Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Banner Advert

Message Display

From: Art.Paltz@R2*.CO*
To: techdiver@aquanaut.com
Subject: RE: GUE and Drivers License
Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2002 08:55:16 -0400
On the issue of a dive boat or dive shop checking certification cards.  Not
getting into the issue of GUE being accepted.  If dive boats or dive chops
don't check for certification then I think they are being reckless.  If a
dive boat allows someone with no training but has all the latest and
greatest dive gear board the boat and do a dive and dies then they are
irresponsible and will get sued.  That's the correct thing to do.  If a dive
shop allows someone to walk in the door, talk the talk and get scuba fills
and then goes out and gets them selves killed while diving without proper
training, they are also going to get sued.  That would also be
irresponsible.  Personally I hate this "sue craze" we have in the US but
this is one time when it is warranted.  If you build your own mixing
station, mix your own tanks, board your own boat and get killed then you are
at fault.

Maybe I'm reading your email wrong but are you suggesting that dive boats
should not check certification before a dive and that dive shops should not
check for certification before filling scuba tanks?  Hey, lets not check
drivers licenses or passports anymore.  Why do we require someone to have a
pilots license before flying?

Come one, if I'm reading your email wrong I sincerely apologize.

If GUE is a recognized agency (whatever that means) and has insurance then
there is no reason not to accept their cards.  The boats and shops need to
guard themselves against getting people killed and getting sued.  If an
accident happens and the boat or shop gets hauled into court they will need
to show that they had ample reasons to believe that this person had the
proper training to perform the dive that killed them.  Now, I also do
believe that a shop or boat has the right to refuse certain certification
cards/levels.  If I owned a boat and didn't recognize a certain
certification then I wouldn't let them dive.  Other groups do it all the
time.  I believe (and I'm sure George will correct me if I'm wrong) that the
WKPP will not accept certain certifications from certain agencies.  They
have the right to do this and I agree with it.  

Art.


 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Nick Radov [mailto:NRadov@ax*.co*] 
Sent:	Friday, July 12, 2002 11:52 PM
To:	Udo Rotmistrenko
Cc:	quest@gu*.co*; techdiver@aquanaut.com
Subject:	Re: GUE and Drivers License


The dive boat issues have already been beat to death but I'm a little
puzzled over this concern over whether or not NE dive shops will "honor"
GUE certification cards for gas fills. I used to get trimix fills from CA
dive shops without having any "trimix" card at all. Now I have a GUE card
but no one has ever asked to see it. In my experience if you walk up to the
gas mixer and tell him exactly what you want like you know what you're
talking about no one will give you any hassle.

If you really want to get some changes made then join with a few friends
and set up your own fill station. Commercial gas suppliers don't care about
silly c-cards. Do all your own tank fills, buy all your gear mail order,
and make sure the dive shop monkeys that have treated you badly know why
they are no longer getting your business. Money talks and when they see
they are losing money attitudes will change real quick. On the other hand,
if you guys continue to put up with crap then that is what you will
continue to get. Do you enjoy pounding your head against the wall?

As for GUE having liability insurance (and it does have insurance), the
only reason shop owners or boat captains should even care about that is if
a GUE instructor were to teach a class using their facilities. If shops and
boats are turning you guys away as paying customers they are just trying to
sell you more classes or advance a particular political agenda. Insurance,
or any hypothetical lack thereof, is not the real reason and using it as an
excuse is just a pathetic attempt to confuse the issue and lead the
misinformed astray. Even prospective GUE students should not care whether
their instructors have insurance or not, and any student who does care is
really barking up the wrong tree. We are not going into classes with the
fear that we might die.

-Nick


--
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'.

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]