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Thread: Sad but true

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  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Playa del Carmen, Mexico
    Posts
    48

    Default Sad but true

    As most of you know we have a little bit of a situation in the Riviera Maya concerning line arrows.
    There is one individual that changes all permanent arrows in the caves to poor quality pink arrows which already in months time were bent completly out of shape and are more pointing to the ceiling, floor and walls rather than the exit.
    Now I have no personal problem with this person nor with the color pink but the quality of the arrows are to some concern. But honestly I did not care too much and just left markers out of my briefings as they seem to change on monthly basis.

    In the last couple of months though another diver decided to act and cut off all the tips of these pink arrows which leaves us with bent out of shape arrows with no nose...
    I have also no personal problems with this person and even understand to a degree his desperate action.

    The safety officers of the area are all very successful and busy cave diving instructors who simply do not have the time to fight this situation.

    After having been asked repeatitly in the last weeks by several customers about this situation and why noone seems to act upon it and thinking of the countless visitors the caves of mexico get every year I decided to do smth.

    Within hours it was clear I was not the only one and so via FB and other media we found right away about 15 local cave divers/instructors/guides that are all agreeing to the fact that we want safer cave diving with quality line arrows. And not only that, the plan is also to follow floridas example in installing some distance markers as well as putting the names of sections on the arrows which would help visitors to navigate.

    Only thing needed, LINE ARROWS of course. In the same moment I contacted ALL mayor training agencies AND gear manufacturers explaining them our desperate situation.
    My email was answered by three organisations:
    NSS CDS was the fastest telling me they will help and that my email was forwarded to the right people...that was 11 days ago no news anymore...
    NACD wanted to bring out a statement that condamns such a behaviour...which was 10 days ago...no news either
    GUE was actually in a 6 email exchange with me and looked pretty good but now is 6 days and no word...

    I understand that they are in the US and its sort of not their problem so no hard feelings at all!

    No one else has answered to my email...

    Its just a bit sad that our community is pretty helpless in situations like this...

    Anywho we have not give up, we found a producer of line arrows in poland which hopefully will cut us a good deal and now we will start asking around from shop to shop to get some money for the arrows.
    This will happen and we all work hard to make it happen earlier than later.

    Any people passing through once we have the arrows, if you wanna help you are welcome to join the cause for safer and easier navigation in the mexican caves.
    On the other hand if you happen to leave mexico and you wanna safe some luggage leave us your arrows and we will put them to good use!!!

    cheers
    P


  2. #2
    Forum Admin
    Join Date
    Dec 1999
    Location
    Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida
    Posts
    3,699

    Default

    I was down your way last week and saw some wonderful caves. I'll send Carlos Cardiel down with whatever we have in the shop... and on behalf of the Cave Diver's Forum. Carlos is from Playa del Carmen. Can you get them from him? He is here in Orlando attending DEMA.

    Dive Safe!

    Tom Johnson / tj
    Administrator/Sponsor
    Dayo Scuba North
    Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida
    Cave Evaluator/IT TDI

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Playa del Carmen, Mexico
    Posts
    48

    Default

    Hey TJ...YOU ARE THE MAAAAAAAN!!!

    Putting a meeting together with Carlos should be super easy...my cel is 984 13 707 85...
    On behalf of the cave diving community here: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! Every arrow counts!!!

    cheers
    P


    Quote Originally Posted by tj View Post
    I was down your way last week and saw some wonderful caves. I'll send Carlos Cardiel down with whatever we have in the shop... and on behalf of the Cave Diver's Forum. Carlos is from Playa del Carmen. Can you get them from him? He is here in Orlando attending DEMA.

    Dive Safe!


  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Playa del Carmen, Mexico
    Posts
    48

    Default

    Hey guys, mhhh thats true forgot about the DEMA...hope you are right and I get tons of positive emails when its over!!! Your words in the cave gods ears =)


  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Eustis, FL
    Posts
    1,902

    Default

    Everyone is at DEMA and have their hands very full at the moment, i'm sure you'll see help when it ends.


  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Tallahassee, FL
    Age
    44
    Posts
    3,450

    Default

    If you plan to rely on the bigger agencies in the US, whether in MX or not, expect it to take some time, if anything happens at all. They don't do anything quickly. Be patient, or take it into your own hands.


    It also doesn't hurt to bug the ever living **** out of the agencies here to get them to move. It apparently works at times.


  7. #7

    Default

    So.... Once before, there were permanent arrows in the systems. Some thief stole them all (like at Little River in the US) and replaced them with personal arrows which bend under the stress. A vandal then broke the bent arrows. Now, you want to replace them all with permanent arrows.

    Not that I disagree with the idea, I just want to know, who is prepared to prosecute the thief, or handle them in other ways, when they go in to steal the arrows donated by TJ and replace them once again? Or, to prosecute the vandal who might go in and cut the new arrows?

    Quote Originally Posted by JJ1987
    "But nothing gets accomplished in sidemount!"

  8. #8
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Playa del Carmen, Mexico
    Posts
    48

    Default

    Well we really can not prosecute or do anything. He is already baned from some sites but then just jumps in at another cenote and uses scooters. The vandal who cuts of the noses really only does it to protest the pink arrows, so once they go this will go too. Is there a chance that vandal number one will go and steal the arrows provided by TJ, absolutely yes, unfortunately! But he is by himself and we are many...he can not keep up with us all and hopefully at some point simply will give up and get a new hobby.
    The only thing we can do at the moment is start and get things moving...giving up and letting things be the way they are at the moment is not an option for us...


  9. #9

    Default

    I was down there a year and a half ago and it was going on then.
    I know both Individuals as they were my first Cave Instructors.
    Sad.


  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Clearwater, FL
    Posts
    810

    Default

    Would it help to set up a PayPal account to accept donations to help offset the cost of line arrows?

    Dave

    "BM is so eighties" — Phillip1


 

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