"Regulations" Got You Down? "Human Leather Gloves" are here!

[Ana]

While i agree the attitude is poor (and the attitude of its government is even worse) thats got nothing to do with gloves or no gloves.

St Lucia doesn't allow gloves. OK fair enough, its an utterly retarded law so people should just not go there and put their money somewhere else that actually has laws that make sense. Thats about all there is to say to that.

On that note, I wonder. Is it a "LAW" in St Lucia that makes it a felony (or whatever other level punishable crime) to wear gloves while breating compressed air?, or is it more of a rule that a handfull of operators decided to follow?.

It isn't worth my time to do the search since I had no plans to go there anytime soon, but maybe the same applies to Cozumel and some other destinations.

I don't blame Cowboyneal for using a way around to a stupid rule, but my style is a bit more confrontational. If it is not a real Law, just a bunch of operators that want to wave the"I know better than you about the ocean" flag; then I'll be happy to let them know that I'll take my limited diving money where they don't consider me an idiot. May take some searching but if it isn't a Law I'm sure there is a boat willing to take my money.

Don't like the rule, don't dive there. Don't like a law? Get the law changed. Blatant disregard for law and order is why people think somehow it's OK to kill a store clerk or a campus full of people because they are upset with how things are. I know, its a long stretch from wearing gloves to murder. But the basic principal is the same: Do you have any respect for anything that is contrary to what you deem important, or is it OK to do what you think you should do, regardless of what laws, rules or even common sense dictates?

I don't think this qualifies as "Blatant disregard" for the law. Choosing to wear gloves for thermal/skin protection is using common sense and DOES NOT affect anything or anyone besides the user.
There was also a reference of stoping at a red light at 3am. Depending on the area that action can be considered suicide, plain and simple, call it disregard of the law if you like. Now, to say that things escalate from self-protection to bigger crimes is taking things out of presepective.

 

[Zieg]

I'm not comparing glove wearing to murder. Nor did I say everyone must follow every law/rule all the time. What I did say was that too many people make self-serving decisions regarding what seem to be minuscule laws and rules, and that specific attitude can and has escalated to the point where many people, far too many people, rationalize their behavior regardless of the outcome.

merxlin, my point is you and everyone else consciously breaks laws, rules, and customs each and everyday to suit themselves. You did compare that disregard to murder.

Blatant disregard for law and order is why people think somehow it's OK to kill a store clerk or a campus full of people because they are upset with how things are. I know, its a long stretch from wearing gloves to murder. But the basic principal is the same: Do you have any respect for anything that is contrary to what you deem important, or is it OK to do what you think you should do, regardless of what laws, rules or even common sense dictates?

So let's get some perspective here.

 

[merxlin]

FYI- (taken from Ocean Frontiers website)-
For good reasons the Cayman Islands Government has banned the use of gloves while scuba diving on coral reefs. Although some experienced divers can wear gloves responsibly, many can not. It has been studied that divers wearing gloves are far more likely to touch a coral or a fish - Touching can remove their mucus membrane and cause infection and even cause corals to die. Ocean Frontiers supports this new law in an effort to preserve our coral reefs. We look forward to seeing your naked hands on our dive boats. Please help us follow this new law, otherwise it can lead to 6 months in jail, confiscation of vessel and a $500,000 fine.

.......I don't think this qualifies as "Blatant disregard" for the law. Choosing to wear gloves for thermal/skin protection is using common sense and DOES NOT affect anything or anyone besides the user.

Perhaps if you reread the original post, you might want to reconsider:

In a quest to always thwart ridiculous marine park regulations(emphasis added), I've finally found the answer. Stow these babies in your BC and put them on while descending and no one will ever know! They even have fingernails painted on!

Google: "Grenade Human Leather" and check these gloves out! They are made for snowboarding, but are made of synthetic leather and probably work great! Can't wait to bring them to Cozumel, then Cayman!!!!

No reference to skin protection whatsoever. Just a nose thumbing at the regulations. I believe this is the definition of blatant disregard.

Look, we can debate the merits of gloves/no gloves all day, but the bottom line is the rule is not ours to interpret. If you think that this type of personal rationalization stops at gloves on a dive, you don't pay much attention to today's society. I do agree that sometimes common sense needs to be invoked over the letter of the law. You mention an issue of safety (stoplight in a questionable area at 3am -that would obviously be a matter of personal decision) versus an issue of want. Honestly, in my opinion the glove issue is only a symptom of the self-serving, ego-centric thinking that is much too prevalent today.

You are all free to do what you wish. Just remember that if you are caught and punished to the full extant of the law (which in some foreign countries for some things we might consider ridiculous, can be a very bad thing- keep that in mind), it was your choice.

 

[erparamedic]

The majority of my dives are done without gloves. But, if the gloves are not on my hands, they are in my BC pockets. I don't let it be known that I have them there though. If I'm in the middle of a dive and decide that I need the gloves, I'll put them on. I just don't make a big deal out of it. My hands, my gloves.

 

[merxlin]

merxlin, my point is you and everyone else consciously breaks laws, rules, and customs each and everyday to suit themselves. You did compare that disregard to murder.

So let's get some perspective here.

My point was that the me-me-me attitude escalates, so much so in some people to the point that much more serious situations occur. And does the fact that "everyone else consciously breaks laws, rules, and customs each and everyday to suit themselves" make it right? And how often do you go out and promote that people do so?

 

[cowboyneal]

Yawn...and who is going to catch me, the glove police? What do they have a little booth down there? Where do I go, a Turkish prision? Also, why is anyone speaking for me? You don't know what my intent is or why I do what I do. I don't understand the "I'm inside everyone's mind and I'm going to tell you what they are thinking to justify my arguments" thing, personally...and just to clarify, I was TALKING ABOUT WALKING ACROSS THE EMPTY STREET AT 3:00 A.M. AGAINST A RED LIGHT (which is just as much "against the law"), NOT RUNNING A RED LIGHT IN A CAR...

My hands, my protection, my decision to "thwart" stupid regulations that increase my risk of injury, which to me is A LEGAL ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE and therefore fully justifiable and legal, so, case closed...

 

[CompuDude]

Cowboyneal:

I applaud your sense of self-protection.

I disagree with your decision to wear gloves in spite of the rule, although I understand the self-interest behind it.

I deplore your decision to trumpet your decision on the internet, adding to the world-wide perception of Americans as people who think they are better than everyone else (mistaken or otherwise). I hope our international audience is smart enough to know that there are rulebreaking jerks in every country, not just America. (Note: not necessarily referring specifically to cowboyneal with that statement.)

I recognize you may indeed have the ability to function perfectly responsibly with your dive, and fulfill the spirit if not the letter of the law, in wearing your gloves but not touching anything. Based on the regulations cited, it is still incredibly selfish of you to do so, particularly in light of the possibility of seizure of the dive op's vessel and/or a $500,000 fine. Likely or not, your actions could have severe ramifications to others, so trying to portray your actions as harmless as walking across the street against a red light at 3am is completely wrong.

 

[merxlin]

Yawn...and who is going to catch me, the glove police? ...

The true measure of a person's moral compass is not what they do when they might get caught, but what they do when they won't get caught. Your life, your Karma.

 

[mynamehere]

compudude....well said. you are my hero. you said what i was thinking without using any F-bombs.

 

[cowboyneal]

Whatever...trumpeting your one-sided judgments would appear to be actually more distasteful...my hands, my protection, my decision, case closed...