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The latest Rebreather List sentiment was, to paraphrase, " why can't they work together, in harmony, for the greater good..." , this specifically referring to the current hostility between the WKPP and the Wak II team led by Bill Stone ( aka "Wak Me Too" ). To those confused by the conflict, the WKPP vs. the USDCT ( Wak Me Too) is actually an ideal Parable to intelligently justify if not praise George Irvine and WKPP responses. Over the last 15 years, rampant stupidities from deep air, to stuffed hoses, unmarked bottles, to Chuck Norris style "Force of One" solo diving mindsets have plagued tech and cave diving. Ten years ago, deaths led the world to believe that tech & cave diving was just, "Dangerous Diving". Deaths were the inevitable result of Explorers "pushing the envelope". And this is where the hostility begins. Since George implemented DIR, tech & cave diving has NOT been inevitably bound to RAMPANT DEATH --- in fact, when extreme exposures are carried out within DIR guidelines, death would appear to be highly UNLIKLY, based on the 10's of thousands of man/dives WKPP has run within their 100 man team over the last 5 years. Over this last 5 years, while one group has shown the world the way toward great exploration without loss of life, others have insisted on diving the way they want to---choosing their own ego-based personal preferences in gear selection, dive planning, and deco schedules---in so doing, they have continued the dangerous reputation of tech and cave diving, with an ever increasing death rate. While Darwin may smile on this and maintain it as the "way" of evolution, every death brings pain and agony to the families and close friends of the departed. One day's momentary ego or misplaced faith in some undeserving, "I was a Seal" type dive god, ends in a multiple death tragedy-----dozens of lives become shaken and damaged forever in response. Now enter the USCDT ( the United States Cave Diving Team ) , a group blatantly representing EGO over experience, stupidity over knowledge, glitzy worthless technology with no chance of proper function over PROVEN TECHNOLOGY---think of this as an assault by the techno-geek. As they enter the ANALS of EXPLORATION HISTORY, they walk in with a nearly unprecedented level of hype and misinformation they knowingly propagate to the news media and even National Geographic. While their majority exploration team members enter this Exploration with no skills in the proposed endeavor, they tell the world they are " the best divers in the world". While the next 45 days PROVES that they entered this adventure with nonexistent skills and malfunctioning technology for the exploration promised, they continue to promote themselves as the "World's best hope for the advancement of deep cave penetration and mapping. Attrition and accidents due to incompetence undermines the "Wak Me Too " group, but they continue to maintain lies to the media. So What??? Why shouldn't George and the other WKPP members be "Nice" and work "with" the "Wak me too" guys for the good of mankind??? Because 'Wak Me Too " represents a character of the most dangerous force in tech diving....Ego over common sense, bad technology and gear config to "compensate" for poor training, skills and poor fitness; and the idea of bringing UNTRAINED tech divers into an EXTREME EXPOSURE. George has been trying to SAVE the lives of "POTENTIAL EXPLORERS" over the last 5 years. He has outlined a cohesive system with an unprecedented safety record, and, if violated in nearly every way possible, you'd have a group looking very much like Wakulla Too. George, Jess, and Bill should NOT be nice to a group who would represent to all present and future potential Exploration divers, that every rule can be broken if you follow enough ego. WKPP members should NOT be nice to people who's behavior, if copied, is likely to KILL those following their footsteps. WKPP SHOULD NOT be nice or even help a group which is attempting to undermine all the safety advances of the last 5 years. Every WKPP member, or even, every DIVER who knows the truth about the Wak Too lies and masquerade, now being perpetrated by Wak II, has a RESPONSIBILITY to all those who have not yet died, to throw up the "Bullshit Flag" , and expose the Wak II lies before the media turns them into an entity to be EMULATED, and a DEATH MARCH to be followed. Regards, Dan Volker -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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