Posted by Walt on April 30, 2004 at 12:43:17:
In Reply to: Re: CG chimes in with recommendations posted by TechDiver on April 30, 2004 at 12:09:11:
Wristbands?...leave it to the gov't to think of something as micky mouse as that. These are the folks who brought us the TAS (abbreviation for for Tasmanian devil Asinine pSeudo-security) at airports. As for the checklist (tank count, roll call, etc.), that is SOP, but it failed and failed miserably.
I'll bet a day's diving that PADI won't pull the DM's certification. And THAT should happen. He should go back through training - maybe from another agency that has higher standards. Well, PADI - do you have the guts? Are you going to continue to certify divers and others who aren't qualified or who are lax? YOU are the ones really responsible for this situation because you are pumping out unqualified divers and others.
My heart goes out to the Captain - he's the one who'll suffer the brunt of the CG's wrath. But it was ultimately his responsibility and, as a Captain, he knows it. How many Captains will now spend a little more time checking out their DM's? Knowing the Captains around LA, I am confident they will. They'll police where PADI has failed.
I don't mean to knock any other DM - there are some fantastic DM's on our boats. They do the right things - look for stressed divers, check that the air is on at the gate, log people out, check them in, do tank counts and do on-deck "gotta see your face" roll calls. Its a lot of responsibility added to watching for bubbles, helping get up the anchor, rescue, etc.
As divers, we have the responsibility to follow the Captain's, crew's, and DM's instructions (period). We should also ask the DM why they aren't marking roll - this situation should never have happened.