Protecting the Privilege

[Kelly Jessop]

In no case does unsubstantiated claims (whether having some merit or not) help gain or retain site access!

You are right Ken,I digressed from the original thread. But,I also stated as a caveat that internet forums have more entertainment value and social interaction.

[JohnAd]

Kelly, John,

What can be said of this is that speculation based on hearsay does not further any case we make to gain or retain access. In any tort case there has to be a party that was harmed and someone with legal standing to bring the case before an appropriate court. Aside from a court action. no agency should act on anything based on hearsay, rumor or innuendo if the instructor provides a credible reply and reasonable explanation of the alleged events.

The threshold for the standard of care and making sure the student knows and understands the inherent risks of diving is higher at the beginner level. Simply put its reasonable for the instructor to have beginners practice mask clears in a pool and for cave instructors to perform lost line drills in "0" vis.

In no case does unsubstantiated claims (whether having some merit or not) help gain or retain site access!

I agree. I really don't see how this issue "protects the privilege," which is the topic of this thread.

But to finish the issue, if you believe an instructor was guilty of some sort of infraction and should be expelled from the agency, but nothing happens, it does not mean that the agency turned a blind eye. It cold instead mean:

1. The agency investigated and found that the charges were false
2. The agency investigated and determined that there was some truth to the matter, but not such that it merited expulsion. In some cases instructor receive additional training to get them back in the groove, or they are briefly suspended.
3. The agency investigated and found the charges to be true but differs with you on whether the charges merit expulsion. For example, there are a lot of people with criminal records holding a lot of jobs around the world. Being convicted of a crime does not mean you can never hold a job again as long as you live. Whether or not a crime unrelated to scuba has anything to do with your ability to teach a class depends upon the situation and is a matter of opinion.

[Ken Hill]

John, Kelly,

Why hearsay 1st, 2nd or third hand does not count. If someone overheard either of you say, lets eat Grandma! They'd think you were the guy with the chianti bottle and the fava beans.

If what you actually said was lets eat, Grandma! The world would see you as a nice young man!