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Larry, I am not knocking training at all. Some people absolutely need instruction, testing, screening and hand-holding. Some folks can do the research because they are truly interested in the subject and know that knowledge is life in this sport. Others have to be forced to learn or have a hard time making the connections and need help. Judging from certain people on this list some need more help than others. My point is that your training on this sport does not end with your c-card. It is your ass and if you depend solely on formal training for your tech diving knowledge you are making a big mistake. I have to point out that there are obviously (again judging from this list) instrokters who are dangerously stupid and deficient, and it is up to you, the prospective techdiver, to do your own research and get a second, third or forth opinion on what your instrokter tells you, because it's your ass down there in the end, not his. Jim ------------------------------------------------------------------- Learn About Trimix at http://www.cisatlantic.com/trimix/trimix.html > From: "Larry Boomer" <Boomer@be*.co*>c > Reply-To: Boomer@be*.co* > Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1993 09:58:56 -0500 > To: Jim Cobb <cobber@ci*.co*> > Cc: Tech Diver <techdiver@aquanaut.com> > Subject: Re: Introduction > > Jim > I wonder how many other divers out there have figured out that for the price > of a Silverstein type certification they can buy a mini ox, digital gauge, cga > 540\580 adapters, AA30 Haskel, and a used Rix compressor and have money left > to go diving. Larry > Jim Cobb wrote: > >> With all the intro's lately it occurred to me that I have never properly >> introduced myself to the list. (alright, let's keep that snickering down in >> the back). >> >> I am a NAUI trained diver who started in '78. I dove like a typical rec >> diver here in Virginia Beach, VA and in the Fl keys for many years. I have >> been an avid snorkel diver since I was 12 years old and always wanted to >> stay down longer than a breathold. After screwing around with rental gear >> for awhile I had to make the decision as to whether or not I was going to >> enjoy this sport or not and decided to make the leap and purchase my gear. >> >> As most of the rec diving around here is around 80' this does not make for >> much time underwater and I grew tired of spending an entire day and much $ >> for a lousy 20 or 30 total mins of bottom time. After reading about >> decompression diving I decided to give it a try. I can't tell you the thrill >> of watching my dive computer drift into a virtual overhead, it scared the >> hell out of me. I read, read, read up on the subject, and the more I read >> the more serious I got about how to equip oneself to survive this type of >> diving. >> >> I took a TDI nitrox class to try to extend my bottom time. But things did >> not seem to add up, from my reading it appeared to me that increasing your >> PPO2 just made things more dangerous, I did not understand the logic behind >> nitrox. >> >> After experimenting with crap gear like stuporwings and pony bottles I found >> the Techdiver list. And on this list was this guy ranting and raving about >> "hogarthian" diving techniques and how stupid and suicidal stuff like >> pony's, independent doubles, and all the crap I was doing. >> >> This guy (who you might have guessed by now is George) called me a stroke >> and an idiot, and explained to me in terms which I could clearly understand >> why what I was doing was wrong. Me, being a standard hard-headed scuba >> diver, did not believe him but, some of the stuff he said seemed to make >> some sense from my research. So I decided to try it out. To my amazement the >> ideas and concepts worked as advertised. Even better than advertised. >> >> I have to say that being a military brat and the son of an Admiral in the US >> Navy I did not have a problem with George's presentation style. It was >> something which I was used to and it did not bother me, although my ego did >> take a beating from time to time. This is not a sport for limp-wristed >> wussies, that's for sure. >> >> George, Bill, Trout and the others made me a believer and I read and read >> and read and decided to put my research on a web site for the general diving >> public. At the time I was not a trimix diver and the diving community >> (particularly the NE diving community) jeered, derided and tormented me for >> daring to put into print what I had not personally experienced. But fuck it, >> how many guy's made it to the moon compared to how many built the rocket? >> Fuck them, I say. >> >> My friends in the diving community have allowed me to dive trimix with them >> even though I am not officially sanctioned. Obviously I had done my >> homework. They knew, as did I, that being a trimix diver merely requires a >> trip to the local gas supply store and the required fittings and equipment. >> >> So, here I am in one of the premier techdiving Mecca's in the world, >> Virginia Beach, Virginia, doing what I enjoy. But now hear this: Tech diving >> is a dangerous sport. You need to be confident, comfortable and one with the >> water to be a tech diver. My personal goal is to see more shipwrecks, not to >> set any depth records. The fact is that the deeper you go, the less people >> have been to your goal. As a techdiver you can see sights which less people >> than those who have climbed Mount Everest have seen. And you can bring back >> a souvenir or two (right, Rick?) to show you have "counted coup" with places >> on this Planet Earth than most people cannot even dream of visiting. >> >> Techdiving is a worthy goal for those who are willing to put the time and >> dedication into the sport. It is an interesting sport in that the majority >> of pleasure and enjoyment is one of personal satisfaction as non-divers do >> not have a clue to what it's all about. That's good enough for me. >> >> Jim >> ------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Learn About Trimix at http://www.cisatlantic.com/trimix/trimix.html >> >> -- >> Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. >> Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. > > > > -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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