> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Gerrard [mailto:104164.1441@co*.co*]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 1998 9:52 PM
> Subject: Now It Comes To This.
>
>
>
>
>
>                                             Wednesday,    November 11th,
> 1998
>
>
>
> Dear Fellow Cave Divers:
>
>      Earlier today, Buddy Quattlebaum of the Dos Ojos Dive Center, hand
> delivered the following
> letter of PETITION to me at AQUATECH/VILLAS DEROSA.   It states:
>
>
> To:  Tony DeRosa,  owner
>        Aquatech / Villas DeRosa
>        Steve Gerrard, instructor Trainer
>        Aquatech / Villas DeRosa
>
>
> Date:  10/4/98
>
>                                                           PETITION
>
> Gentlemen,
>
> Please stop changing line arrows in the cave systems located in
> and around the Tulum / Akumal / Pto. Aventuras areas.  Your actions,
> directly or indirectly, have decreased the safety and angered many of
> the other cave divers who are trained to dive in these caves.
>
> No one entity has a right to change the original line arrows in the cave
> systems and yet you have done so on every popular line in every popular
> cave system.  The underwater cave environment is not a suitable venue for
> an advertising campaign.  If you did this with the intention of enhancing
> safety in the cave environment then you were mistaken.  The
> original arrows
> were perfectly safe, visible, noncommercial and accepted by everyone, with
> the
> exception of you.   Most of the original arrows were white, and white has
> the
> most reflectively in a darkened environment.  In addition, the colored
> markers,
> along with the markings on many arrows, provided an additional diversity
> which
> is an aid to navigational referencing and therefore safer than any uniform
> arrow.
>
> Your actions have caused numerous divers to react in anger with changes of
> their
> own in an attempt to remove commercial uniform arrows from the
> lines.  Your
> continued arrow changing is perpetuating a dangerous situation that should
> not
> be allowed to continue or escalate.  Constant changes decrease
> cave safety.
>  It is
> time to end.
>
> If you wish to continue using your Aquatech arrows, or any other arrows
> produced
> to your specifications, you should leave them as permanent markers in
> places where
> you have explored or as temporary markers during a given cave dive.  This
> is in step
> with tradition.  Do not continue to force your vision of the future on the
> collective
> cave diving public.  You have no sanctioned authority or right to do so.
>
>
> In order to begin to remedy the current situation we urge you to begin
> re-installing the
> original line arrows that you have removed over the past two
> years.  Please
> place
> them in their original locations in their respective caves to the best of
> your
> recollection.  These arrows have been accepted by cave divers for
> years and
> they
> also serve as a historical record of sorts in some areas of the cave.  If
> you do not
> wish to do please return the original arrow markers to their rightful
> owners where
> markings indicate an individual who is known to you.
>
> If you have a genuine regard for safety than we collectively urge
> you honor
> this
> request.
>
> Signed,
>
> SIGNATURE         PRINT NAME                  AGENCY AFFILIATION(S)
>
>                               Gary Walten
> NACD I-79
> RSO
>                               Kay P. Walten                    NACD
>                               Allen Pertner
> NSS-CDS/TDI
>                               Carlos C. Cardiel
> NACD   #1836
>                               Mike Madden
> NACD I-51  CD
> 5
>                               Lara N Popyack                  NACD/NSS-CDS
>                               Virginia E. Urbieta              PADI CD
> 50195/NACD
>                               Unlegible                            NACD
> cave diver
>                               Daniel F. Lins                     NSS-CDS
> #202
>                               Chuck Stevens                    NACD I-77
>                               Buddy Quattlebaum            NACD #1106
>                               Gregory L. Brown              IANTD, PADI,
> NSS, SSI
>                               Isaac Villanueva                  NACD
> #1881
>                               Ruben Novelo
>                               Thomas M. Reagan             NSS-CDS
>                               Donald Brewer                    NSS-CDS
>                               Sydney Reagan                    NSS-CDS
>                               James C. Martina                 NSSCDS
> North Carolina
>                               Harry E. Katz Jr.                  NSSCDS
> North Carolina
>                               Marcia Olive                         NSS-CDS
> North Carolina
>                               Omar Gomez                        NACD #1871
>                               Lucy C. James                      NSS-CDS,
> NAUI, TDI
>                               Joel Datica
> NSS-CDS, PADI
>                               Richard Chang
> TDI-NACD-NSS-IANTD
>
> Manager of Dive Tours - PADI
>
> and Technical Programs
>
> Marina Aquaworld
>                               Javier Imaz Castro
> NSS-CDS/TDI/PADI
>                               Alberto Garcia                     PADI/TDI
>                               Jesus Rannel
> PADI/TDI/NSS-CDS
>                               Jose T. Rojo
> PADI/NACD/TDI
>                               Rofauso A. Montauer-Fontaine  NSS/CDS/IANTD/
> PADI/YMCA/CMAS
>
>
> Owner mgr. Dive Cozumel/Costa Maya?????
>
>
>      Sitting on the bench in front of Aquatech/Villas DeRosa with Bernie
> Birnbach I scanned the
> three pages realizing they were part of a petition about these
> controversial arrow markers that have
> been a “hot topic” not only in our local cave diving community but in
> Florida too.   Buddy spouts off
> a few remarks and I make my first mistake and shoot off  my mouth with an
> unpleasant sexual
> innuendo.  Buddy returns the compliment.  As he is walking away
> back to his
> vehicle my anger is
> getting the better of me and I make my second mistake by getting up and
> following him.  We are
> now close to his truck and Buddy turns around and now thinks I want to
> fight.  I’m still walking
> straight at him and Buddy starts backing up angrily asking if
> I’m going to
> fight.  I mutter something
> but I did not clench my fists or raise my arms.  Buddy is still backing up
> lowering himself as if he
> were going to tackle me or wrestle.  There was no physical
> contact.  It was
> so comical I almost started
> laughing but I was too pissed off in anger.   Then I did the first smart
> thing and STOPPED dead in tracks.   My brain came back on as I realized
> what an idiot I was for allowing myself to get into this situation.  Here
> we were, two middle age adult men and we were on a verge of a brawl on a
> dirt street like 8 year olds.
> Really intelligent.  Now I was embarrassed.  Buddy and I exchanged another
> unpleasant statement referring to how we looked like solid animal waste
> material.   And then I did the second smart thing.   I shut up my mouth.
> Buddy kept going with his mouth saying things that I was a killer, I teach
> unsafe cave courses, practice dangerous techniques, blah, blah,
> blah, etc..
>  I’m standing there not really listening to him but thinking and realizing
> I had almost gone down to Buddy’s level of life.   I looked at Buddy and
> just said “I’m really glad I did not lose it”, turned around and walked
> back to the building.
>
> Sitting down again and picking up the petition paper, I looked up
> at Bernie
> and said, “I’m really glad I did
> not lose it”!  Bernie looked at me not saying a word.  I thought about the
> nasty things Buddy said and recognized that was typical Buddy.
> I’ve heard
> it all before by a few out spoken personalities in our cave diving
> community.  Word of mouth or on the Internet.  Some people I have never
> met!  It doesn’t bother me because none of it is true.   The comments are
> always from a few cave divers or Cave Instructors who are jealous or
> envious of my success.   Hell, I was just told yesterday that I
> was awarded
> the Paul Meng Outstanding Instructor Award for 1998 at the NACD Seminar in
> Lake City, Florida.  (Second time in four years)  Lloyd Bailey - President
> of the NACD - compliments my work in front of an entire audience.
>  There is
> another award presented each year called the “Steve Gerrard Outstanding
> Service Award”.   I always thought you had to be dead to have an award
> named after you.   I consider that quite an honor and one big compliment
> for me.  This year’s winner was Michael Garmen.   A few months
> ago, a close
> friend and fellow Cave Diving Instructor from North Florida told me that
> Tom Mount was really impressed with me because of my consistency for
> teaching safe cave diving since 1983.  Wow, one of the co-founders of the
> NACD said that.  A true compliment.   Heck, this week I’m team teaching a
> cave course with nine students.   Next week I have another cave
> course with
> three.   I must be doing something right.
>
> Studying the petition more, I look at the names and signatures.  Gary and
> Kay Walten.  They own and operate Loco Gringos Underground in Akumal and
> used to work for Aquatech.    Don Brewer - owner of the Akumal Dive Shop,
> his daughter and her husband - Sydney and Thomas Reagan, Al
> Pertner and his
> wife - Lucy James along with Carlos Cardiel and Omar Gomez who all work at
> this business.  I see
> Mike Madden’s (Tony & Nancy DeRosa, Mike and I used to work together
> bringing cave divers to this area)  name, his girl friend Lara Popyock,
> Chuck Stevens, and Virginia Urbieta from Cedam
> Dive Centers.  Buddy Quattlebaum (former associate with Aquatech), Gregory
> Brown (whom I never met), Isacc Villanueva (a diver from Tulum
> who I gave a
> FREE cave course three years ago) and Ruben Novello of the Dos Ojos Dive
> Center.   Three people from North Carolina.  Then we have AQUAWORLD of
> Cancun (the world’s biggest dive operation) signing the petition with
> Richard Chang as Manager and a
> few associates along with a dive store owner in Cozumel.
>
> You know what I see with this list!  With what do the people on this list
> have a problem?  Commercialism
> of the cave systems here.  The line arrows have the name, “AQUATECH”
> embossed in them.
>
> Early this morning I got a few E-mails as, apparently, the latest issue of
> the NSS-CDS Underwater
> Speleology just came out.  In it was my EDITORIAL OPINION
> (condensed) about
> the Line Arrow Marker
> Controversy and my viewpoints on a letter posted by Gary Walten as the
> Regional Safety Officer for the
> NACD which was spurred by earlier actions of  Buddy Quattlebaum and his
> employee - Greg Brown
> removing arrow markers observed by a guy a named Greg Moore.  In the
> Editorial, I staunchly defended the motives for Safety with bigger and
> easier to see arrow markers, clearly pointed out that history is not
> documented by names or initials on a plastic arrow marker, and referencing
> a cave is not done by a color of an arrow marker.    I strongly
> argued that
> the only individuals who voiced their objections were bitter ex-employees
> and associates involved with Aquatech in the past.  Not one individual,
> locally, has ever called me, wrote me a letter, or voiced their objection
> with me face to face except for Gary Walten.   Either they
> did not care or not interested.  The comments from the E-mail
> were mixed.
> Dustin Clesi - owner of the Steamboat Dive Inn in Branford, Florida
> politely stated that dive store names have no place in underwater
> caves.  A
> cave diver from Houston thought my Editorial was professional and well
> stated.   Most cave divers that I have spoken with took no sides in the
> issue or could care less about it.   This week at Aquatech/Villas
> DeRosa we
> have over forty cave divers spending the week and only one person brought
> up the topic with me.
>
> Looking up at Bernie again I can see in his eyes saying that this entire
> situation was pathetic and one of the
> silliest controversies ever in the history in cave diving.    You know
> what.........he’s right!  It has turned into a pathetic and silly ordeal!
>
> Looking at the petition one more time, I told Bernie this was coming to an
> end.    It has to STOP somewhere.   People’s emotions are now becoming
> unraveled.   Cave divers are being forced to choose
> sides.   Everyone is getting edgy.   At divesites, tension among cave
> Instructors and divestores are
> making things very uncomfortable.   It has caused grief and anxiety in
> Florida.   Everyone is divided on
> the issue of safety versus commercialism in the caves.   It won’t change
> people’s feelings.  Bitterness will still be the same amongst all the
> divestores and local cave divers - another controversy will erupt, soon,
> involving a new and different issue.   It is making all of us, cave divers
> in the Akumal - Tulum area look like idiots.   And.......is this really
> smart business?    “I guess I started this.  I really thought it was a
> great idea, strongly believe in it and many cave divers supported the
> intentions  but now it has become ridiculous.   So, I’m going to end it
> starting today”.    Bernie looked at me and for the first time in two
> months he smiled at me saying   “That’s the best thing  you can do Steve”.
>
> At the request of the petition and for the good of cave diving in the
> Akumal/Tulum area, and cave diving
> in general this controversy is over.  No more arrow markers with the word
> Aquatech will be used in the popular cave systems.   Concerning the old
> arrow markers, they are gone.  They have all disappeared for what purposes
> I do not know.    The local cave diving community can replace whatever
> arrow markers it
> see’s fit!
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Steve Gerrard
>

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