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Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2002 15:11:49 -0800
To: Jsuw@ao*.co*
From: Curt Degler <cdegler@aq*.co*>
Subject: Re: Helmets for cave diving. What's the deal?
Cc: techdiver@aquanaut.com
At 10:11 AM 1/12/02 -0500, you wrote:
>I have never done sidemount, so I can't speak to that, but I can say that 
>I've seen a number of these discussions where one group or individual 
>loudly says that DIR will not work in their environment, only to finally 
>come to the conclusion that there is no reason it won't.  Not only that, 
>but it probably will streamline, simplify, and make safer what is done.

In addition to rec, tech, and commercial diving there is a 4th variation 
(and some will say there are more ) on being underwater called Public 
Safety Diving. PSD itself has many incarnations, including swiftwater 
rescue and recovery, but the main stem of this activity is recovery of 
bodies and evidence in waters less than 60ft with visibility approaching or 
at zero(blackwater),  with a high potential for encountering unknown 
obstructions underwater including masses of barbed wire and abandoned 
vehicles,  often in very cold and contaminated water.

Painting with very broad strokes, the diving is performed by single divers 
on SCUBA using back mounted single tanks and mounted, not slung pony 
bottles, tethered and controlled by tenders, with two backup divers on the 
surface, one ready to go.

No buddies, no doubles, no DPVs, no reels, no cannister lights,no 7 ft 
hoses, no wings,  pockets instead of d-rings, etc. Not DIR, unless by this 
term you refer only to a method of thinking.

Reading the account of the form of cave diving performed by the Brits, in 
very tight circumstances in zero viz it seems that what they are doing is a 
lot more like PSD  than 2 mile penetrations at 60 fathoms,(where DIR has 
more than proven itself to be the method par excellence - no argument there).

How would DIR configure the PSD diver?  Is there a DIR form of PSD diving? 
Who practices it and how are they confgured? And how would the DIR diver 
configure himself in the sumps the Brit divers "stroke" through?

>  Change is often difficult to accept.   A first step is admitting that 
> there is room for improvement in what is currently being done.

This is true. But can it be said does it apply to DIR itself especially 
after those at the top of the DIR hierarchy have decided how it is to be done?

Curt Degler





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