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On Thu, 27 Jul 1995, Mark Welzel wrote:
>  I can understand why the statistics on the Doria roughly
> approximate deaths in some Florida caves. Of course, I am talking
> about deaths of untrained divers.>           - George Irvine
> 
> Lack of training and experience seem to be the leading cause
> of death for divers. Although stupidity is trying to catch up.
> Mark

In cave diving (the only type I have knowlege of), the vast majority of
recent fatalities have been fully trained. Most of them would even be 
considered experienced by most people. It seems to me that "stupidity"
is not a sufficiently accurate description. 
I think that years of telling divers that training will make them safe
has lead to a condition of overconfidence. Once they receive the coveted
"full cave" card they are ready for anything.
After a few dives, so much improvement has been made, the diver tends to
think he has arrived, not realizing the massive amount of improvement
still left to go.
The main thing that keeps novice divers alive is a good healthy fear.
These days, students are taken much farther into caves on their training
dives, giving them a higher level of confidence. By the time they have a 
couple hundred cave dives, they think they are hot stuff, not realizing 
that they are entering into a very dangerous period and are possibly just
getting to the point where they are really beginning to learn.
It may be that one of the things instructors are selling is confidence.
Perhaps they are doing too good a job on that score.

Many times lately discussions keep coming around to how important
experience is.....maybe there is something to it.

All too often it takes a close call (or a direct hit) to make divers
"see the light".

You Can"t Be A Good (Cave) Diver Until You Have Had 
		The Shit Scared Out Of You

Paul Smith

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