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The liveliest letters from the DIVER mailbag...
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WIDE-EYED AND RARING TO INSTRUCT
In last month's Off-Gassing, the Cortez Club cast doubt on the credibility of John Tout's Deep Breath article (Down in Mexico, October 2001) regarding standards of IDC instruction in Mexico, and questioned your decision to publish it.
As a fellow-instructor on the same course as John, I and the many others (also Diver readers) on the course can confirm that every word he said was true. It is a sad fact that just as there are outstanding dive centres - and I'm sure the Cortez Club is one - there are dive operators out there who work this way, and it's naive to presume that the diving public have not yet worked this out for themselves.
It is also wrong to think that a Gold Palm Resort rating indemnifies an individual from the unscrupulous practices that we encountered. The centre in question was, and is now, a PADI 5-Star IDC Gold Palm Resort, and prides itself on its high safety standards.
But the fact is that your very own Beachcomber could fill an issue with just one week's activity at this particular centre, purely due to under-qualified, unpaid trainees being put in charge of divemasters' duties.
The awful truth is that there are many resorts, of all agencies in all countries, that treat their instructors and staff in this manner. In any industry in which there is a high demand for work, there is usually exploitation. The company "gets away with it", as there is a constant supply of wide-eyed young hopefuls who want to be instructors, and will gladly put up with this treatment in exchange for diving and their instructor's ticket.
My advice, if you want it, is to get your instructor ticket in the UK. The standards are set higher, because of the more technical and demanding nature of UK diving, and higher safety standards are imposed. This can lead to more respect for you as an instructor if you do look for work overseas, and also more competence and confidence in your own abilities.
Oh, and if this is printed, hello to John Tout. I haven't forgotten the snorkel incident!
Stephen Blake, London
They think I'm an alien
After reading all these letters about coldwater diving in Off-Gassing, most recently October 2001, I wonder what's happened to all those British rufty-tufty divers?
I completed my Open Water course in mid-November, 1998, at Stoney Cove, water temperature 6°C, and from frost-covered grass at Gildenburgh in only 4°C, all in a wetsuit. It was so refreshing!
Out on the club RIB with seven or eight other divers, I'm the only one in a wetsuit in the English Channel. They look at me as if I'm an alien. All I can say is that I'll stay in a wetsuit. Drysuits are for wimps!
Andy Ryley, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Comment: Do you drive around in a convertible in January, too?
From a plane, unimpressed
I'm sitting on a tourist flight to Hurghada. A welcome surprise was the latest issue of your magazine on every seat: although I subscribe, I still hadn't had time to read it.
The passengers are clearly mostly divers. My fiancé and I are headed for a liveaboard going to the Brothers islands. Behind us are two rows of 40-something "lads", and since take-off they haven't stopped being loud, obnoxious, rude, pushing against our seats, drinking, shouting and laughing. Only now, with some airline food in their mouths, can we enjoy some peace.
I've never been to Ibiza, but I would imagine this might be the sort of crowd you'd expect to find heading for a clubbing, boozing, party holiday. In four years of diving around the world, I have never encountered divers like these.
I have always regarded diving as a special experience, one that enlightens your senses, making you feel part of a silent, splendid universe, getting close to amazing creatures.
The creatures behind us represent the kind of encounter anyone would want to avoid - under or above water! Who are the odd ones, us or them...
Federica Squadrilli, London
Brassed off
I read with interest about the recent exploits of the Northern Gas and Starfish Enterprise teams in diving the wrecks of the Carpathia and Egypt (News, October 2001). These were undoubtedly complicated, difficult and challenging dives which took planning and guts to complete. I am however concerned about the accompanying pictures. On dives to each wreck, a porthole was removed and displayed in all its "glory" by one of the dive team. Almost in pride of place in the Carpathia story is the picture of Zaid Al-Obaidi with a porthole.
This raises questions in my mind, and undoubtedly in the minds of other more "standard" divers, in relation to the effort over the past year or so to "respect our wrecks".
No doubt these intrepid voyagers of the deep had the authority of the wrecks' owners to remove the items, and it is stated that the removal was "for identification purposes", even though plates bearing the shipping lines' crest and name were also recovered.
What is more worrying is that UK divers will adopt the attitude that it must be OK to follow suit - that Diver, by publishing these articles and pictures, is tacitly condoning such removal and that the hubbub about wrecks can be dismissed.
We mustn't be blinded by the technical nature of these dives, and the achievement they represent. The result is largely the same. The Carpathia was torpedoed and five people lost their lives. The Egypt had 86 fatalities, so both wrecks are graves and should be respected as such.
What will happen to these portholes? Are they to be donated to the National Maritime Museum or some other such custodian so that they may be seen by others, or will they adorn a shelf in one of the team's commercial premises?
Nick Poling
Out of time
On a recent liveaboard dive trip, my buddy flooded his expensive dive watch. Unable to get it to a jeweller quickly, various suggestions were made to prevent further damage. These included opening the crown and leaving it immersed in fresh water; and rinsing it and letting it dry out naturally. What should we have done?
Alan Fox, London
Comment: Gordon Dickens, Sales & Marketing Director of Casio, tells us that there is nothing that can be done when sea water gets into an analogue watch - the corrosion starts almost immediately. He advises divers to replace the water-resistant seals whenever the batteries are replaced - at least every 2/3 years.
Each to his own Habitat
We have spent several excellent holidays at both Habitat Curaçao and Captain Don's Habitat in Bonaire and have always thoroughly enjoyed the diving freedom offered by both resorts.
Robert Tuck's letter (I Accuse, November 2001) seems to question whether individual divers should be responsible for their own safety or rely on the resort to assume that responsibility.
Surely as certified, experienced divers, we are responsible for our own safety and actions even if we have a buddy (and no, we are not advocating solo-diving). The Habitat resorts embrace the idea of self-responsibility, and we know many people from different diving associations who have dived safely and enjoyably under this framework. Self-responsibility makes you all the more careful about dive preparation and execution.
Perhaps Robert should choose a resort that reflects his own comfort level, not castigate a facility (and other divers) just because it doesn't match his ideas of what diving is all about.
Sue & Brian Lowe, Daventry
I was appalled to read Rick Lesser's cavalier response to Robert Truck's perfectly valid concerns about safety in Curaçao. He, as an attorney, ought to know that potential hazards should be avoided where possible.
His remark that perhaps Mr Truck should sign up for the guided reef-tank tour at Disney World was wide of the mark and totally inappropriate. With The Blue Planet on TV, Mr Truck has no need whatsoever to risk getting wet.
Mark Papp, London
I have been to both Habitat Curaçao and Habitat Bonaire three times in the past four years, logging more than 100 boat and shore dives.
All divers must attend a "dive orientation" session. Staff run through local procedures and etiquette, check qualifications and always recommend that you dive with a buddy. They explain booking out tanks for shore dives and where to find oxygen. Marine park tags carry emergency numbers in case an incident occurs "off-resort".
On boat-dives the divemaster always asks if everyone has a buddy, and will dive with a buddyless person. The selection of boat dives alone makes it possible to do three or four dives a day, cosseted by the staff, without leaving the resort, let alone dive when the office is closed and it's dark outside.
Mr Tuck raises the point of a PADI five-star centre condoning solo-diving. It doesn't, it's the diver's choice. He might as well say that Dorset County Council condones solo-diving because a diver can go and dive from Chesil Cove.
There are plenty of diving destinations where your freedom to dive where and when you want is curtailed, and where second-rate staff will breathe down your neck for the 45 minutes they allow you under water.
Steph Butcher, Bromley
I read the article at the end of a long "day" that started at 7.30 on a Sunday at Habitat Cura¨ao and ended at around 12.15am on the Tuesday. A couple of friends and I had spent a week at each of the resorts on Bonaire and Curaçao. We had a wonderfully relaxing holiday, logging 18 dives each - 17 of which were "freedom dives".
Jack Chalk would probably classify us as "relatively inexperienced", with about 200 dives between us. However, I would like to think that we are sensible and responsible.
On boat dives after the briefing we were left to decide whether to follow the guide or go our own way. The latter choice meant we could bimble along at our own pace, on our own profile. The result was 10 very relaxed dives, most more than 70 minutes long. We were always the last back on the boat - great value for money!
We also hired a truck every now and then, signed out tanks and went off into the deep blue all on our own! However, before we went we discussed the proposed sites with the staff.
I note Mr Tuck's concerns, but surely diving freedom takes place day in, day out all over the world - just go to Chesil Beach on a sunny weekend. The difference is that the Habitat resorts market themselves as the "Home of Diving Freedom" and facilitate the activity.
Tim Westacott, Thatcham, Berkshire
Clash of spears
In response to November's lead letter (Keep That Speargun Away from Me), while I agree with Kerry Hutchinson that spearfishing close to other divers is irresponsible, that doesn't make the sport irresponsible, or the vast majority of those who do it "morons".
I have been a Master Scuba Diver Trainer since 1998, when I qualified as an instructor at 18. I read biology at Imperial College, so know something of conservation and marine ecology. I have also been a keen spearfisherman since I was 14.
Spearfishing is utterly selective. Responsible spearfishers only spear pelagics, the open-ocean fish such as tuna, kingfish and mackerel, not reef or rock fish. I have never killed more than the family could eat fresh that evening.
Does your reader eat fish? If so, I would argue that by whatever method that fish is caught, it is less selective than spearfishing. By that I mean that the fishing method is more likely to catch juveniles, the wrong species or that wastage of fish during transportation and storage occurs.
The present negative attitude towards spearfishing is a consequence of the ignorance of readers such as Kerry Hutchinson. I hope this will open some people's eyes.
Duncan Higham, Hambledon, Hants
I read Kerry Hutchinson's letter and sympathise with him, because as a dive-centre owner I come across this type of behaviour quite a lot in Greece. To get the facts straight, however, spearfishing is not illegal here, and never was, other than with scuba equipment.
Having been in this situation countless times, the only thing I can do immediately is direct my group in the opposite direction to the culprit. Once out of the water, I would go over and explain certain safety matters to him, quoting the Coastguard regulations and byelaws.
Unfortunately, scuba-divers and spearfisherman share the same waters, but these laws are now being changed to protect our up-and-coming scuba tourist invasion of our seas.
The instructor could have done more in this case, but perhaps took some action later. It is unfortunate that such things happen and he can't blame PADI (as BSAC divers usually do) for scenarios that go on throughout the dive world.
John Alexakis, Porto Heli, Greece
Hunting the 'hawk
I read with interest your article Splash Landings, about aircraft wrecks (October 2001) and the "discovery" of the Sparrowhawk off Kas in Turkey.
As a long-term resident, like all divers along this coast I have been aware of this aircraft for several years. Any diver who knows the area could have established its type, age and nationality for the author, so I was surprised to hear that the aircraft had been "found" by the Brits.
More worrying was the lack of concern about signals the article was giving out to holiday-divers. The Sparrowhawk, in 70m, is not a regular dive site in an area where shallower wrecks and fantastic reef-dives can be found. These make for much better diving than a couple of minutes at 60 or 70m to see the shell of a plane.
Another factor not mentioned was the lack of a decompression chamber within five hours of Kas, making the dive far more risky. I think the inclusion of the Sparrowhawk in this interesting article was a little irresponsible, without emphasising that in reality it will only be diveable by tekkies.
A Thompson, Savoie, France
Comment: David Oldale did not suggest that he and his buddy had "discovered" the wreck except in the sense that they had learnt that it was there. And as he said clearly in the final line: "It is now offered only as a 'technical' dive".
Who's a lemming?
A few comments on Monty Halls' Deep Breath in December 2001, We're Just A Load of Lemmings:
- An "octopus" is an Alternative Air Source. A pony/stage cylinder (redundant supply) is an Alternative Air Supply!
- We have to plan our dives, so if we are going "deep", or there is a possibility of entering wrecks, we should take a redundant air supply with us. Assess, plan and act.
- Practise, practise, practise your skills. They do work and you do remember them when it comes to it. I speak from experience!
- You mention Spare Air in a derogatory way but forgive "emergency" air cylinders, eg Buddy. Why? They are about the same size, and have you ever tried to bleed air into your BC while breathing from it and also trying to keep neutrally buoyant? It's a skill worth it's weight in gold, if you can do it!
- What you say about weightbelts, I agree with. Mine is fitted with a length of rope and a karabiner to attach to a D-ring.
- Dive knives - I have seen some divers who do not require a weightbelt because of the size of the knife they carry strapped to one leg.
- We are not commercial divers, we are sport divers and should conduct/equip ourselves accordingly.
Tom Scales, Watford
Who protects the Colossus now?
Mark Horobin and I were the divers who discovered the HMS Colossus site in the '70s and then recovered Sir William Hamilton's priceless collection of Greek and Etruscan pottery for the British Museum. We spent three years and thousands of diving hours surveying, logging and excavating, religiously following the then Runciman Committee rules.
The "rediscovery" (News, August and October) shows what a farce it was to pass legislation for wreck protection and the existence of the Archaeological Diving Unit. What happened to the mountains of paperwork, including site maps, we submitted at the time?
We carried out every whim and request to the letter of the law, but it now seems it was a waste of effort. Where are these records stored and accessed, who maintains ours and those of countless other licensed teams?
I suspect the answer lies in the recent controversy over wreck-protection and the squabbles in Diver over who found what. When it comes to discoveries, especially if "treasure" is involved, best friends fall out; secrecy and obsession take over.
If the new explorers want to save time, I have copies of all the site maps, ship's original drawings and records we submitted. However, I expect to hear nothing as that mindset kicks in!
Slim Macdonnell, Romsey
It's the people
I recently completed my PADI Open Water, so was encouraged to read Examining the Examiners (October) about available courses. I live in Kent where there are plenty of clubs, so I read it to see if I had made the right choice.
After short deliberation I decided that I had. Not because it was "glossy" or had the right "marketing spin" but because the instructors were fantastic, patient and considerate.
I was cold in Leybourne Lake but I was looked after and they ensured that I had the appropriate kit next day. I am now doing my Advanced dives, have joined the club, spent a fortune, and subscribe to Diver. It's the club you buy into, not the association it's with. Well done, Simply Scuba!
Cheryl Foreman, Whitstable
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