OK folks,
First of all, let's not get into a uproar and just say everybody has a right to their opinion.
I agree that, especially when dealing with novice divers, it is the primary responsibility of the Instructor, assisted by their DiveMaster(s) to understand the limitations of each student.
It is also the responsibility of the individual to know their own limits.
The woman in question in :royal:'s story had already tried to complete the certification 3, count'em 3 times prior to this particular course. The instructor knew this was her fourth time attempting a certification and should have paid more attention to the needs of this particular diver, but this woman should have also been re-evaluating her suitability to the sport.
She openly told the class on the first night that her first 2 attempts took place in Micronesia where conditions were a little less difficult than here in San Diego. Her 3rd attempt was in the warm waters of the Caribbean. On all three of those attempts, she said she ran into situations similar to the one that occurred with my class. She also had trouble carting her gear from the car to the dive site and a multitude of other issues.
IMHO, this particular woman had no business trying to dive.
HOWEVER, I happen to know divers of all shapes, sizes and ages, of both genders, who are fabulous divers. Who are able to take care of their own gear, know when to say "Enough, this is just beyond my ability", and know how to be responsible for themselves and look out for their buddy.
I don't think it is fair to make generalizations about who should dive and who should not, it is really based on the individual. I also think each and every diver out there should be able to say, I just don't feel comfortable diving with you and not feel bad about it. Greg G didn't make a small generalization, he mentioned a seriously impaired individual. Your life is at stake here people. You have to look out for yourself first. It is a judgement call, but it is one that could mean the difference between life and death.
Anyway, just my $0.02.
First of all, let's not get into a uproar and just say everybody has a right to their opinion.
I agree that, especially when dealing with novice divers, it is the primary responsibility of the Instructor, assisted by their DiveMaster(s) to understand the limitations of each student.
It is also the responsibility of the individual to know their own limits.
The woman in question in :royal:'s story had already tried to complete the certification 3, count'em 3 times prior to this particular course. The instructor knew this was her fourth time attempting a certification and should have paid more attention to the needs of this particular diver, but this woman should have also been re-evaluating her suitability to the sport.
She openly told the class on the first night that her first 2 attempts took place in Micronesia where conditions were a little less difficult than here in San Diego. Her 3rd attempt was in the warm waters of the Caribbean. On all three of those attempts, she said she ran into situations similar to the one that occurred with my class. She also had trouble carting her gear from the car to the dive site and a multitude of other issues.
IMHO, this particular woman had no business trying to dive.
HOWEVER, I happen to know divers of all shapes, sizes and ages, of both genders, who are fabulous divers. Who are able to take care of their own gear, know when to say "Enough, this is just beyond my ability", and know how to be responsible for themselves and look out for their buddy.
I don't think it is fair to make generalizations about who should dive and who should not, it is really based on the individual. I also think each and every diver out there should be able to say, I just don't feel comfortable diving with you and not feel bad about it. Greg G didn't make a small generalization, he mentioned a seriously impaired individual. Your life is at stake here people. You have to look out for yourself first. It is a judgement call, but it is one that could mean the difference between life and death.
Anyway, just my $0.02.