In Reply to: PADI meets Chucky Cheese posted by seahunt on January 25, 2006 at 13:11:00:

I concur, Seahunt. In the push for a bigger customer base "truths" are mis-stated, or unstated. I give the following example:

Every year when working U/W survery & mapping in Biscayne Nat'l Park, if we get a day off, we of course go diving. Usually Spiegal Grove and then one of the shallow reefs. For those who don't know the Grove, its locationis right on the edge of the Gulf Stream, and the currents range from "you'd better be an advanced diver" to "Holy Sh*t." On EVERY trip that I've been on, and granted it is only eight or so, as you giant stride off the boat you'd better have your firm grip on the granny-line, or it is adios. On descent, you are a flag. Current is typically burping the purge diaphram on your second stage, and if you turn your head, you will lose or flood your mask. Till you get in the current shadow of the wreck it can be a real white-knuckler for the lightly experienced diver. Yet time after time, I have heard the local dive/charter personnel blythly say that it is a family dive. On every trip I've been on to the Grove, someone is landed off the current lines.
The truth is this vessel got dropped in the wrong placeand is an advanced dive, period. The feeling seems to be if the experienced, advanced requirement isn't mentioned in the heat of filling a boat with a family of tyros, then no harm, no foul.

The short-sighted benefit of filling one more afternoon trip versus the loss of a diver (and there have been a few - I'm surprised there haven't been more)is poor. The opening of diving to kids under 12 or 13 smacks of the same "full the boat" mentality.

Just my opinion...

Stay wet

• Re: Family Fun - Dive the Spiegal Grove seahunt 21:22:43 01/25/06 (0)