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Bill Mee wrote: > Thomas, > > Perhaps you can explain to us why Captain Deans does not have an accident > plagued track record? What's the difference between his operation and the > one on which Tony Smith got killed? > > Jim Cobb, Joel Markwell, Sean Cary and even Tony's Fiance, Susan Brill > figured it out, but you apparently don't see the problem here. Either you > have not been around so called "tech" diving long enough or you are so > staunch an advocate of "peronal preference" that the opening scene which > preceeded Tony's death was just another normal everyday gathering of divers > and not the obvious prelude to a tragedy that it turned out to be. > > The obsession with "deep" is total bs and was the leading cause of death "by > deep air" until most people got wise to mixed gas. The lack of even a > divemaster to pose the the obvious question of "who's your buddy" borders on > criminal negligence. The complete lack of any form of safety diver violates > most of the common sense rules of offshore technical ocean diving. But what > do I know about this, inasmuch as I was not there to hear the tree fall in > the forest. > > Just answer the first two questions. > > Bill William, I will answer both questions as best I can and go further to ask you one. Dean's good safety record arises from the fact he made safety the top priority on his boat. I do not think the priority on the boat that day Tony last dived was safety. My post related specifically to your imaginary description of what was on the diver's minds, what their priority was. I doubt it was a macho race to get in the water, divers stressing out over working up to a deeper dive. If they were in a hurry to get in the water, it was to get on with a great dive that eluded them so far this year. Maybe they were not in a hurry, just disorganized. Basically I am splitting hairs with you on their thoughts. To say Tony made mistakes due to a macho thing is as insulting as it is wrong. That is why you see me here after a long absence. I take no exception to any other point you make, as in correct gear config that is proven for the dive to be done, divemasters, buddy teams, boat personnel being trained and taking a safety role, etc. etc. My statement that the basics are the lesson here is because they TOO would have prevented tragedy. You left them out of it. I split hairs about that too. When the diver makes himself the end-all be-all 'safety officer' for himself, and truly does this, then the basics are covered and tragedy is averted. Yes if there are others backing him up on the safety priority then great. A system of checks and balances will avert tragedy when a mistake is made. I never meant to say otherwise. You take the high road with the organizational aspects of safety in diving; I will take the low road with personal responsibility. Put the two together and almost all the bases are covered. Question: If all on board the boat that day made their own personal safety priority one would we be typing about this now? Tom -- The Guns and Armour of Scapa Flow 1998-1999 Underwater Photographic Survey of Historic Shipwrecks http://www.gunsofscapa.demon.co.uk/ -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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