Touche Dale, very subtle way of saying it, but I get it.
I always hear that though, "At least he died doing what he loved." but I didn't get that out of the video, not at all. I think it's more that no one loves dying doing what they love.
For me, I think I'm not afraid of dying so much as trashing my wife's life. We're both widowed. I promised her that I wouldn't die. She's been there, done that, and so have I. Believe me, it's harsh. No guarantees as we all understand or I'd never even get wet, but this life we have, it's awesome, she's awesome. I plan on extending it for all I have. I'm viewing getting the most out of life for as long as I can as "pushing the envelope."
My fear is not of dying also so much as getting maimed and living with a disablement and putting that or my death on my wife. If I were to be a thrill seeker, I believe I'd have to be single because I just can't be that selfish. Anyone who's read the book can see the horror and pain Dave inflicted on his wife.
I've always worked in a field where anything and everything is dangerous... unless you make it not so. Safety is a huge word in my life, it's part of who I am personally, a and professionally. Every day, for decades, it's been part of my discussion on and off the job. Heck, I've got an uncle who's permanently daft from falling off of a ladder changing a light bulb so anything can get you. I also had a granddad get hit by a train and survive. Life's funny that way.
I guess you could say, "Live like you were dyin'." but everytime we've seen people in a situation where they're dying, they would give ANYTHING to not be there. Quite unlike Hollywood's version, I see them struggling, crying, screaming, clawing at the muddy bottom of a hole in the earth rasping their lungs out in desperation to come back alive, confused, bitter, unbelieving, frantic, not smiling at the sky saying "God, this is as good as it gets!" I could be wrong, but the evidence to the contrary is quite compelling.
Just explaining my viewpoint a little, where I come from. I wouldn't expect others to be who I am or believe what I believe in.
Every single time I've read about the super deep divers dying, and the list is long, I've always wondered, no, WE'VE always wondered, why? Some guys think they can defy those long odds quoted by the author in his book. I don't think he made them up. To not put the facts in place for people to have gained from those losses would be a horrible injustice.
It's been identified what the hazards are. Recreational divers are doing it so dangerously. You can talk to any pro diver and see what it takes to bump the safety factor up and recreational divers can't afford that. Simply having communication equipment has been talked to death as one of the absolute factors in so many accident that I'm pretty amazed that the industry hasn't come up with a recreational communications system. We're still clanging on tanks and writing on tablets! Egads!
Me, I ain't dyin' for, as Shaw put it, "The hell of it." Not if I can help it. I guess some might have missed the part where I said that I'd defend the right of anyone to dive, and live, how they want. I'm not about to sell out my opinion on this though in the name of being pc or pleasant about it. It's too serious of a topic.
