Posted by John Walker on February 05, 2001 at 16:57:47:
In Reply to: Re: CDN editorial/Ken's response posted by Mark D on February 05, 2001 at 16:27:08:
Mark, your right but not enough divers are "STUDYING THE CAUSE". Look at the number of divers on this list who argue the point and beat around the bush about the facts that solo diving, for examole, is dangerously getting divers killed. Tell me there is no correlation between solo diving and fatalities. Dan Purdy was an experienced diver and died solo. Its not just a beginner thing, as some will have you believe.
Grant it, I am not a proponent of many of the things being taught in dive training these days but they buddy system that is so quickly forgotten after entry level training is a major key to safe diving. Maybe rather than teaching unrealistic hand singals and gimmick equipment rigging, dive trainers should spend more time on issues that have proven to keep divers alive.
Last year So. Cal. had more than a few diving fatalities. I believe the number was around 15 and in my opinion they were all diving solo. And people, before you go on that rampage I will tell you that my opinion of what constitutes the buddy system is probably much stronger than yours.
1 diver dies experimenting on a homemade diving gimmick 3000 miles away and approx. 15 divers die solo in our local waters. Where is all the attention going?
JW