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> I do constantly see similarities in safety issues. Parachuting, as an
>organized sport, is way ahead of tech diving in solving
>training/responsibility/liability issues. Your post is right on. I would
>like to see more folks in the scuba industry research how things are done
>in skydiving. There is a lot to be learned which would improve the
>learning curve scuba.
I've said this myself (and been shot down by folks who experienced
some of the less-reputable skydiving instruction :-). I see a couple
of key differences, though, between skydiving and SCUBA.
In the US, at least, there is one skydiving certification agency, and it
is a nonprofit organization which exists solely to further the sport. In
SCUBA, even just in techdiving, we have competing commercial organizations
overseeing training and certification, and as soon as one lowers their
standards to drum up more business, the others must follow suit or lose $$$.
Also, in skydiving (as Chris pointed out with the tandem rigs), training is
required before an individual is allowed to purchase equipment or get on a
plane. Again, we have competing dive shops and dive boats. If one refuses
to sell you a piece of gear that you haven't been trained to use, you can
get it at the place down the street. Shops that try to control access to
equipment are accused of simply using that to make more money on various
advanced or specialty classes. The specialty courses that do exist are often
so watered down (excuse me :-) that they don't really _teach_ anything, just
become the dues to be paid for the right piece of plastic. Unlike skydiving
where an airplane is pretty much a requirement (and there is plenty of
incentive from the FAA for _pilots_ to act responsibly, even if jumpers
don't want to), there's an awful lot of SCUBA diving that can be done without
anyone's help.
SCUBA is a much bigger, much more popular, and much more competitive industry
than skydiving. Technical diving may be headed in the same direction.
Self-regulation requires a sizeable central core of responsible individuals;
unfortunately, these folks seem to be losing out to the ones with slick
marketing and "easy" classes (12 weeks?!? Why does it take 12 weeks? I'm
goin' to that other place that will get me certified this weekend...).
I try to support responsible shops, boats, and instructors. I try to
offer what information and advice I can to less experienced divers. I
try to take my own advancement into techdiving slowly, carefully, and
safely. I try to learn from the mistakes of others, since I can't live
long enough to make them all myself :-).
And I hope that most of the techdiver subscribers feel the same way, so
I'm "preaching to the choir." Now, how do we get the REST of the divers
to listen?
--tab
--
Tracey Baker tab@pa*.co*
*** NJ SCUBA Diving Info at http://www.panix.com/~tab/scuba.html ***
"I don't think safety is the main issue here...
You'd be stupid not to be safe." - J.Comly
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