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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000C_01C21967.61A93440 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable After-thoughts are a way of grieving following a loss of someone; that = is human. However I don't understand the purpose of this thread. I = recall at the time of the death it was clear the diver was breathing the = wrong gas - what's the point of discussion other than the diver fucked = up? We knew it then and what has changed? Furthermore if accident = analysis is followed we would find the majority of "technical" diving = accidents are the result of breathing the wrong gas. There is no excuse = for it and it is inevitably, without almost no conceivable exceptions, = the fault of the diver who ultimately suffers the consequences. Your = friend died because he did not do his job as a responsible diver. Guess = what? He is unfortunately not alone.=20 I was mixing trimix out of Sheck Exley's van a week or two before he = went to Mexico and died. He fucked up - who would have thought that = possible? I let Lee Hole(?) do a traverse from Catfish Hotel to Manatee = head spring with us when we (my dive partner and I) were finishing a = dive from upstream Friedman's. I found out a week later he had epilepsy = (which ended the possibilities of diving with us); and he died a year or = two later diving solo (of course that really wouldn't have mattered if = he had a seizure underwater). My friends who eventually recovered his = body (and his head later) were picking body parts out of their hair at = Dairy Queen on the way home. How do you think they felt? He was a friend = but he fucked up. I can count a few more people who I have known who = have died because they did stupid things while diving. They fucked up. = Real technical diving is a dangerous sport if the participants don't = understand the risks and make fitting decisions in that regard. There is = no place for bravado. That's a law of nature. I wouldn't be surprised if = less than 5% of the divers who call themselves "technical divers" really = have any business doing the dives they do (or try to do). The rest are = simply PADI type divers who don't understand how close they are to = killing themselves, and someone else around them. The real problem is = not necessarily how tanks are marked (although there are superior ways); = it is more that divers do not accept the responsibility to ensure the = tank contains what it is supposed to through any rational marking = system. Marking schemes and procedures only assist the diver in making that = determination if he or she follows those rules. By you own statement the = tank was marked with a 20ft MOD, but it contained mostly helium with = insufficient oxygen (clearly not an acceptable mix @ 20ft). If the diver = had followed his rules, he would have been able to breath that tank down = to 20ft and would be alive today perhaps. End of discussion.=20 Yes I'm a cold-hearted bastard sometimes, but I'm alive, all my dive = partners are alive, and you will never read that I breathed the wrong = gas. If you do I give you permission to dig me up and kick the shit out = of me.=20 Grieve if you will - but that should be a personal thing between you and = your friend. Take care, Doug Chapman ------=_NextPart_000_000C_01C21967.61A93440 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2716.2200" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>After-thoughts are a way of grieving = following a=20 loss of someone; that is human. However I don't understand the purpose = of this=20 thread. I recall at the time of the death it was clear the diver was = breathing=20 the wrong gas - what's the point of discussion other than the diver = fucked up?=20 We knew it then and what has changed? Furthermore if accident analysis = is=20 followed we would find the majority of "technical" diving accidents are = the=20 result of breathing the wrong gas. There is no excuse for it and it is=20 inevitably, without almost no conceivable exceptions, the fault of the = diver who=20 ultimately suffers the consequences. Your friend died because he did not = do his=20 job as a responsible diver. Guess what? He is unfortunately not alone.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I was mixing trimix out of Sheck = Exley's van a week=20 or two before he went to Mexico and died. He fucked up - who would have = thought=20 that possible? I let Lee Hole(?) do a traverse from Catfish Hotel to = Manatee=20 head spring with us when we (my dive partner and I) were finishing a = dive from=20 upstream Friedman's. I found out a week later he had epilepsy (which = ended the=20 possibilities of diving with us); and he died a year or two later diving = solo=20 (of course that really wouldn't have mattered if he had a seizure = underwater).=20 My friends who eventually recovered his body (and his head later) = were=20 picking body parts out of their hair at Dairy Queen on the way home. How = do you=20 think they felt? He was a friend but he fucked up. I can count a few = more people=20 who I have known who have died because they did stupid things while = diving. They=20 fucked up. Real technical diving is a dangerous sport if the = participants don't=20 understand the risks and make fitting decisions in that regard. There is = no=20 place for bravado. That's a law of nature. I wouldn't be surprised if = less than=20 5% of the divers who call themselves "technical divers" really have any = business=20 doing the dives they do (or try to do). The rest are simply PADI type = divers who=20 don't understand how close they are to killing themselves, and someone = else=20 around them. The real problem is not necessarily how tanks are marked = (although=20 there are superior ways); it is more that divers do not accept the=20 responsibility to ensure the tank contains what it is supposed to = through any=20 rational marking system.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Marking schemes and procedures only = assist the=20 diver in making that determination if he or she follows those rules. By = you own=20 statement the tank was marked with a 20ft MOD, but it contained mostly = helium=20 with insufficient oxygen (clearly not an acceptable mix @ 20ft). If the = diver=20 had followed his rules, he would have been able to breath that tank down = to 20ft=20 and would be alive today perhaps. End of = discussion. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Yes I'm a cold-hearted bastard = sometimes, but I'm=20 alive, all my dive partners are alive, and you will never read that I = breathed=20 the wrong gas. If you do I give you permission to dig me up and kick the = shit=20 out of me. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Grieve if you will - but that should be = a personal=20 thing between you and your friend.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Take care,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Doug Chapman</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_000C_01C21967.61A93440-- -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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