Posted by kelphead on June 06, 2001 at 16:54:42:
In Reply to: Re: ?????... posted by MHK on June 06, 2001 at 15:57:48:
"We don't want to intimidate you off the list at all. And it wasn't
Waker and I that took the first swing."
something (the helium??) is causing you to forget
too quickly. the 1st ever 'punch' swung at me, as
you put it, was indeed by john walker. you and i
both responded to a query by a would-be new diver
who was asking about 3 buddy diving. you suggested
to him to use the diver A-->diver B-->diver C
approach.
i mentioned that in my experience that 3-buddy
diving was more hassle than it was worth; but
i offered the advice to be extra careful when
3-buddy diving. your post and my post were the
only posts offered to answer that particular
gentleman's query.
i didn't say anything contrary to what you
suggested. in fact, all i did was offer
that he should be extra careful and vigil
when 3-buddy diving b/c it's not that simple.
john walker then posted a response to my
innocuous post telling me that i didn't know
what i was talking about. how could offering
advice about being wary and extra vigil be
bad or wrong? there was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
in that post of mine that suggested callousness
or bad info, yet john walker 'threw the 1st punch'
by telling me to explicitly shut up and that i
didn't know what i was talking about.
after that, john walker publicly suggested to you
on this forum to "slit [my] throat underwater".
do you actually mean to tell me that you advocate
violence against another person? i thought you
and john walker cared about diver safety. ...hmmmm...
talk about 2-facedness.
john walker used to then refer to me as "kelpy",
which didn't bother me, but i (and others) clearly
understood the derogatory nature of such a
nickname (coming from someone who seemed to 'have
it out for me'). i responded in kind w/'johnny-boy'.
don't tell me that john walker did not throw
the very first punch at me, b/c your memory serves
you wrong on this point.
don't try to be something you're not--my memory
is much clearer than yours.
and, yes, you also constantly threw the 1st punches
against anyone who had a different point of view
than you.
also, let's not ever forget how you shared some
intimate info about 'aadiver'--on a different
public forum--all just to ruin HIS credibility. just
b/c, again, you didn't like how he dives or
what he wrote. again, it sounds like you're whining
about what others do to you, when it is perfectly
clear you start all of it yourself.
"Walker has been teaching diving
since the early 80's and is considered one of the foremost technical and recreational
instructors around."
yes, as jim hoffman mentioned to me ~1yr ago
now. so, why didn't john walker return any of
my 3 (at least) phone calls and my e-mails
when i requested that he teach me how to use
my new drysuit? jim hoffman provided me
w/his phone # and john walker NEVER followed up,
though he kept claiming, then as he does now,
that he will take the time out to teach someone
about diving if they want to learn.
well, i wanted him to teach me, i tried to contact
him, and he never bothered.
then he went away to wash state and came back. still
no reply back from the guy. i mentioned it
to jim who then worked something out for me.
"You have some 50 dives under your belt and you consistently challenge us..."
to be truthful, no, i don't. but you never have
been one for accuracy. you seem to like guessing at stuff.
"Between Walker and I we have 5000+ dives, we have supervised countless thousands of
dives, we have been in situations that you can't even phathom so after your constant
nitpicking we simply got fed up and decided that it was time to put the cards on the table.."
mhk, i never ever EVER questioned your expertise
on the subject of diving, and i challenge you to find
just one post where i questioned your ability
or knowledge. in fact, i have always maintained
to others that you know quite a bit about diving,
both practical and theory. i have even referred
a diver to you who contacted me via private
e-mail.
so, i can't agree more that you have the expertise
that you do. again, i never questioned it.
the reason why i 'nitpick', as you put it, is
b/c i have honestly observed some very unbecoming
and hypocritical behavior from you and if someone
doesn't point it out, people may actually start
believing some of the nonsense that you put out.
you make false claims against people and you end
up actually believing it and then trying to propagate
it as truth. that's just not right. what can i
say? i have tried very hard, and i've actually
been good for the past 6 months, but there are
times when you get the best of me.
you may see it as nitpicking. i see it as downright
frustration when i see what kind of crap you try
to pull. [["verbal gymnastics" indeed! you are an
expert of your own creation!!]]
"You on the other hand ask questions about how to use a drysuit..."
well, gee whiz!! this is a DIVING forum, if you
hadn't noticed. where else should i ask a large
group of divers about drysuits? ...hmmm...if i
recall now, OTHER DIVERS have also asked
questions about drysuits.
SO WHAT???!!! what's your point?...don't have one
do you.
there are divers who ask about fins.
there are divers who ask about b.c.'s.
there are divers who ask about backplates.
there are divers who ask about computers.
so what...?...
"... I've seen you in the water and your bouyancy skills need substantial improvement,
your trim is non-exsistent..."
oh, my gosh! you hurt my feelings. = ; )
gee, must i remind you that i was actually
borrowing your backplate and wings for the very
2nd time on that particular dive, the one which
you 'supervised' me and marta? perhaps you've
forgotten what it's like to try out new gear
that one is not at all familiar with. and it's kinda
funny that for someone who is concerned about
diver safety AND was a dm on the boat that day,
you never once mentioned to me your apparent
concern about my bouyancy. in fact, you never
mentioned any of this at the SECOND 'dir'
demo that i attended, held at 'reef seekers'
about a month or so AFTER the dive you refer
to (the dive you refer to was in march of last
year).
and NOW you want to mention all this?? more than
a year AFTER the dive in reference? ...hmmm...i
wonder what your motive is for this belated
critique.
"...challenge a system that sets world records, that
has been developed over the course of decades and that has been tested in the most
demanding environments in the world.."
again, you forget (or overlooked) the post i
relatively recently made to marta. i stated that
it's not the message i have a problem with, but
the messenger. i have always thought that
'dir' has something to offer (gee whiz!! otherwise
why would jim hoffman witness my transformation...?...)
i was the one who got 'seahunt' to even look at the
'gue' and 'halcyon' sites.
so, don't tell me that i challenge the 'dir'
system, b/c in all honesty, i don't. again, you
keep making unsubstantiated claims about other
people. ((sheesh!! how did you pick a fight w/dr.
billp, for goodness sakes?????))
"You wonder why we don't bother answering your
posts anymore..."
...i'm lost: show me a post where i expect "we"
to answer my q's...b/c i don't. in fact, i don't
wonder about anything relating to you or john walker.
i just expect you to put me in your so-called "killfile".
"If you think my post is harsh, so be it.."
no, surprisingly, it was pretty civil (by your
standards).
"But at some point the readers need to understand who
is throwing punches..."
YES, THEY DO!!! you seem to have a short-lived
memory, perhaps i have been able to help and will
continue to help you (and others) w/your short term
recall.
goodbye!!
= : )
kelphead.