Petition

[phillip1]

In the DR 100% of untrained cave dives comes form PADI instructors and LDS taking OW clients way past the cavern zone, I have been trying for a year and a half now to get PADI & co to send out an email reminding thye're instructors and LDS of the limitations of cavern diving, zero results so far, so I was thinking, this must also be hapening in other parts of the world so...

Would it be a good idea to start a petition, signed by cave divers, OW divers, instructors and anyone who cares to try to get PADI, NAUI, CMAS etc.. and any other OW training agency to send out a blanket email to all they're instructors worldwide reminiding them of the dangers of untrained overhead diving and the limitations of cavern/cave? and if they still decide to exceed the limits of cavern diving at the very least to do so on they're own and not take OW clients with them.

Aparently (in my experience) so far those agencies could not care less about one or two concerned divers, and apears to be a subject that seems best "kept quiet" as long as PADI & co does nbot get into legal trouble.
But what if a whole bunch of people voiced they're concern and signed a petition demanding that they send out such information?

I think it would also make PADI & Co. look good and look like they care, so it's a win/win.

I think an email like that might make iresponsible instructors think twice about taking unsuspsecting OW clienst on cave "tours" like here in the DR, or at the very least it could not hurt.

[CaveBuddy95]

I think it's a good idea.
As far as PADI & Co really caring...no, I don't think that what one does in his/her dive shop would be of their liabilities. It is not a PADI course so for them, you didn't observe good judgment and did put your clients in danger so they won't back you up if it goes wrong!
On the other hand as from now on, as cave diving gaining in popularity, what could be done is to attach a message to the certification card sent to the new divers, so they learn and know what it is about. Then decide if they still want to do it... The work you do in DR is great and it will take time to brake some bad habits but keep up the good work and stay zen!!
Saludos,

[Walter Pickel]

Phillip...Good luck with this. We reported, to PADI and the University, the University Professor that was forcing his students to go into the overhead. It doesn't matter to PADI because the professor is not teaching a class. They simply didn't give a crap. We didn't even get a response from the University. E-mail me if you want a copy of the letter.

[Webmaster]

In the DR 100% of untrained cave dives comes form PADI instructors and LDS taking OW clients way past the cavern zone, I have been trying for a year and a half now to get PADI & co to send out an email reminding thye're instructors and LDS of the limitations of cavern diving, zero results so far, so I was thinking, this must also be hapening in other parts of the world so...

Would it be a good idea to start a petition, signed by cave divers, OW divers, instructors and anyone who cares to try to get PADI, NAUI, CMAS etc.. and any other OW training agency to send out a blanket email to all they're instructors worldwide reminiding them of the dangers of untrained overhead diving and the limitations of cavern/cave? and if they still decide to exceed the limits of cavern diving at the very least to do so on they're own and not take OW clients with them.

Aparently (in my experience) so far those agencies could not care less about one or two concerned divers, and apears to be a subject that seems best "kept quiet" as long as PADI & co does nbot get into legal trouble.
But what if a whole bunch of people voiced they're concern and signed a petition demanding that they send out such information?

I think it would also make PADI & Co. look good and look like they care, so it's a win/win.

I think an email like that might make iresponsible instructors think twice about taking unsuspsecting OW clienst on cave "tours" like here in the DR, or at the very least it could not hurt.

I would go ahead and do it anyway. It's sad to think it might take someone dying, but afterward you could reference where you had informed everyone of what was going on and that nothing was done.

Media in that case might be helpful in putting pressure on the right people to help curtail that. And I would try to be proactive in that regard to try and ensure that they didn't try to paint 'everyone that goes into a cave' with the same brush.

[phillip1]

I will put together an online petition and post the link later this week.
I think if we get a bunch of people to sign it then maybe padi & co will finally do something.
As for the university professor I know what you mean, that is insane especially if you see were they were working with zero overhead training.
The student divers were barely OW divers hopefully with the signs in place there and I will be sending an email to PADI informing them of the signs we can avoid a major disaster.
It is a miracle no university diver got killed so far in Bayahibe

[phillip1]

So i created an online petition to try and get PADI, NAUI, SSI to send out an email reminding affiliated instructors of the limitations of cavern diving.
I think if we can get enough signatures and show PADI & co that there are many concerned divers they might actually do something about this and it could make for a safer environment.

http://www.petitionspot.com/petition...zonelimitation

[Walter Pickel]

Thanks for putting this together Phillip.

[Walter Pickel]

It is a miracle no university diver got killed so far in Bayahibe

I hope it stays that way...

[wdt]

Very good idea, Thank you to care.

[phillip1]

Thanks

I hope this petition will help to get PADI & co to act.

We will continue to install warning signs in DR caves, since no one here cares.

At the moment we are trying to get signs in Cueva Taina, which LDS are taking OW clients on dives to well beyond the mainline.
This is actually even more dangerous that the Bayahibe ones as the mainline is already way past the cavern zone, the cave silts out very easily and there are very pronounced halloclines and a breakdown small exit that is very hard to see without a line.
The owner is a bit reluctant to install a sign (he makes $$$) but we plan on creating a safe cavern line, (I have no idea why this has not been done before) and then hopefully installing two signs at each side of the cave.