Posted by Kevin on January 05, 2001 at 12:23:32:
In Reply to: Tough questions / no pleasant answers posted by Wayne on January 05, 2001 at 11:34:49:
Wayne stated:
"Your example shows the crux of the problem."
Exactly. I could not make the required leap of faith to trust the unknown person's training, experience and gear, from which all looked to me to be very substandard for the dive. Just looking at the old gear worried me. Am I supposed to trust someone who may have just made four dives off a boat in the Bahamas 25 years ago ? I don't think so.
And not to sound like a jerk, but I did pay for the boat trip myself to have a pleasurable dive, not to mention the big insurance premiums and instructor dues to various agencies.
Had he been assigned as my buddy, and dropped a weightbelt on his foot at the dock AFTER the dive, I get sued !
Its a really tough call, and its a call I have to make all the time.