Posted by MHK on August 03, 2000 at 17:22:28:
In Reply to: Re: wreck penetrable or not???? posted by Jason on August 03, 2000 at 16:20:39:
I'm not against personal freedoms but by the same token I'm not for a blind person driving a car.. There are so limits that must be recognized. People get hurt, shops/boats/dm's get sued, and it is usually from someone other than the victim. For example a wife who just found herself a widow, now facing raising a couple of kids. Lawyers love that... In my view, part of the job of the DM ( or by extension, shops and boats ) is that you need to monitor who you allow on your trips, personal freedoms notwithstanding. I run some of the more agressive trips around. But I reserve the right to limit who I let on my trips. When I run a trimix trip, I have rules. I don't want to come off harsh but the fact of the matter is that if you are not willing to follow my rules than I don't want you on my trips. ( that's not directed at you personally ). But I'm not going to allow someone on my boat that I don't think is qualified to do the planned dive. I could care less what C-card they show me.
But I agree that's my choice. I'm not suggesting that owners only do guided dives, but I would encourage them to offer this service. But if it were my trips on the Yukon you could be sure that I would not allow solo diving on my trip.
If I lived in San Diego, and I believe they have a golden opportunity in front of them, I would use this wreck as a way to encourage increased pre-dive planning, as a way to encourage overhead environment training, as a way to show how useful Nitrox could be, the necessity of lines, proper lighting, buddy teams. I would not approach this wreck like they do back east and take the position that they are merely taxi driver's that advocate progressive penetration.
I won't be the guy personally diving this wreck enough to be the guy to make the difference. I have dove with Perry Armor, from San Diego, and he's the guy that comes to mind to lead the charge in my mind..
But given the resistance I'm seeing it's going to be an uphill battle. The mindset that just because it's underwater that everyone should have the right to dive it needs to be changed. A open water C-card should not be viewed as a unilateral right to penetrate a wreck at ~100' with restrictive passages.
I would urge the diver that had the close call to come out and give his story so other's can learn. Why wait until someone get's killed and then say * Why didn't THEY [ whoever the hell they is ] do something.
Later