Posted by SLANG on August 03, 2000 at 16:47:30:
In Reply to: Re: ???????????? posted by Jim Hoffmann on August 03, 2000 at 16:03:02:
Human tragedy? There is a lot of human tragedy in this world, that's for sure, but I think that about ZERO of it is from people who die taking risks for recreation. Human tragedy is the person who gets blown up trying to farm in a minefield so his/her family won't starve to death . . . not some DINK diver who overestimated his/her abilities and dies because of it.
And you want to talk about tired worn-out battle cries? That "We must over-regulate ourselves otherwise people will die and 'they' will take all our diving away!" - that's right up there with the shopowners' "Nitrox is devil gas!" Please. Do you really think THAT many people are dumb enough to keep heading for the lower decks on this wreck after hearing about previous accidents? Come on, even dumb animals and stupid divers have certain basic instincts for survival. Sure, maybe divers will die on this wreck - people die every year in diving accidents. There's nothing anyone can do that will put an end to that. But no one is threatening to ban diving yet (amazingly enough). Frankly, I've got enough regulations in my life, don't tell me it's for my own good to have you people decide where I can and can't dive.
And exactly who has jurisdiction over this wreck anyway? Does anyone know? There's got to be someone in charge - City of San Diego, State of CA, Federal Gov't.?
Admittedly, I have not seen the wreck first hand, so I can't say whether any penetration at all is too risky to be attempted by even an advanced "recreational" (for lack of a better term) diver. But that's something I want to decide for myself, just as everyone else should. Even if I decide that seeing the inside of this ship is not for me, you are now trying to tell me that I shouldn't be allowed to even dive the outside of the wreck? That's ridiculous.