Posted by MHK on June 20, 2001 at 12:18:18:
In Reply to: Re: "Probationary Diver" - what & how restricted? (nt) posted by Jeff B on June 20, 2001 at 12:12:03:
That's just a patch with another name..
What Kendall is suggesting is that, much like a learner's permit when you are 16, you get a diver's permit.. Meaning that you are still on *probation*, so to speak...
The patch thing flows from the boy scout merit badge routine and the problem with that underwater is that you could have a guy with 10 dives running around and fooling himself into believing that he really is an advanced diver [ he must be he has a patch to prove it, and he was signed off by a qualified instructor], but in reality you don't know jack-sh*t about diving after 10 dives and you could very easily buy into the patch BS and get yourself killed..
So rather than placate diver's with patches and badges, Kendall is suggesting that you call a spade a spade and issue probationery cards that will keep some ego's in check and will hopefully put an end to this nonsense of the spin-o-wheel and earn a merit patch...
Later