Posted by mike on November 15, 2000 at 20:17:58:
In Reply to: Re: What about the Matterhorn? posted by MHK on November 15, 2000 at 16:00:20:
hey MHK, the only topic more dangerous than diving practice is gun control >: D
As a newbie, i didn't care what anyone else said about dives that were beyond my abilities. Farnsworth or the Oil Rigs are sites that are rightly extolled in print virtually everywhere you see them mentioned. As a newbie, i knew that i had a few years and several dozens of dives to do before i ever even THOUGHT ABOUT BOOKING a trip to either of those places. A lot of newbies know what is beyond their capabilities and what isn't. I don't view MHK's mention of the Matterhorn trip as promotion of a dangerous dive (as in trying to get my $$$ to sign up, regardless of my abilities) anymore than i'd view eloquent prose about a fine September day at Farnsworth or shafts of sunlight coruscating through clouds of juvenile sea jellies off the Eureka as a direct promotion of those site and their hazards to a newly certified warm-water newbie (i would look at it as "this is whats in store for you in the future if you stick with it, develop ths skills, and practice safely"). I for one would love to summit Everest, Aconcagua, or Denali or touch a Great White and put it into a swoon or dive the Moody, Osborne Banks, etc but i know that all those things are way out of my current ability and no amount of promotion on the part of anyone will convince me otherwise until i myself am convinced by my own practice and experience in near-similar conditions. As for the self-inflicted solo/independent/whatever bandwagon, maybe Mr. Farmer didn't use the best choice of words or choose the best response, but at my present skill lever, i will readily disagree /w/ the "chest-thumping" statements of others when such statements conflict with my own intuition (Frank has since clarified himself to my satisfaction: we are similar in our diving profiles). Many of my former buddies (former, because they can't stand cool So Cal water) felt the same way, and acted the same way; they know their limitations and 55 degrees with 25 foot vis is clearly outside of their comfort zones). All of my current buddies (none of whom skulk or contribute on this or any other board) also operate the same way; "penetration of any wreck or cave, is off limits to us".
BTW, i solo dive, solo mountain climb and have a life membership in you guessed it, the NRA! that doesn't mean that i encourage just any person to own guns, solo dive (or dive period), or play on really big mountains by themselves! I may talk about those things enthusiastically in front of lay-persons, but i sure as hell don't drag them out the very next weekend to tag along!
this is the best scuba BBS around, lets keep it civilized!