Accidents waiting to happen

[Uncle Pug]

Write a vague-ish post without mentioning names and hope that they'll read it and know that you're talking about them. Oh my god, its me isn't it... Pug, you're talking about me! Oh the shame. And here on the internet, in front of everyone, why I oughtta... How could you! Wait a minute, I don't know you.

...but do I know *you*?

My initial post was not about my experience with one specific person... there are several that fit the description as given and more that fit it loosely.

My initial post was in the second person for a reason. *You* (not me) are the diver who must decide what to do about about the unsafe and unteachable diver. *You* are the one who is faced with the issue of warning (or not warning) other divers.

But this literary device is a double edged sword since *you* know the truth about yourself. *You* will put yourself in the story in the appropriate position.

If *you* are the unsafe and unteachable diver *you* know it (whether you will ever admit it or change is another thing altogether and I am neither an optimist nor an optometrist.)

If *you* are the newbie who needs to be warned off perhaps you will recognize that fact and take a long hard look at those you are following.

If you find a shoe along side the path and try it on... and it fits... it is yours.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

...but do I know *you*?

If you find a shoe along side the path and try it on... and it fits... it is yours.

And the moral of the story is ... beware of scuba divers wearing only one shoe ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[gj62]

I tend to let people like that know that I am not comfortable diving with them, and why.

If they approach someone I feel is not experienced enough to handle themselves and may follow this person out of a mistaken idea that they know more than they do, I will privately counsel the inexperienced person why I no longer dive/buddy with the other.

Beyond that, I let Darwin work...

 

[glbirch]

If you find a shoe along side the path and try it on... and it fits... it is yours.

Hah, I'm safe then. Even my own shoes don't fit me. (Special thanks to my parents and the genetic codes they passed on)

 

[jroy017]

Neither prophet nor soothsayer I am still literate enough to read the handwriting on the wall. What to do with the message however is, I must admit, sometimes perplexing.

You do a couple of dives with an individual, first as a beginner and then later after they have been diving aggressively for a half year and have 60+ dives.

Things you attributed to newbieness haven't changed and you realize that they indicate an attitude of carelessness. You realize that there is a general spirit of unteachableness and surmise an underlying ego problem is at the root of it all.

You watch the individual from afar through postings on the internet and see that they are taking what appear to you as *chances* but worse... they are involving other new divers in their quest for.... whatever it is.

You see this individual playing on the railroad track and calling others to join in the fun. And you see, from your vantage point, the train that is coming.

What do you do?

we had a student like this who wanted to become a divemaster in less than one summer of diving . I will give him credit for actually diving alot ad having more experience thant the average diver but still, also he always cut corners etc...
We just couldn't get into his head that diving was dangerous and that you could die...
well unfortunately we finally got the message across to him when we took him to the funeral of Clement pouillot (the montrealer who died of CO2 tox in cenotes). He saw the body and suddenly gained a whole new respect for diving. He finally realised that even a very experienced diver who is very carefull can have accidents happen to him so imagine when you cut corners........
however before he just didn,t understand... we tried everything (even asked him to pick a person to raise his daughter when he wouldn,t be there but...)

Its sad that it takes such a big shock or near death experience for people to realise diving has some inherents risk and dont add anymore....

 

[UWSojourner]

Dive training should probably require some type of dive accident awareness; or maybe a requirement for advanced open water, etc.

Simply requiring a thorough reading of accident reports surely would have some effect. When I did my pilot instrument training I think I read the accounts of most accidents within the last several years. I followed that pattern into Scuba by reading the DAN reports.

Nothing like experiencing someone else's panic to focus attention on not wanting to get into the same situation.

 

[quimby]

You realize that there is a general spirit of unteachableness and surmise an underlying ego problem is at the root of it all.

You figure that out and you will be the only person in the whole wide world that can handle MOST teenagers and a lot of college kids!!!!!

 

[Frank Kohler]

You figure that out and you will be the only person in the whole wide world that can handle MOST teenagers and a lot of college kids!!!!!

lol hey we are not all that bad, but hey hang on will i go play in trafic.

 

[divad]

Erased by me.

 

[divad]

Erased by me.