Chris Elmore wrote:

> Secondly, it was an illustration of how someone's stupidity is not just
> restricted to them but affects us all . . . the company that covers my
> house, cars, and my wife and child's policy won't cover me. Why? because
> idiots keep killing themselves in ways that draws media attention. If we
> can't get people who dive to figure out what works and what doesn't how do
> you expect non-diving actuarys to have a clue?

First of all, you're being a bit arrogant to assume that you have a clue but
we don't.  If you asked every diver on this list who believes that diving
solo is not an increased risk, I suspect you'd see not a single hand.
Unfortunately for your point, if you asked exactly the same question about
cave diving, I'd be willing to bet you'd get exactly the same resonse.
Every person here knows there is increased risk to technical diving,
whatever the term means to you.  What you don't seem to get is that freedom
of choice has a cost and your freedom to dive in caves, deep, wrecks,
whatever gets you off, is dependent on the ability of every one of us to
make our own choices, whether you like them or not.

OK, so WKPP's safety record is truly wonderful, but do you think, for even a
second, that if the choice were left up to the majority, whether their
insurance rates went up or you were allowed to do your thing, that you're
desires would win?  Do you fail to realize that my choice to dive solo (if
and when I make that choice) is identical to your choice to dive in a cave
to those who do not understand what thinking and planning went into our
individual choices?  I'd bet that if you took the deaths from diving in
caves as a percentage of the total people who have dived in caves and
compared it to the deaths of solo divers as a percentage of all who have
dived solo, that the cave death percentage would be so far above the solo
percentage that the regulators of this world, including the insurance
agencies would know exactly whose sport needs to be stopped.  If you want
the freedom to chose what you want to do, you have to support the freedom of
others to chose for themselves as well, even when it costs them their lives,
even when it costs you a few dollars.  That's just how it is.  We can live
with it, or, as an alternative, create a Taliban of our own to dictate every
element of our lives.  I'm betting your choice will be the same as mine.

Lee

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