Posted by Kendall Raine on August 21, 2001 at 09:54:52:
I don't get it. You claim to have served with NEDU as part of a 20 year career in the Navy. You also claim to be a successful entrepreneur. Fine. You then go on incessant rants about how GUE is all about blind adherence to rigid and unsafe practices. You characterize DIR divers as automatons with the standard sockpuppet weasel language of "most(not all)..." When asked repeatedly, by Terry, me and others, to elaborate as to just what unsafe or dangerous practices you refer to, the best you can come up with is "diver harrassment" exemplified by "ripping" off masks. Pathetic.
If anyone should understand the utility of a unified concept in equipment, training standards and emergency procedures, it is someone with your background. Does the Navy say to its EOD guys "use any gear you want?" Does the Navy say to its SEAL teams "handle a flooded scrubber on a LAR V or MK16 UBA any way you want?" Does the Navy short cut or customize its training evolutions because some trainees struggle with them? Does the Navy look for human robots to serve as combat swimmers? They do not. When you ran your business, did you accuse the employees who thought the way you do or approached problems in the same way you did as "puppets?" Well, did you?
John Walker gave you a highly cogent explanation of the GUE training process. For the record, he's the only GUE instructor on this BBS-aside from cameo appearences by Andrew. The GUE process builds sound diving attitude and practices incrementally. Those practices have been refined in the most demanding environments in diving by people who have been doing it a long time, not some committee of overweight underachieving marketing fatheads sitting in Santa Ana. Those practices do not include "diver harrassment" whatever that is.
The last straw is that you know almost nothing about GUE training. This is obvious. You're highly critical of a system that has an impressive track record without having taken any courses or bothered to find out what's really behind it. If people who have adopted this system are all mindless puppets, how is it that those same people can do dives week in and week out that would, and do, kill mainstream technical divers? (FTR, I've been on several Doria trips, as has MHK. We've seen the NE wreckers in action.) Is this the sort of behaviour you learned at NEDU. Is this how you ran your business?
If your problem is with how MHK presents his ideas, fine. You obviously have an issues with him personally. Mike is one person. He often uses exaggeration to make a point to people who might otherwise miss it. He is not the last word on DIR, the people who practice it or anything else.
If you have something specific about GUE/DIR that you think is wrong, let's have it. If your only thing is "diver harrassment," put forward examples. "Ripping" off masks has been put to rest. If you're just looking for a fight, at least have the courtesy of making an intelligent argument once in a while so that others can have some fun with you. Otherwise, do everyone the favor of going back where you came from.