Hearing about Kimber has really shaken me up

[tedtim]

there's no bonus points at the end for the person who lives the safest most boring life...

You got that right lamont.

Both of my parents died from cancer before I was 30. My mother had retired and did not live long enough to collect the full value of the contributions she made to her pension plan. Good thing she managed to take a couple of the trips she had been planning for a long time before she retired. Two weeks before she died, my father was diagnosed with cancer. Life changed for myself and my family. Over the past fifteen or so years we have taken a completely different outlook on life.

As it has been said before, it is about the risk/reward trade off. I am now looking at moving into part time consulting work. The risk is higher, but the trade off with my personal life will be well worth it.

OTOH, doing something safely does not mean taking the most boring path.

 

[The Chairman]

Becky,

If you have been following this much at all, you'll see it's not really a diving accident. It appears to be a medical incident that occured while diving. The family has asked that we not speculate and that is good enough for me right now.

Further: if ANYONE wishes to discuss the relative merits of discussing this or any accident, please confine yourself to site support and not to this thread. Thank you.

 

[diverkristi]

I hardly think removing the thread is the answer. And not because I started it, but because it was a visceral reaction I had yesterday and I needed to share it with a community of people who could understand it, interpret it, and give me some good objective advice, for which I thank everyone who took the time to assuage those doubts I felt. That some people cannot refrain from turning this into something else is unfortunate. Their posts should be removed, not the entire thread. I can't tell you how much people's honest responses, retelling of their stories, etc. has helped me. Thank you.

I initially had a bit of a thought like you did. Mine was kinda like "OMG her kids"! I too am a single mother of two small children, and my thought was maybe I SHOULDN'T put myself at risk because they NEED me, and I WANT to be with them until they're ready to "leave the nest". That was the KNEE JERK thought.

The reality thought then came. Maybe I really SHOULDN'T do deco and mixed gasses as I routinely want to do (It comes and goes). What I know I can do is not take risks and exceed my training and comfort level. AND maintain all my gear for safety. I don't care what I paid to go out on a boat and dive, if there is any reason I'm not comfortable getting in, I won't. (like headache, or rougher than expected conditions etc..)

I don't want to regret not diving, so I'll continue. Without a doubt.

 

[Walter]

If you have been following this much at all, you'll see it's not really a diving accident. It appears to be a medical incident that occured while diving.

I don't understand the problem with speculation, but I'm doing my best to comply here on SB. OTOH Pete, your statement looks very much like speculation to me. "It was a diving accident." "It wasn't a diving accident." We don't know. Making either statement without additional information not available on SB, is pure speculation.

 

[Walter]

I initially had a bit of a thought like you did. Mine was kinda like "OMG her kids"! I too am a single mother of two small children, and my thought was maybe I SHOULDN'T put myself at risk because they NEED me, and I WANT to be with them until they're ready to "leave the nest". That was the KNEE JERK thought.

The reality thought then came. Maybe I really SHOULDN'T do deco and mixed gasses as I routinely want to do (It comes and goes). What I know I can do is not take risks and exceed my training and comfort level. AND maintain all my gear for safety. I don't care what I paid to go out on a boat and dive, if there is any reason I'm not comfortable getting in, I won't. (like headache, or rougher than expected conditions etc..)

I don't want to regret not diving, so I'll continue. Without a doubt.

Excellent point! Once upon a time, I had decided to get into cave diving. Instead, I had kids, so I decided not to go that route. I'm very happy with that decision. It's no longer an issue because my kids are now adults, but I no longer have the desire. As parents, we have an obligation to our children. It's good that you take that obligation seriously.

 

[Wayward Son]

I don't understand the problem of "speculating".
Becky

In this case, we have a clear, specific request from her family to not do so. They know we're here, they have their hands full & have asked that we not engage in this.

Seems pretty simple to me. Either you respect their wishes or you don't.

 

[cummings66]

Reading about, and having experienced first hand friends who have died doing the activities I enjoy does not cause me to consider dropping an activity.

Usually I evaluate my actions and risks and plan accordingly. I'll question why a person did such and such when they knew better, yet that does not answer why. It's like has been said many times over, we can't stop living just to guarantee a long uneventful life, you've got to enjoy life.

For me I manage my risks so that I will return home to be with my wife and daughter, sure I don't do all I'd like to but I still have fun and have managed to keep the risks at an acceptable level.

 

[Walter]

In this case, we have a clear, specific request from her family to not do so. They know we're here, they have their hands full & have asked that we not engage in this.

Seems pretty simple to me. Either you respect their wishes or you don't.

I disagree. It's Pete's board. He has decreed no speculation here. He owns it, he makes the rules. We follow the rules or we go elsewhere. I don't understand the concept of how speculation has anything to do with anyone's hands being full or why a family's right to privacy includes a right to limit discussion on something that in no way infringes on that right to privacy. I don't understand it, but like I said, it's Pete's board, so we follow his rules while we're here.

 

[Wayward Son]

True, but from what I've seen he did so because of their request, so it goes back to the family.

 

[nauifins73]

I have read every word of both threads. My post was just an opinion and I added it to this thread as it had been mentioned here.