Rodales rants

[joens]

Diver0001 once bubbled...


Can you describe it? We don't get Rodales over here....

R..

I dont have the pic in front of me .but from memory. here goes
you cant see the first stage reg behind the diver but it is [based on the hose routing ] clearly a single first stage. they have a bungeed backup but it is on a standard length hose routed under the divers right arm. that is what I remember without looking at the pic .when I get home I will look at it again.
Joens

 

[WaterDawg]

I got my copy of Rodales ScubaDiving today, and let me tell you I wasent expecting much to begin with but what I saw terrible. They have an article encouriging solo diving, as "your ticket to diving freedom", BULLSH*T.

They say its the future by comparing it to the slow acceptance of Nitrox, BC's and dive comps.
Are they just doing a service to their costumers by providing them w/ info? No, I read it and they are clearly pushing it. Yes they do tell you about SDI's solo cert and say "its the hardest 2 dives of you life."
Lets not forget their audience is for the most part beniners and such, folks who take what they say as gospel. I understand that many people do indeed solo dive now and then but IMO its not being responsible.

AAAAGGRRRRRR

 

[Genesis]

What's with the religion here? Have a spot in the dredge - right next to Patty from the SMC!

Seriously, essentially every underwater photographer and every spearfisherman dives solo on every dive they make.

Sure, you may have a "buddy in name", but you don't have one in fact. And that's reality.

For people to think about the ramifications of that, and equip themselves accordingly, is a good thing.

Excuse me now while I head over to the boat, crank her up, and go have a solo, er, I mean spearfishing, pair of dives this morning. My grill awaits!

 

[Custer]

WaterDawg once bubbled...
I got my copy of Rodales ScubaDiving today, and let me tell you I wasent expecting much to begin with but what I saw terrible. They have an article encouriging solo diving, as "your ticket to diving freedom", BULLSH*T.

They say its the future by comparing it to the slow acceptance of Nitrox, BC's and dive comps.
Are they just doing a service to their costumers by providing them w/ info? No, I read it and they are clearly pushing it. Yes they do tell you about SDI's solo cert and say "its the hardest 2 dives of you life."
Lets not forget their audience is for the most part beniners and such, folks who take what they say as gospel. I understand that many people do indeed solo dive now and then but IMO its not being responsible.

AAAAGGRRRRRR

Name 5 solo deaths in the U.S. on an OW ticket that you heard about last year.

Provide cites, including verification that the deaths were specifically caused by solo diving.


Good luck.

 

[Charlie99]

Custer once bubbled...
Name 5 solo deaths in the U.S. on an OW ticket that you heard about last year.

Provide cites, including verification that the deaths were specifically caused by solo diving.

Good luck.

How about this death of a local diver the day before yesterday?

http://www.scubaboard.com/t33202/s.html

A fairly common story unfortunately. Two guys spearfishing. "Somehow" get separated. One dies.

The actual cause of death may never be known, but a heart attack or other medical problem is likely.

Did diving solo cause a heart attack? Of course not.

Could a buddy help him survive a medical problem underwater? No guarantees, but it sure gives him a better chance.

Solo diving increases your risks. You are deluding yourself if you insist that it doesn't.

Does this mean you shouldn't dive solo? No. In some cases those increased risks are acceptable.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Custer once bubbled...


Name 5 solo deaths in the U.S. on an OW ticket that you heard about last year.

Provide cites, including verification that the deaths were specifically caused by solo diving.


Good luck.

Most divers who die are solo when it happens.

On TDS there's a thread about the 18 year old DM candidate who died on the west coast. Links are there to news articles and statements by the divers buddy. The were seperated and I guess it looks like he ran out of air. He even had a pony bottle.

The diver who died at Gilboa a couple months back was solo (seperated from his group) when he got into trouble.

Boy, I think it would be way easier to name the divers who died with an eye witness. I've heard of very few.

BTW, the death is never caused by solo diving. That's the most rediculous thin I've ever heard. The death is almost always caused by drowning.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I every one remembers, Rodale's ran a series of articles with titles like "The Dangers of the Buddy system" That paved the way for the anouncement of the SDI solo course.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Genesis once bubbled...
What's with the religion here? Have a spot in the dredge - right next to Patty from the SMC!

What's a spot on a dredge? It isn't religion to believe that niether Rodales or SDI have anything but profiting from clueless divers in mind. It isn't religion to say that every SDI solo instructor I knows lacks experience with the very equipment and techniques that SDI now endorses them to teach. It isn't religion to believe that Rodale's was running a promotional campaign with their series of solo diving articles that proceeded the anouncement of SDI solo course.

Nobody cares if you dive alone. I only care if you do it because you were conned into it by a bunch of non-diving idiots.

Seriously, essentially every underwater photographer and every spearfisherman dives solo on every dive they make.

Sure, you may have a "buddy in name", but you don't have one in fact. And that's reality.

This couldn't be further from the truth. We do all our photography as a team. I don't get to spear fish very often but we do that as a team also.

For people to think about the ramifications of that, and equip themselves accordingly, is a good thing.

Excuse me now while I head over to the boat, crank her up, and go have a solo, er, I mean spearfishing, pair of dives this morning. My grill awaits!

 

[MikeFerrara]

WaterDawg once bubbled...

Are they just doing a service to their costumers by providing them w/ info? No, I read it and they are clearly pushing it. Yes they do tell you about SDI's solo cert and say "its the hardest 2 dives of you life."

That's a joke. They haven't the slightest clue. I wonder...does the instructor go with you on those dives and then certify you to dive solo when you never hane? Or...do they send you out solo without evaluating your performance on the dives?

Lets not forget their audience is for the most part beniners and such, folks who take what they say as gospel. I understand that many people do indeed solo dive now and then but IMO its not being responsible.

AAAAGGRRRRRR

I know exactly who they audience is. Their the same divers who come to me for continued training that I can't give them until I start them over from the beginning because they don't have the basics down.

 

[HammerNoMore]

What does the death of buddy divers who lost their buddies have to do with people properly prepaired to solo dive?