What? Some old guy in a bar making beefed up claims and offering a bigger and better deal to an attractive waitress? This must be the first time that's ever happened!!!
And what next? An old guy with an established client list doesn't take the time to build a contemporary website? Never heard of that attitude either!
Finally, what? A diver who was active in the 1960's and doesn't have a wallet full of the new PADI specialty cards, a DIR-F certification, and cross-certification with SSI and NAUI? Never heard of that either - those old guys really know the value of our new certification philosophy...
Okay, I'm not saying that your girlfriend should run off to Austria with him (I've been to Austria, and it can be pretty damned romantic, especially with the boyfriend back in the states and learning to dive!), and while I think this is a very enjoyable thread, the lack of a good website and current agency affiliation doesn't really mean anything.
In my industry (pharmaceuticals), most of the old guys see websites as a waste of time (at least on the back end, where all of us scientists work.) I know it's hard to believe, but there are lots of otherwise successful professionals in the 50-70 year-old age range who still type with two fingers and usually have their admins write letters for them. Many of these guys depend on us younger folks to explore the web and get the information that will help them make the decisions that they get paid to make.
And hitting on a young woman with promises of adventure wouldn't be out of character for that generation. Not to say that the under-50 crowd is any more ethical, but we've been raised with completely different expectations regarding interactions between the sexes.
Still, my take is that he's probably just a harmless old guy who was fishing for some female attention. As to whether the guy she met was Norm or not, that's another issue that I can't really speak to with the info that we've got.
Again, this is a very interesting thread. Makes me want to read some of the older dive/treasure hunting literature.
Please keep us informed if you pursue this any further.
-Grier
And what next? An old guy with an established client list doesn't take the time to build a contemporary website? Never heard of that attitude either!
Finally, what? A diver who was active in the 1960's and doesn't have a wallet full of the new PADI specialty cards, a DIR-F certification, and cross-certification with SSI and NAUI? Never heard of that either - those old guys really know the value of our new certification philosophy...
Okay, I'm not saying that your girlfriend should run off to Austria with him (I've been to Austria, and it can be pretty damned romantic, especially with the boyfriend back in the states and learning to dive!), and while I think this is a very enjoyable thread, the lack of a good website and current agency affiliation doesn't really mean anything.
In my industry (pharmaceuticals), most of the old guys see websites as a waste of time (at least on the back end, where all of us scientists work.) I know it's hard to believe, but there are lots of otherwise successful professionals in the 50-70 year-old age range who still type with two fingers and usually have their admins write letters for them. Many of these guys depend on us younger folks to explore the web and get the information that will help them make the decisions that they get paid to make.
And hitting on a young woman with promises of adventure wouldn't be out of character for that generation. Not to say that the under-50 crowd is any more ethical, but we've been raised with completely different expectations regarding interactions between the sexes.
Still, my take is that he's probably just a harmless old guy who was fishing for some female attention. As to whether the guy she met was Norm or not, that's another issue that I can't really speak to with the info that we've got.
Again, this is a very interesting thread. Makes me want to read some of the older dive/treasure hunting literature.
Please keep us informed if you pursue this any further.
-Grier
