD of 110, 120 or 130. If it is safe for them what business is it of the boat Captain. <5. Back tanks must be of the correct capacity and have an isolator dual <manifold. Who determines what the correct capacity is? Some people can burn thru a 120 faster than I burn thru an 85 or 95 in the same amount of time. So if diving doubles with someone using 120's and I have for example 95's, what business is it of the dive boat Captain to determine my correct capacity. "Gee Dan, you have to have 120's for this dive because your dive partner does?" Of course, here I speak only of recreational diving and staying within recreational limits. If I were to dive deeper, I see the sense in assuring everyone has the same gas capacity and planning the dive around the person with the highest consumption rate. But this is still not the responsibility of the boat Captain. <6. No diving with steel back tanks unless the diver is wearing a <drysuit. That's my choice if I want to dive wet or dry. Not some dive boat Captain. If I'm in NC and diving Gulf Stream waters that are 80 F I'll be damned if I'm going to have some boat Captain tell me I have to wear a dry suit because I'm diving doubles. Besides, if a boat Captain tells me I can't dive wet, forces me to dive dry and there is a problem caused by their interference, they have just assumed liability where before, they had none. Now, I (or my survivors) own them. Besides, I've been out on some boats where the Captain isn't even a diver so quite literally, he is nothing but a "taxi driver." You really think I'll take advice or guidance from him/her? <7. No diving with "bungee" wings or elastic collapsible wings or similar <convoluted buoyancy compensation systems. Again, my choice. Not the boat Captains. I like my OMS IQ pack. It works for me. I've had no trouble with it. I check it, I maintain it, it's safe, it's sound, I've practiced with it, I'm used to it and the bottom line is..It's my responsibility. Not the boat Captain. And if the Captain forces me to dive something other than what I have trained with, again they assume liability. <8. The back tank gas must always be the deepest gas. Never allow diving <with a stage bottle of mix and some other gas in the back tanks. <9. For a dual reg double tank system the backup regulator should be <worn around the neck on a necklace and the primary long hose reg should <be breathed. Why? Again, this is divers choice not Captains. But really, why? What's the rationale behind that as opposed to wearing it where the safety 2nd goes? I'm not trying to be sarcastic or a smart ass here, I really don't know and would like a rational explanation. <10. All in water decompression diving must have a support diver <available during the final phases of deco. Ask divers about their dive <times and decompression plans in advance so that you don't have some <"hangman" interfering with an emergency. Again divers choice. But I personally see sense in having support divers available for any deep tech dive and not just for the final phases of deco. <11. Along the lines of #10. Do not permit extremely long exposures which <will almost always result in potential deco problems and possible <injury. The ability of the dive boat to manage emergencies offshore is <not the same as being at the dock and dialing 911. Again, it's really up to the Diver. I'd be willing to bet that a fair number of Captains are not deep water divers and really have to rely on the diver to assure them the dive is potentially safe. And the divers should also keep in mind that offshore emergencies are difficult to manage. <12. No solo diving on decompression dives. The dive team is part of the <life support system. This is really more common sense than anything else. But even with a buddy, at 350 fsw and 20 to 30 foot separation from your partner you might as well be diving solo and I have yet to see a dive boat that can monitor what happens once you are in the water and under the surface. <13. Never permit drift diving without a towed floatation system. Common sense and here I can see where a boat Captain could easily set a requirement such as this. <14. Do not permit strange looking breathing apparatus (i.e. closed <circuit electronic rebreathers or other gadgetry) unless the individual <can definitively demonstrate proficiency in their use and they have <legally absolved you of potential guilt. How does a boat Captain know the divers proficiency on ccrb's? Does this mean that if your "dozen plus" is adapted that all boat Captains will now have to be rebreather certified? Already, you seem to want them tri mix certified. Where does it end? Gee, if I want to dive a rebreather (and personally, I don't) then I have to find a boat where the Captain know this particular brand, then I can prove my proficiency to him. NOT! It's up to the diver to be trained in the equipment, to use it properly and to dive within his/her personal limits. <15. Beware of personality types who appear to be "trying to prove <something". These guys will get themselves or somebody else killed. One should always beware of those with "something to prove." But, you can't always tell that type when you first meet them. So, how's a Captain to know? Dan ************************* Press hard it's 5 copies...... -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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