JH>I think I've already made my position on unnecessary deep dives
JH>clear.  I think the deceased was an idiot.  The accident is
JH>nothing more than a demonstration of natural selection.....those
JH>more suited to life get to live, those less suited don't.
JH>
JH>His preparation was in keeping with the quality of his endevour.
I don't want to make any dispargaging remarks about the deceased
however I will say that he appeared to show poor judgement based
upon all incident reports I've read about this accident.
JH>You already know the answer to this.  The captain doesn't appear
JH>much brighter than the deceased, though he *is* still alive.  I
JH>hope the money was worth it.
I'm quite surprised that this dive wasn't made on a private
charter with plans for having safety divers in the water.  As
I understand the situation, the dive was made during a surface
interval between two normal "recreational" dives.  Again, I
think that shows poor judgement on the part of several people.
JH>The training organisations are entirely correct in their present
JH>handling of depth limits.  There always is that one idiot who
JH>figures the limits don't apply to them.  We read about them
JH>regularly.
There've been a number of debates lately about the value of
training organizations and the guidelines that they set for
recreational diving.  My personal diving style doesn't take
me below of the boundaries of normal recreational diving these
days, but I've certainly made my share of deep dives to deeper
wrecks, deep walls, etc. in the past.  I've never felt as though
the dive training I received inhibited my ability to enjoy the
diving environment.  I was well-prepared for the challenges of
deep diving, wreck penetration and mixed gases when I chose to
make those dives.
--- Surf's Up!
---------------