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In your message dated Sunday 16, April 1995 you wrote :
> Chris Hellas <chris@de*.de*.co*.uk*> wrote:
> > Technical diving is in grave danger of becoming 'fashionable'. We have
> > already had a few threads on the subject of "technical diving wanabe's".
> > Well unfortunatley we are going to se a lot more!.
>
> I think you have a point here. There are folks who get into technical
> diving for all the wrong reasons, who don't get the proper training, and
> who don't use the proper equipment on dives. Of course, this is also
> true for "recreational" diving, flying airplanes, mountain climbing, and
> many other "high-risk" sports. The extremes that attract serious, dedicated
> individuals also tend to attract lunatics (it could be argued that the two
> mindsets are not all that far apart :-).
>
> > What we do not have is education beyond initial certification. Divers pass
> > the theory, demonstrate certain in water skills & then are let loose waving
> > a C card. I know lots of instructors who care enough to advise students on
> > the way foreward and ensure that they have a 'feel' for a particular
> > mindset that will hopefully mean the student will progress in a logical
> > manner. I suppose we are back to sounding elitist, but I still think that
> > Trimix is not for mass market consumption.
>
> You're right, it does sound elitist. You're making broad generalizations,
> and painting all of us "techdiving wannabes" (yes, I too "wannabe" a
> technical diver eventually) with the same brush. I like to think that I
> am going about it carefully and safely, thanks to some divers & instructors
> who came down to my level to teach me what I needed to know, and who did
> it willingly, without the slightest hint that it might have been a burden
> to them (OK, maybe a little hint, but I guess they can't make it TOO easy :-).
>
> So, my question is (for you, Chris, and for anyone else who's annoyed with
> us "techdving wannabes"), what are YOU doing about it? Are you one of these
> instructors who points students along the right path? Do you take novice
> divers who express an interest in technical diving under your wing, show
> them how to do it right? Do you lecture, write articles, or do anything
> else to let people know that techdiving can be done safely, but that doing
> it safely requires certain careful preparation? Perhaps, if more of the
> experienced divers did these things, there might be fewer of the type of
> divers you're complaining about...
>
>
Hi Tracey
It would seem that people have taken my original posting
the wrong way - or is it that Ive written it wrong?.
I am not annoyed at anybody who wishes to persue advanced diving skills.
I merely voiced a concern that this whole thing is now going to become
a mass market thing. Who ever posted something along the lines of the
original techies being bookworms come good is right. What we have seen
in the UK is that everybody that wanted to do this kind of thing,that was
keen, reasonably well read and had a good mindset has done the training and
are diving on a regular basis. The whole machinery of money is slowly
coming into play here, and with the potential customer base ramping
up due to the tech diving scene still being around and being successful, my
concern was that it will disseminate the neccessary skills by virtue of greed.
I try and pass on information when & were I can - I do instruct, write for
magazines, but most importantly dive. I did not wish for my post to
sound like a complaint - although it seems to have been taken that way
by a few people! Seems I struck an emotive subject
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