Posted by CalAbDiver on July 17, 2001 at 10:49:04:
In Reply to: Descent Lines; was Scuba Classes posted by Bill Johnson on July 17, 2001 at 10:26:02:
i bring a dive float with me on club dives whenever it is appropriate to do so. the only disadvantage of using them is that divers need to have good ear clearing abilities for the relatively rapid descents that a down line off a dive float provides.
diving off a boat, you usually have a sloping anchor line, which is not as steep. diving off a beach, you have a sloping beach, which is also not as steep.
california is fairly liberal about dive floats. back east, dive floats are more often than not the law. and a scuba flag on your dive float is usually a further requirement. the fine for not doing so varies between $50 and $100, and if youre from out of state they make you pay the fine on the spot often.
i can live with the thought of a disgruntled PADI-D/M taking pot shots at PADI for various perceptions. the salient issue here would be fellowship and consultation of misperceived issues related to PADI.
however i would view as unprofessional an SSI OWSI criticizing other agencies outright, such as PADI etc. it reeks of financial self-interest by the SSI OWSI. i doubt the SSI professional standards tolerate such behaviour. check your SSI OWSI book and see what it says there, Bill. do yourself a favor.