Posted by Kendall Raine on September 21, 2001 at 17:26:56:
In Reply to: Re: California Wreck Diver's DIR Demo posted by MikeR on September 21, 2001 at 16:05:27:
Mike;
You make your case very clearly and well. Thanks. Obviously, we'll be addressing a group of people who've been doing what they do successfully (by their own definition) with gear and style oriented very much toward self-reliance and individual achievement. In other words, it sounds like a "show me" crowd that believes "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" Please correct me if I've got it wrong.
Without actually diving with you, the "show me" part is tough to do except conceptually. The "if it ain't broke" part is easier to establish conceptually but probably no easier to sell unless the audience is up for finding a better way for the sake of doing things the best way they can. I used to do things a lot closer to the way you guys still do them (e.g. chest rings, bilateral steel stages, deep air, lots of tools, weight and drag) than how I do it now. I did all this for years on some pretty deep and knarly projects without mishap. I think John and Mike can tell similar stories. The difference is we didn't define success by simply surviving, but continually sought ways to make what we do safer and more efficient. That's the message we'll have next week.
I look forward to meeting you.