Posted by JR Gordon on November 03, 2000 at 16:21:55:
In Reply to: Open Letter to MHK posted by Max Bottomtime on November 03, 2000 at 15:04:23:
Max stated:
"The boats that take divers to the Andrea Doria require the correct gases, equipment and certification for the dive, yet there has been a rash of deaths there the past few years."
That is simply not true Max. The boats servicing the Doria have always, until this past year, ignored all but the most obvious cluster f's of gear configurations and mixes. Last year a guy jumped onto the Doria with 60lbs. on his belt, dual steel LP120's on his back, and double steel LP80 stages. They found him stuck on the deck. His 100lb. bungee wings couldn't even inflate him enough to surface. The fact that no divers perished on the Doria this year is a direct result of the focal, albeit unpolished, efforts of GI3 and the DIR advocates like Mr.Kane, directly attacking the stupidity known as wreck diving on the East Coast. These persistant attacks have included the boat operators and captains who have allowed these unqualified morons to dive off their platforms. The 6 Doria deaths over the previous 2 summers were the results of solo diving, poor health, cold medicines, incorrect gasses, and china fever. Not one was a DIR diver or even close. But people here and back east are listening and learning and the results are becoming more and more obvious ie; the lack of any deaths this summer on the Doria. Here in So Cal we've had what, 11 deaths this year? Are we listening and learning or just arguing semantics?
JRG