Posted by Jim Hoffmann on August 04, 2000 at 16:56:10:
In Reply to: Re: ???????????? posted by SLANG on August 03, 2000 at 16:47:30:
Our diving community is a small group, and everytime we lose someone to a diving accident it's a tragedy. I knew Darren Douglas he took his ITC at our store in the early 80's, I have also known other divers who have died in this sport. There deaths were a tragedy to me and there family's and should have been to the community as a whole.
We as a community must regulate ourselves. If we don't the government will do this for us. I don't know if Slang, Kelphead, or Jason are old enough to remember the LA county legislation of the early 70's(there had been a number of diving fatalty's ) the LA board of supervisors call an emergency sesson and passed legistation(mandatory recert. every two years, use of a float and dive flag on any beach dive, a one dollar tax on air fills, etc. etc.). This legistation was short lived, but it did happen. I have been to a number of city council meeting in Laguna Beach where the city tried to limit access to divers. Most of the city ordinance did not pass, because the diving community said they would self-regulate. Flordia has passed a number of anti-diver bills of late. If we don't self-regulate the government will do it for us!
Jason, I think the biggest problem the diving community has is not bad divers, but bad Instructors (using bad standards) teaching people to be bad divers.
Slang, I sell the devil gas Nitrox and the devil gas Tri-mix at my store, come on by and I well conjure some up for you.
I still can't understand the objection over a little more training.
Jim Hoffmann
Scuba Toys