The more you dive, the more you realize that much of the risk can be
eliminated and that which can't be eliminated can be minimized.  Looking
beyond the obvious things like gear and personal conditioning, it is very
apparent that buddy selection is critical to your survival.  This is
especially true when engaged in any form of extreme diving.  A buddy team
not only provides redundancy, but more importantly, they serve as mutual
sounding boards for judgement calls made on the fly.  Hopefully, if you have
selected the right buddy, you're skills and abilities will compliment each
other, making each one a better diver.  You not only learn from each other
but you correct mistakes before they happen.

A big problem with solo diving is that the more you do it the more you think
it is safe.  Those that engage in it routinely will typically become
complacent about it until such time as they have an incident.  If they are
lucky they live and learn.  If not... we know the consequence. Complacency
kills quicker than anything else in diving.

If you are worried about being sued because of your potential buddy you
should take it as a sign from above to go bowling instead of diving.  You
are most probably in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Joe


----- Original Message -----
From: Capt JT <captjt@mi*.co*>
To: Joe <joe@po*.co*>; <allysonclagett@ea*.ne*>;
<kevin.obrien03@us*.cg*.co*>; 'Manos Manoli' <cytech@ma*.co*.cy*>
Cc: <techdiver@aquanaut.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 3:54 PM
Subject: Re: Solo cash classes


> As a diver who witnessed such an event and find that no matter who you
> claim as your buddy, if he dies it is the family who sues, the lawyers who
> call them up, and the so called friends that try to influence them to
serve
> personal reasons. All of that is strong defence for solo diving.
>
> I do not preach solo diving and think it to be wrong.
>
>   I still do it sometimes for lack of the right buddy. There are only a
> handful of divers I trust and the deeper it gets that number reduces to
> just 1. I once found myself about to do a 420ft and the only person
> available as a buddy had questionable past performance problems involving
> buddies, I chose to do that dive solo, that won't ever happen again.
>
>   At 03:02 AM 6/6/01 -0700, Joe wrote:
> > >>>: they scare the reader by saying a diver is legally responsible
> > >>>for their dive buddy--he/she could get sued if something dreadful
> >happens,
> >
> >Unfortunately, that is true.  If you are there and something bad happens
> >that is litigated, odds are you will be dragged into it.  That is not to
> >suggest you solo dive but rather that you judiciously select your dive
> >buddies.
> >
> >jc
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Allyson <allysonclagett@ea*.ne*>
> >To: <kevin.obrien03@us*.cg*.co*>; 'Manos Manoli' <cytech@ma*.co*.cy*>
> >Cc: <techdiver@aquanaut.com>
> >Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 7:12 AM
> >Subject: RE: Solo cash classes
> >
> >
> > > Kevin,
> > >
> > > Obviously, there is plenty of interest in a solo diving certification
> > > course.  As you said, they would not develop training if their weren't
> > > interest.  I don't think anyone here is against agencies or
individuals
> > > making money in the dive industry--we all make livings.  The problem
lies
> >in
> > > teaching unsafe practices --and I am not talking just this solo diving
> > > certification issue.
> > >
> > > The thing that angered me about the article in Rodale's is that they
> > > introduce the idea of the solo c-card on one page and then there is an
> > > article (written by a lawyer) on the very next page outlining the
dangers
> >of
> > > buddy diving: they scare the reader by saying a diver is legally
> >responsible
> > > for their dive buddy--he/she could get sued if something dreadful
happens,
> > > that having a buddy is a hindrance for experienced divers, and they
say
> >that
> > > statistically dive partnerships fail more than they succeed.  (where
did
> > > they get these statistics?)  They are good, they disputed every good
> >reason
> > > to buddy dive.
> > >
> > > Budding divers who are excited by a new ability and who starve for
more
> > > information about diving take articles such as this as gospel and I
feel
> >the
> > > article(s) are one big advertisement for their class.  The tops of the
> >pages
> > > should say "advertisement."
> > >
> > > Allyson
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: kevin.obrien03@us*.cg*.co* [mailto:kevin.obrien03@us*.cg*.co*]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 7:45 AM
> > > To: Manos Manoli
> > > Cc: techdiver@aquanaut.com
> > > Subject: Re: Solo cash classes
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > At the risk of being severely flamed by many on this list, I have to
> > > disagree on the solo diver issue. I think that, for certain
individuals,
> > > there is nothing wrong with wanting to dive solo. Aside from freedom
of
> > > choice, which presumably we all agree on, there are valid reasons for
some
> > > divers to want to dive solo. Underwater photography is a perfect
example.
> > > Most of the time the buddy is bored to tears or nowhere to be found,
as
> >the
> > > photo diver moves very slowly and may spend a lot of time (maybe the
> >entire
> > > dive) around a single subject. But let's get to the point that seems
to
> > > irritate most of those against solo diving. You see it as a greed
issue
> > > for the agencies. That's pure bullshit. Most of the time, the agencies
> > > are well behind the diving community, only finally creating new
training
> > > after there is a proven demand for it. Come on, use your heads, is an
> > > agency going to spend lots of $$ creating training materials, spending
> > > legal fees, etc. for a course that only a very small number of people
will
> > > pay for. Of course not. The agencies are for-profit businesses. They
> > > provide a service that a reasonably large group of divers will want --
> > > enough so that they can make money. And making money isn't bad. Anyone
> > > else on this list in business ?? Do you want to make money -- or go
broke
> > > ?? In fact, profit at the agencies allows them to do research, create
new
> > > training approaches and other things that have made this sport safer
every
> > > year. So, to the question of solo diving. Why not allow a capable
diver
> > > that has appropriate training and experience to dive alone if he/she
> > > chooses ?? At a minimum, the agencies might require advanced/rescue
level
> > > certification, minimum of 100 dives, max. depth 80-100 ft, completely
> > > redundant gas supply with min. volume, say a 13 cf pony, etc. as
> > > prerequisites. As a recreational diving instructor, I can tell you
that
> > > when I have a group of non-certified open water students underwater on
> > > their training dives, I am diving alone. Who's going to help me if I
have
> > > a problem ?? One of the students ?? Not a chance in hell. OK, I've
said
> > > my piece. Flame on. Safe diving -- KOB.
> > >
> > > --
> > > 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
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> > >
> >
> >--
> >Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
> >Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
>
> "You can't learn to dive on the net, sooner or later you have to get in
the
> water"
> Your Guide to Great Wreck Diving along the East Coast & more
>   Web Site  http://www.capt-jt.com/
> Email     captjt@mi*.co*
>
>

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