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Hi All,
First, for those who don't know me, let me tell you a little bit about myself and my diving experience.
I was taught to dive by my father around 1970. I got certified in 1973 by NASDS (my certification number is below 2000). I learned to dive without BCs, SPGs, safe-seconds, and many of the other things which are considered required equipment now.
Following this I dived regularly up to 1977 when I joined the Marine Corps. During my enlistment I did not dive but did keep up with advancements in the sport.
When I got out, in 82, I decided to get back into diving. I found a buddy and together we took a Wreck Specialty course and started diving the wrecks off Ft. Lauderdale. Soon we were diving wrecks to the level of the Trio Bravo, Renegade, Lowrance, etc. Yes, on air as there was nothing else available at the time. Within several years I had worked my way up to PADI DM and accepted a job on Andros Bahamas as a resort divemaster.
During this time I conducted many deep dives on the Andros wall and in the Blue Holes. The other DM at the resort I worked at was a well known, at the time, caver named Brad Pecel. He taught me a bit about cave diving and a tremendous amount about safety in deep diving.
After a season in the islands I got married and moved back to Florida. I worked as a boat based DM for a year or so and then took my IDC.
Very soon after that my wife and I moved to Key Largo where I taught recreational diving for several years. Eventually I found that my niche was in teaching rescue courses. Many of my rescue students went on to become successful instructors and I know of many lives saved by these folks. I'm very proud of every rescue diver that I trained.
After a few years teaching I got my master's license and started running dive boats. I worked for Ocean Divers for about 4 years and for the Dive Shop at Ocean Reef for another four.
I also spent several years as a competition free diver, spearfishing. I qualified for the U.S. Nationals twice and collected a shelf full of trophies.
During this time I also wrote 2 two dive related books, "Snorkeling and Free Diving", and "Histories & Mysteries: The Shipwrecks of Key Largo". During the research for the wreck book I lead an archaeological expedition called "The Northern Light Project". Under the first artifact recovery permit ever issued to private citizens in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary my teams conducted around 100 dives, during a two year period, on a wreck in 190 FSW without major incident and without diver injury. We utilized current state of the art technologies including EANX and Oxygen decompression. Mix was just starting, only Capt. Billy in Key West was training for it.
Following a divorce I again took a couple years off from diving. When I made up my mind to return to diving I read about this new thing called DIR, and about the new agency which was pushing it, GUE. It was an interesting way of thinking. Cave techniques used in open-water.
I liked what I found and as I bought new equipment I followed the Hogarthian way of gear configuration.
One thing that I found was that with my current certification I could no longer get rides to the wrecks I was used to doing. Mix had finally arrived in a big way and was now a very accepted thing. It was time to upgrade my training.
I took IANTD Trimix training and TDI Advanced Trimix. My instructor was very much DIR oriented and taught us along these lines. I now regularly dive deep wrecks off Ft. Lauderdale and the Keys, on mix, not air
OK, now that I've got my introduction out of the way, if anyone hasn't gotten bored and is still reading, I'll get to my orginal point.
All of GUE's standards and procedures make sense to me except one. Why MUST one be a non-smoker?
As you likely just guessed, I smoke. I know its not smart but I've got the habit, had it for years. Why does this one problem, out of all the potentially dangerous problems I could have (such as obiesty, alcoholism, drug abuse, diabetes, leprousy, cancer, missing limbs, brain tumors, etc) SPECIFICALLY keep me from getting a GUE certification?
My SAC rate at rest is .4, swimming .5, working like a dog .8. All of my current dive buddies are GUE certified. Some are wonderful physical specimens, better divers than I could ever hope to be, others are considerably less. Some can outbreath me, some can't come close.
My feeling on this is that this particular rule is a "pet peeve" of someone, likely JJ. Why not simply make everyone take a complete physical? I guarantee I would pass a stress test where many of your certified Tech 1 folks probably would not due to body weight and general physical conditioning.
I'd love to heear your thinking on this. Thanks.
Tom
First, for those who don't know me, let me tell you a little bit about myself and my diving experience.
I was taught to dive by my father around 1970. I got certified in 1973 by NASDS (my certification number is below 2000). I learned to dive without BCs, SPGs, safe-seconds, and many of the other things which are considered required equipment now.
Following this I dived regularly up to 1977 when I joined the Marine Corps. During my enlistment I did not dive but did keep up with advancements in the sport.
When I got out, in 82, I decided to get back into diving. I found a buddy and together we took a Wreck Specialty course and started diving the wrecks off Ft. Lauderdale. Soon we were diving wrecks to the level of the Trio Bravo, Renegade, Lowrance, etc. Yes, on air as there was nothing else available at the time. Within several years I had worked my way up to PADI DM and accepted a job on Andros Bahamas as a resort divemaster.
During this time I conducted many deep dives on the Andros wall and in the Blue Holes. The other DM at the resort I worked at was a well known, at the time, caver named Brad Pecel. He taught me a bit about cave diving and a tremendous amount about safety in deep diving.
After a season in the islands I got married and moved back to Florida. I worked as a boat based DM for a year or so and then took my IDC.
Very soon after that my wife and I moved to Key Largo where I taught recreational diving for several years. Eventually I found that my niche was in teaching rescue courses. Many of my rescue students went on to become successful instructors and I know of many lives saved by these folks. I'm very proud of every rescue diver that I trained.
After a few years teaching I got my master's license and started running dive boats. I worked for Ocean Divers for about 4 years and for the Dive Shop at Ocean Reef for another four.
I also spent several years as a competition free diver, spearfishing. I qualified for the U.S. Nationals twice and collected a shelf full of trophies.
During this time I also wrote 2 two dive related books, "Snorkeling and Free Diving", and "Histories & Mysteries: The Shipwrecks of Key Largo". During the research for the wreck book I lead an archaeological expedition called "The Northern Light Project". Under the first artifact recovery permit ever issued to private citizens in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary my teams conducted around 100 dives, during a two year period, on a wreck in 190 FSW without major incident and without diver injury. We utilized current state of the art technologies including EANX and Oxygen decompression. Mix was just starting, only Capt. Billy in Key West was training for it.
Following a divorce I again took a couple years off from diving. When I made up my mind to return to diving I read about this new thing called DIR, and about the new agency which was pushing it, GUE. It was an interesting way of thinking. Cave techniques used in open-water.
I liked what I found and as I bought new equipment I followed the Hogarthian way of gear configuration.
One thing that I found was that with my current certification I could no longer get rides to the wrecks I was used to doing. Mix had finally arrived in a big way and was now a very accepted thing. It was time to upgrade my training.
I took IANTD Trimix training and TDI Advanced Trimix. My instructor was very much DIR oriented and taught us along these lines. I now regularly dive deep wrecks off Ft. Lauderdale and the Keys, on mix, not air
OK, now that I've got my introduction out of the way, if anyone hasn't gotten bored and is still reading, I'll get to my orginal point.
All of GUE's standards and procedures make sense to me except one. Why MUST one be a non-smoker?
As you likely just guessed, I smoke. I know its not smart but I've got the habit, had it for years. Why does this one problem, out of all the potentially dangerous problems I could have (such as obiesty, alcoholism, drug abuse, diabetes, leprousy, cancer, missing limbs, brain tumors, etc) SPECIFICALLY keep me from getting a GUE certification?
My SAC rate at rest is .4, swimming .5, working like a dog .8. All of my current dive buddies are GUE certified. Some are wonderful physical specimens, better divers than I could ever hope to be, others are considerably less. Some can outbreath me, some can't come close.
My feeling on this is that this particular rule is a "pet peeve" of someone, likely JJ. Why not simply make everyone take a complete physical? I guarantee I would pass a stress test where many of your certified Tech 1 folks probably would not due to body weight and general physical conditioning.
I'd love to heear your thinking on this. Thanks.
Tom