Posted by tleemay on October 30, 2000 at 17:27:34:
In Reply to: Re: What's to argue? posted by Frank, AADIVER, Farmer on October 29, 2000 at 21:32:26:
As you know Frank, the "extreme edge" of technical
diving has much greater risk involved than simply
doing a wreck at -130'. Gas, equipment config,
complete understanding of diving physiology also
come into play, especially at the 11th ATM. Besides
the physical OH enviro, there are the glass OH
enviro due to deco obligations. When diving to
that edge, the game and it's associated risks are
elevated to a point that all that are participating
are laying their life on the line relying on their
training to save themselves should something go
wrong, whether it's me, my team member, or the guy
diving 30' from us as you say is diving independently.
Being able to explain and understand the physiology
behind something like how much one particular gas
molecule is or isn't as soluable as the next is a
basis for our overall understanding of what that
gas is physically doing to our tissues while
breathing it - at absolute pressure. That understanding
also includes information how to mitigate the damage
should something go wrong. Last I checked, there was
no "Bert & Ernie Do Trimix" pop-up book for the typical
sport diver to understand without getting into specific
scientific models to prove gas absorbtion and
expellation physiology (Sport Chalet's retail racked
"SCUBA Diving for Dummies" doesn't count). You have to
be able to comprehend this stuff.
Once we have the training and necessary protocols
in place and have rehearsed them to the n'th degree
do we actually have some fun on the dives. We have
much more confidence in ourselves and our team
members. But the reality is, we never stop practicing
and still have some good fun underwater on the deeper
and/or inside stuff. We see and find all the little
goodies just as you I am sure do.
We take this activity very seriously. We have seen
the list of those that did dive to these extreme
diving practices and not taken it seriously, or
worse yet, felt they were above even their own
physical abilities and "deep" training (please, I am
not referring to just a solo diver death, particularly
any one locally.
Lastly, if you don't think we have a sense of humor...
(tech divers in general) well, let's just say you
needed to be on the boat last Saturday on the Yukon
- the jokes relating to SCUBA were being traded quite
freely between not only us, but some real leaders in the
dive manufacturing business. I assure you people like
you Frank were not the butt of any jokes. One particular
guy in Wisconsisn was, but no one like you Frank.