Someone suggested I post this here with the message that if anyone wants to repost or print this as a handout, please go ahead.
http://decodoppler.wordpress.com/201...staying-alive/
Welcome to the Cave Diver's Forum.
An Open Letter to New Divers about Staying Alive....
Someone suggested I post this here with the message that if anyone wants to repost or print this as a handout, please go ahead.
http://decodoppler.wordpress.com/201...staying-alive/
"While it is true that I live in the North and have a strange accent, you should understand that I do not consider myself a Yankee..."
W.R. Morgan
My blog is here; my website is here; and you can order my books here>>> Six Skills | Staying Alive
Very well put Steve.
"...some night, in the chill darkness, someone will make a mistake: The sea will show him no mercy." John T. Cunningham
Well done, Steve.
Now we need to somehow reach the instructors, dive ops and dive guides who regularly take tourists into these places. They're the ones who give these inadequately trained divers the idea that "it will be OK" ... and this don't just apply to overheads either ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I don't know my ass from a hole in the ground ... and that's a real problem for a cave diver. (Curt Bowen)
It'd be great, too, if our local cave divers would stop taking OW divers on cavern tours, Intro/Basic divers on dives beyond their training limits, and Cave I divers to private caves with restricted access.
Dave
"BM is so eighties" — Phillip1
Nice
Nice Steve!
Did you consider being a little more descriptive of what the final moments are like when the person is down to their last few breaths? The realization, horror and regrets of impending death?
"Is this thing on?"
Very, very nice. Quite well written.
If I could, I'd like to make one small suggestion. You drive home the need for specialized training ("Please, please, do not go into an overhead until you get training in overhead diving and ...") but never tell them where to get it. You might add a training link or two (NACD, NSS-CDS, etc.) and point them to a cavern course.
Going full cave is an intimidating hurdle to a new OW diver, and to the OW person all the tanks, lights, reels, classes, etc., seem like overkill to "take just a peek" into a cave. Cavern training, though, is very accessible and requires very little additional gear. Cavern training is often enough to keep someone from screwing up badly, and if nothing else it acquaints them with the dangers.
Maybe steering them to a cavern course if they want to look into a cave would be useful.
Again, thanks for a great letter. Well done.
1/2
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The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you. But it's definitely on the list.
Thanks for taking the time to try an open the eyes of those who think they are bullet proof.
Thanks for sharing. And taking the time to write this up.
Shirley and I have linked this via our Facebook Pages I have a bunch of FB friends that are diving and know at least one that is diving in springs and not cave trained. I think this is a great idea everyone should link and tweet and post or what ever to all you social media sites.
Thanks for taking the time to write this.
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