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Here is the problem that I know you have not missed. In spite of Irvine's 
experience, he comes across as a total jerk. If he wants to improve dive 
safety and save lives then cut the shit and quit being so abusive.    

On 14 Sep 1995, William W. Mee wrote:

> I have noticed a growing cadre of people who would like to silence the voice
of
> Mr. George Irvine, permanently.  His opinions, pronouncements and
> accomplishments, both as a an explorer and now as director of the WKPP
> (Woodville Karst Plain Project) have had a definitive and growing impact on
the
> theory and practice of technically oriented diving.
> 
> His shrill and sometimes vigorous prosecution of those who transgress the
> boundary of sensibility in diving is legend.  His name often inspires
admiration
> and respect by some and fear and loathing by others, who have taken issue with
> his viewpoints.  There seem to be many adherents who are deeply offended by
Mr.
> Irvines disagreement with their preferences, opinions and training practices.
> In fact, there may have been several circumstances where he was threatened
with
> punitive legal action. Of course, I suspect that such actions only serve to
> further motivate him on his mission to get across the real message of safety
and
> effectiveness in diving and to harden his intolerance for those who fail to
> embrace this reality.
> 
> The complaint most consistently voiced about George Irvine, aside from
frequent
> profane denouncements directed at him, is that he is completely intolerant of
> any opinion or practice that diverges from his own (supposedly) narrow
> viewpoint.  The next most common gripe typically involves a  complainant who
> knows someone else "who has far more experience" than George.  This "so and
so"
> knows better and thinks that George lacks the credibility or qualifications to
> comment on whatever the subject matter.  (What could George possibly know
about
> deep ocean wreck diving ?) The latest imbroglio is centered around training
> practices and standards.  This is an area where George has been especially
> active and outspoken.
> 
> When it comes to saving lives and not repeating the fatal errors of the past
Mr.
> Irvine is indignantly uncompromising and an equal opportunity offender. He
must
> be very well aware of the particular practices, behaviors, preferences and
> otherwise "bad luck" that have cost so many lives over the years.  Perhaps all
> those, who will endlessly argue with him should ask why he thinks as he does,
> and then listen.  
> 
> George spent years professionally sport fishing in the North Atlantic, South
> Atlantic and Pacific before focusing all his interests into sport diving 15
> years ago.  He will freely admit that he committed every conceivable
stupidity,
> that he presently inveighs against now.   Diving deep on air, diving on
> outrageous PPO2s, diving with dangerous equipment and unsafe individuals were
> among the many transgressions George and myself and others have been guilty
of.
> He was one of the first people to practice nitrox and trimix diving in our
area
> of South Florida in the late 1980s and made hundreds of dives on deep wrecks
and
> reefs before he became interested in cave diving.
> 
> Five years ago George decided to obtain instruction in cave diving and
> eventually received his training from the late Parker Turner (founder and
> director of the WKPP). Parker was especially well known for his uncompromising
> viewpoints regarding cave diving theory and practice.  Turner was the
originator
> of the term "Stroke".  His famous rule # 1 of cave diving ( besides the
> continuous line, redundant lights, dual tanks and regs etc. stuff) Was "Dont
> Dive with Strokes".  George and Lamar English  came 6 minutes away from
getting
> killed when Indian Springs reversed flow. Parker drowned that day.  During the
> next year George spent hundreds of man hours and thousands of dollars
perfecting
> extended range diving techniques in Yucatan cave systems.  Ask Mike Madden or
> Bill Gavin.  George put the end of the line in many Mexican caves including
> Toucha Ha and Naval as well as NaHoch and long list of others.   All this was
> preliminary to his current operations in North Florida.  
> 
> He doesnt like to talk about it, but if you press him youll find out that he
> was with Carl Sutton several days before he died while diving deep on air in a
> Mexican sinkhole,  he knew Jim Fernandez who toxed from high PPO2 while doing
a
> swim dive in Devils Eye and he was at Ginny Springs the day Allan Jonusitis
> drowned in Devils Eye.  He knew Chris Rouse.  He knew Andy Bator, whose
fatality
> was an early consequence of mistaken gas identity.  Sherwood Schile was
Georges
> friend until he got killed in the Cheryl Sink system, at the end of an
> exploration dive, and Sheck Exley had dinner with George one week before word
> came of his untimely death in Zacaton.  For those of you who dont recall
George
> and Scheck and Bill Gavin put the end of the line in Wakulla Springs (and
> downstream Eagles Nest) over a year ago (the Wakulla dive involved 6100 feet
of
> penetration at a depth of 300 feet).  The unfortunate and hapless "Nick" was
> diving on Jim Mims boat with us two days before he was killed (we
coincidently
> were on the boat that day, but doing our own dive.  We were shocked and
appalled
> when we learned that he was preparing to practice "world record" deep air
> diving).  Robby McGuire and his dad Bob were diving with George  in Wakulla
> Springs exactly one week prior to Robbys death as a result of a gas mixup. 
He
> most recently was communicating with Mr. Bergman regarding decompression
> software, before his death.
> 
> Given this background wouldnt you have a personal concern for safety and
common
> sense diving practices?
> 
> George is single handedly responsible for reactivating the WKKP and personally
> has spent tens of thousands of dollars of his own funds and uncounted hours of
> his time in designing and building equipment (deep long range Gavin scooters)
> and lobbying government agencies to obtain the necessary permits to dive sites
> that have been otherwise inaccessible for years.  The objective requirements
for
> diving these sites are the production of scientific data regarding hydrology,
> speleology, troglobytic biology, paleontology and archaeology.  Sponsoring
> agencies are not interested and could care less about individual
gratifications
> (who has the end of the line where).  Vast amounts of time have been invested
in
> drafting safety standards and procedures so as satisfy the safety demands
> imposed as prerequisite to diving in such locations as Wakulla Springs, Sally
> Ward Springs and Indian Springs.  Ask anyone, (Steve Irving, Jarrod Jablonski,
> Bill Gavin, Casey McKinlay, Steve Berman, Barry Miller, Rick Sankey, Arnold
> Jackson and others too numerous to mention) who personally knows George
Irvine,
> about his absolute adherence to safety and effectiveness and his complete
> intolerance for deviation from procedures. Ask them about the type of diving
> people, involved with the WKPP, have an opportunity to do and ask them if them
> about their collective opinion.
> 
> Throughout the course of many WKKP dives a lot more has been learned about the
> practicality of specific equipment configurations, dive machinery (scooters,
> regulators, tanks, lights and manifolds) and diving physiology (decompression
> planning and schedules).  Certain practices, configurations and equipment are
> simply and unarguably superior than others.  When George Irvine expresses his
> opinions he is representing the collective thinking of all those (past and
> present) who are actively involved in the WKKP.  This is an active sensible
and
> practical approach to technically oriented diving which is solidly anchored
upon
> factual accomplishment and experience.
> 
> Bill Mee
> 
> --
> Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@terra.net'.
> Send subscription/archive requests to `techdiver-request@terra.net'.
> 

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