Posted by DaveJ on August 08, 2001 at 13:11:48:
In Reply to: Trust Me Dives posted by Jim Hoffmann on August 08, 2001 at 08:27:16:
Jim,
Great points. When I first started out I thought all DMs and Instructors were gods (now I only believe MHK is :)
This is something that is promoted by a lot of instructors (mine included), and I think it's important to remember a newly certified OW student doesn't know any better and can't make better choices. Think about how you drove at 16 vs now?
My beginning dive history was like this..
4 dives OW CA
2 dives 60 or less CA
1 dive to 40 Jamaica (1 week after OW class)
Night dive... (yes number 8) JA
Deep to 100' x2 JA
Shallow... and so on for another week. Was this stupid.. hell yes... did I know better NO, why? Because the DM said I would be fine and I had been trained to believe he knew better than me? How many people used to listen to DRs and believe their word as gospel, how about now?
Experience teaches, sometimes it's hurts (like in this girls place), sometimes it's wonderful ( I loved the dives and they got me hooked.)
I think classes as rigid as what was earlier proposed would reduce the number of deaths/injuries by 80%, but it would also reduce the number of students and active divers. I've seen the divers at CP and even overseas, they shouldn't be diving. Something needs to be done.
Dave