Removed thread.

[paolov]

[Putting aside my jar of morning kimchi...]

you sure you're not filipino ?.... hehehhehehhe

got a name on the boat poking giant clams at Dive n Trek resort . incident happened nov. 12,2005


Instrument : stainless steel rods min 16 inches.

BOAT : MONTE CARLO
RESORT/ DIVE OPERATOR : MONTE CARLO
SIDE COMMENT (FACT) : Korean divers in this particular dive (specific enough?)



.

 

[CLA]

CLA,

I don't think that anyone here would debate that there is benefit to any diver to see poor diving and/or destruction of any reef.

My point in all of my posts, was that we are all here on SB, are Divers and Global Citizens. Being a diver, and a citizen of this planet, I personally hope that every diver would be committed to preserving the environment in which we all find so much enjoyment. The remainder of my point was to agree with SB policy, in my belief as a global citizen, that "where" these people came from was mostly irrelevant, and violated the TOS. I am not a mod, so I can't speak for them... But anyway...

My only hope is that people everywhere hear about the resort that allowed this to happen, and perhaps people will think twice about supporting that resort.

Howard, I did not wish to imply that you or any SB member lacked commitment to protecting the environment. I was just disappointed that the original topic about- “destructive diving”- was eventually buried under the “racism issue” and eventually scrapped. My intent was to second Larry’s suggestion that the topic on “destructive diving behavior” be revived so that more readers would be informed of the problem in PG.

Neither do I wish to question the mods’ decision to remove the thread due to its racial undertones. After all, protecting the board from careless posts is their job and responsibility and we have all agreed to follow their TOS. I only wanted to explain why some of us may have impulsively posted strong-worded remarks or generalizations. If you discover that a guest is trashing your home or raiding your refrigerator, I doubt if you would make an effort to be very polite. If only we could yank rude and disrespectful divers out of our waters as easily as the original thread was pulled out of the forum.

I am happy that the topic has already been revived in a different forum (protecting reefs in basic scuba discussions) but IMHO, it has lost some of its bite and may not get as much attention as it deserves. Certainly, it is not as riveting as Bruce’s original post (and catchy title) or as informative (of the actual situation in PG) as Larry’s letter to the mods. It’s a shame that Larry’s account (as well as other constructive suggestions like Chip’s) is buried in this obscure post entitled “removed thread” which a casual SB browser is unlikely to open.

The new thread on “protecting the reefs” has a more civilized and constructive discussion but I feel that it has become too generic. Readers may be able to give more constructive and appropriate suggestions if they knew the particulars of a problem. That’s why in the case of the PG incident, it might be helpful to know who the divers were, their certifying agencies, their guides etc. This may be a bad or inappropriate analogy but not mentioning who the “bad divers” were would be like hiding case of bird flu to prevent discrimination against the country where it occurred. Their problem (of bad diving- not bird flu) has spread to, and is affecting our country and it would be in the best interest of the K___ certifying agencies and diving ops and all Filipinos to be made aware of it.

 

[Kim]

.....but IMHO, it has lost some of its bite and may not get as much attention as it deserves. Certainly, it is not as riveting as Bruce’s original post (and catchy title) or as informative (of the actual situation in PG) as Larry’s letter to the mods. It’s a shame that Larry’s account (as well as other constructive suggestions like Chip’s) is buried in this obscure post entitled “removed thread” which a casual SB browser is unlikely to open.

The new thread on “protecting the reefs” has a more civilized and constructive discussion but I feel that it has become too generic. Readers may be able to give more constructive and appropriate suggestions if they knew the particulars of a problem.

Guys. Just to be very clear again I agree with most of the above. I wasn't really intending that you used this thread to post details in...that's why I said you could start a new one as long as it stayed focused. The new thread in basic forums IS very good, but I agree it doesn't completely address the issues that were involved here - and that's a pity. A new thread could have been (and still can be)started here that address the particular incident/diveshops etc that Bruce's original thread addressed. I can understand the comments about losing some level of politeness when it's so close to home. It takes a certain self-restraint and dignity to get things like this right. The thing is though......it's so much more effective if you can do it that way.
Reasoned, muted anger is a very powerful force. I am not trying to muzzle that in any way. All I want is for everyone to conduct the discussion in a serious adult way, and in a way that doesn't open up other avenues that detract from the issue.
Imagine you were in a bar with the divers in question. It would go one of two ways. Either you'd get so angry a fight started and the police broke it up....or you'd make your point peacefully, but with such conviction and reason that it was irrefutable and the divers in question would have to eat humble pie and promise to do better. On SB we can't allow the first alternative to happen, but we would totally support the latter. No one wants reefs trashed by bad divers.....really....one more time....no-one.
Keep to specifics, don't generalize, make your points firmly but calmly....don't give me a reason to have to interfere. That's the way I'm sure you'd like it...and believe me...after the last few days with this potato it's the way I'd like it too!