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Jim, Most of the time I think your pretty dead on, but not this time. In the sport diving world I would rather have a brain dead, just certified idiot to dive with than nobody. Your way if the shit hits the fan, & I can't handle it, I'm dead. My way I could still be dead, but maybe not. I'll take maybe anytime. On the tech dives, I dive with a good buddy or I don't dive. Hope you come back to diving soon. John Sampson Phoenix, Az. >From: Jim Cobb <cobber@ci*.co*> >To: Joel Markwell <joeldm@mi*.co*> >CC: Hugh Moore <hughmoore@bi*.co*>, Techdiver <techdiver@aquanaut.com> >Subject: Re: solo diver cert >Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 10:53:23 -0400 > >Joel, lets do the math correctly here. One brain plus one half-brain = no >brain at all. > >In other words just the mere fact of 2 guys with scuba tanks hanging out >together under water does not make it a buddy team. Nor does it increase >your survivability one iota. > >A real buddy team must consist of two or more divers who have trained >together, worked out the problems together and dove together and have >practiced team skills, coordination, communication and drills. > >Please don't fall into the stupid, mindless rut that the "buddy" system is >today. It is worthless or even less than worthless, downright dangerous. >IOW take two random assholes, put them together and declare them a buddy >team as if you are suddenly endowing them with some mystical shield >against all that's deadly. What Bullshit. You put two half-assed divers >together and all you get is twice the clusterfuck factor. > >What does work is the GUE DIR premiss of training divers so that any diver >properly trained in DIR can get together with any other properly trained >DIR diver and function like they have been diving together as a team their >whole life. This is the only alternative. No other program offers this sort >of training. A DIR diver should either have a DIR buddy or not dive at all. > >Currently there are not enough DIR trained divers to assure this happening >on every trip so you have to work at creating a functioning, usable buddy >team. You have to work very hard at it. > >If you don't make this substantial time and money consuming effort you >might as well toss the dice, put the single bullet in the revolver, tie the >vine to your leg and take the leap. You may die, you may not. > >Solo is better if you decide to do the crap-shoot. There will be no >witnesses when you croak and the coroner can safely declare a "heart >attack" to satisfy the insurance underwriters. > > Jim > > >On Thursday, August 8, 2002, at 09:06 AM, Joel Markwell wrote: > >>On 8/9/02 6:57 AM, "Hugh Moore" <hughmoore@bi*.co*> wrote: >> >>>Whats the problem, when I lived in Papua New Guinea, I did hundreds of >>>solo >>>dives off liveaboards/PNG Dive boats with my Camera. Crystal clear water, >>>mostly less than 20 metres, photographing & filming the marine life. >>> >>>In the mid nineties, operators requested that solo divers (read >>>photographers) carry a Pony bottle in case while concentrating >>>filming/photographing, ran out of air. >>> >>>Most photographers would spend hours under/near the boat getting that >>>perfect shot. You didnt have to go far! >>> >>>I havent come accross many "BUDDYS" willing to sit under the boat in ten >>>metres of water for an hour and half while you shoot off a role of film >>>on a >>>unique creature. >>> >>>Maybe its OK with you, but havent seen it too often. >>> >>>So Im a stroke, stiff shit, I dont need a baby sitter to reef dive with >>>my >>>Camera. I wore a pony for years, never used it once, didnt see a need for >>>doubles either for the depths we were doing. Never ran out of air once, >>>after 90 mins, you are either out of film or battery was flat on the >>>video. >>>Its not hard to look at the gauge. I dont need a buddy to tap me on the >>>shoulder every five minutes to check my air! >>> >>>When doing a wreck/diving deep, you would dive as a group/with a buddy. >>> >>>Hugh, South OZ >> >>I've run into this mentality for years. I do UW photography too and have >>spent hours just watching and the funny thing is, I've never had a problem >>finding a buddy who wants to spend long periods of time underwater. Not >>everyone needs to be cruising the reef as fast as possible, ignoring the >>small stuff, not really paying attention as they cruise by, faster, >>deeper, >>more macho. Maybe it's a Southern thang . . . . >> >>And as for your "safety" record, I'm pretty sure that every one of those >>solo divers who died while alone, before that final dive, would have >>touted >>their record of a string of "safe" solo dives. >> >>It's simple math. Two brains and two sets of eyes are almost always are >>better than one. When you read the accident reports that are available >>(and >>too few are) it's not hard to figure out that in nearly every intentional >>solo, eventual solo and unintended solo dive, the addition of a buddy >>would >>have increased the chances of survival immensely. >> >>>I havent come accross many "BUDDYS" willing to sit under the boat in ten >>>metres of water for an hour and half while you shoot off a role of film >>>on a >>>unique creature. >> >>I'd get a new set of friends/buddys. I'm trying to picture guys/gals who'd >>say, "spend hours underwater with you examining a beautiful reef in close >>detail? You gotta be balmy!" >> >>JoeL >> >>-- >>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'. _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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