SO> That will change once they get into school. Once they learn that they
SO> have to have their own compressers, volume tanks, dive hoses, and
SO> gas racks, not to mention the specialized equipment for what ever
SO> job they are contracted to do. Plus the A.D.C. (Association of Diving
SO> Contactors) requires two Decompression Chambers for each Job 
SO> location. A good used one will cost only $40,000.
Actually these two have a good chance of doing whatever it is they're setting 
up for.  They have been assessed by the local OSHA officer and have been 
given the go ahead for their operation on that end.  They have the use of at 
least one chamber that had been mothballed from another operation and a 
hyperbaric physician has been put on line as a consultant.  Both are EMT 
certified under the new standards, one is a CHT the other a DMT (I hope that 
I have the initials right).  I am not fully aware about the details of the 
entire operation, however, these two are as meticulous as they come.  
SO> Yes I know. I read about open water divers getting killed all the 
SO> time trying to make extra money as a commercial diver. It's a real 
SO> shame. Some business man is trying to save some bucks by talking a 
SO> scuba diver into doing something that is way out of his league. I 
SO> guess it's hard to turn down some guy that is flashing $300.00 in you 
SO> face just to
SO> make this little dive. It ends up costing the bussiness man tons of 
Actually there are a number of small sort of commercial type dives that fit 
just fine in a recreation divers profile (locating lost lobster traps, 
changing lines on a mooring, etc.) so long as you dive within the limits you 
are trained for, but (and this is a big but) day after day, week after week 
diving to these limits is not recreational diving.  The recreational diving 
tables are not designed to be used for long term repetitive diving profiles 
(the U.S. Navy tables come into play here but recreational divers have 
generally had no training in the use of these tables).  This is the point 
that I think catches the urchin and abalone divers, that the recreational 
dive tables are not designed for the task that they are undertaking.
 
The second issue is the dive profile that exceeds the training.  Limited 
visability, excessive boat traffic, over head environments and using devices 
you are not accustomed to (like lift bags) can all get someone into a 
situation they are not prepared to deal with.  For some reason Murphy likes 
to throw these conditions in to all these "little" dive jobs.  
 
Ah well, just venting some frustration at a particular group that forms quite 
a small minority but whose actions can adversly effect the sport.  Every time 
I hear the government regulation talk it always comes down to examples of 
accidents that should not have happened being cited as justification.  This 
is not to imply that every diver doing urchin or abalone diving is doing so 
incorrectly, just that commercial work requires commercial training and 
that's that.
 
Be wet and well.
 
Dennis
 
From the soap box of Dennis.
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