ams511
Contributor
Greetings! Now, where shall I start?
By admitting you know little about diving but like to see your comments online. So readers should disregard every word you say.
Hmmmm....Seems like a good place to begin is by suggesting that you refrain from using sexist terms such as "old wives tales" (improperly punctuated).
Since when is the term, "old wives' tales" (properly punctuated) sexist? If true, you should tell the Huffington Post and Reader's Digest among others.
Secondly, I wonder what data you have that indicates divers do not contract diseases when using rental gear. Has the AMA or WHO done such a study?
I don't have any data, but I am not the one making assertions about the unhealthiness of used / rental gear. The WHO or the AMA may not have done such a study because there is no evidence of medical problems using rental gear.
The person making the claim needs the evidence to back up his claim. I guess you must have skipped the philosophy of science lecture during your doctoral training at Yale. Perhaps you should have went to Harvard instead.
Thirdly, the note I wrote about Sherwood regs was a lament that they no longer made side venting Oasis regs. Of course, since you are a fan of purchasing used gear, it should have been a delight to you since you could now begin your search for a vintage Sherwood Oasis. I have four of them in perfect nick, but, sadly, none are for sale. Keep looking.
I own / have owned Sherwood Regulators and have moved on to better performing gear such as Scubapro and Apeks, so I have no desire for your "side venting" regs. I have a few vintage (actually older than yours) Sherwoods: Magnum II, Oasis, and even a top of the line Maximus that I acquired when I first started diving. I can check if they side-vent (have a wide exhaust T) if you are interested. BTW, the mouthpieces on a second stage are removable so you can change them if you want. You can buy a new one for a few dollars at any dive store.
Fourthly, I am a doctor--at least that is the title conferred upon me by "PRAESES ET SOCII, UNIVERSITATIS YALENSIS" (Yale diplomas were done in Latin at the time of my graduation.).
Did you graduate with a degree in medicine from Yale Medical School? If not, I fail to see the relevance. Also I see no relevance that you graduated so long ago that your diploma is written in Latin.
Fifthly, I am sorry my sense of humor was lost on you: I'm told it grows on one with time---sorta like bacteria. Hang in there: you'll get it.
What you call humor I call ignorance. You are spouting off nonsense to new divers and I called you on it. Instead of acknowledging you have no data to back up your assertions you becoming insulting.
Sixthly, I did note, in my original comments that "...I will be pilloried and drummed from the Board for making such outrageous suggestions...". Aren't you impressed with my ability to predict the future? My stockbroker is!
If you are so good at picking stocks then maybe you should post on a finance board.
And, finally, I have some experience with the way dive ops cleanse their gear apres diving. Most give regs, wetsuits, fins, etc. a post-dive dunk in fresh water and hang them to dry overnight.
The Dive Ops I used and the dive club I used to belong to were more meticulous when cleaning their equipment. They do much more than give equipment a quick dunk and then hang it up.
Hi,
Okay, here goes the "beating the dead horse" routine....
In my youth I discovered a hero who continues to this day to be a hero. Perhaps you have heard of him: Albert Einstein. He had this wonderful notion of creating what he called "Gedanken Experiments". This delightful mixing of German and English was used to described a technique in which he created a mental experiment that could test an issue without having to do the actual experiment--remember Einstein was a Theoretical Physicist and probably took no joy in smudging his hands in the lab.
So, let me suggest a couple of Gedanken Experiments for you with regard to hygiene:
(1) Reg mouthpiece related---consider whether you would like to brush your teeth with a toothbrush used by a stranger and merely rinsed off using a bucket of "fresh water" that also was used to soak 5 other toothbrushes used by strangers.
(2) Wetsuit related---consider being asked to wear some underwear that had been worn by a stranger--maybe many strangers--that had only been rinsed off in a tank of "fresh water" that had been used to rinse off lots of other underwear.
'nough said...
joewr
Einstein performed these mental experiments because there was no way he could test his hypothesis given the technology of the time (He died in 1955). Physicists are still trying to test some of his hypothesis and probably will be for the next 100 years. It is a shame the man did not live in more modern times.
However this is not the case with your so-called experiments. Your hypothesis is that used / rental gear is unhealthy, your "experiment" is based on divers preferences and uses a straw man null. So you are not testing your hypothesis.
Also you are not taking into account what I said. For a used regulator a diver can change the mouthpiece inexpensively (scroll to the bottom of the page). For a rental regulator you can use an alcohol pad to sterilize the mouthpiece (some ops ask you to buy your own mouthpiece). As far as wetsuits go most people were either a skin or a swimsuit under it so your underwear analogy is out. It would be more akin to wearing someone else's ski suit. A used suit can be cleaned and disinfected with a rental suit you are at the mercy of the hygiene of the dive operator. As Goodtime put it, "If the dive centre's equipment looks so scummy that you don't want to use their rental gear, then you really need to find a better dive centre!" which is similar to what I said about if it smells bad then don't wear it.
The other question is how are YOU cleaning your gear. It is going in the dive op's tank with the rest of the gear?
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