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Forwarded letter from scifi!njs@uu*.UU*.NE* follows:
> Um, what is wrong with discussing this stuff in rec.scuba?  Does
> anyone have any problems with my gatewaying this list (one way) into
> rec.scuba?
> 

I originally set up this list as a forum for discussion of diving
related topics that are beyond the scope of the "standard" diving
agencies: PADI, NAUI, SSI, etc.  The concern I had was very simple: I
did not feel that it was necessarily a good idea for such topics to be
openly discussed where people totally new to diving may mistake a
message discussing a highly specialist technique for something they
might go out and try tomorrow, without realizing the need for
appropriate training.

This concern outweighed, to my mind, two drawbacks of using a
mailing list, rather than a newsgroup:
    - people not on the mailing list would not benefit from
      the information in the mailing list discussions
    - the mailing list may be viewed as a `clique'

It is my hope that, by keeping the list open to all that wish to join,
these concerns would vanish.  I had thought of posting a periodic
announcement of this list to the newsgroup.  I had also thought of
asking you, Nick, to put a mention of it in the FAQ.

I do not, personally, agree that it is right that the "standard"
agencies restrict the flow of information on technical diving, as they
do. I am concerned that many divers have been inappropriately confused
by misleading, or often wrong, information from their standard-agency
instructor, about very advanced subjects.  I feel that more information
about such subjects should be available to the wider diving population.

However, from my own experience, there are clearly two distinct types of
diver out there.  There is the individual whose main diving interests
lie in warm, clear waters between 10-30 meters, and there are those
whose interests lie from 40-75 meters down.  I have not seen any
discussion of real interest to the latter category of diver during the
last year or so that I have been reading rec.scuba.  I considered
starting some.  I foresaw problems from those telling me that I am mad
to go beneath 40 meters, or 130 feet, or that I'm stupid to dive solo,
or that tampering with the gasses in the air you breathe is sheer
lunacy.

I concluded that a mailing list would be a more appropriate place for
such discussion.  Before you do gateway this list to rec.scuba, Nick,
I'd be interested in hearing other people's views on this.

	-jr

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