This thread is starting to look like its more about ego and less about common sense and reality.
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Yeah, what he said. There are at least two of us, and then we need to add: Austin, Egstrom, Stewart, McDonald, Flahan, Lang, Rioux, Somers, Taylor, Heine, Erickson, Kintzing, Duffy, Fastenau, Reed, Bell, Harper, Reed, Mitchell, and Maney ... to name a few.
This thread is starting to look like its more about ego and less about common sense and reality.
Suffice it to say that as there are diver training businesses here conducting operations, 'if it should be done' becomes a mute point.
who is Reed?
DCBC admits that he has no studies or any other fact based reasoning for his personal opinion that one can not be trained to be a safe, basic, open water diver in local conditions in the Nova Scotia area IF one has merely "mastered" the basic skills listed within the RSTC guidelines for an entry level scuba diver.
...Noone is saying that a new diver would be competent to dive in "the most hazardous conditions" found in Nova Scotia or hell, anywhere else.
But both of you, DCBC and you Thal, have absolutely failed to present a scintilla of evidence (and yes, a lawyer word, just for the two of you since both of you seem to have a fascination with the fact that I went to law school and once practiced law) that students who have mastered the skills "in a manner expected of an open water diver" would not be competent to dive in the Nova Scotia area or outside of Port Hardy. Would the new diver be able to dive anywhere and any time? Hell no.
But that is NOT the standard -- or is that the issue. That one, or both, of you think one must be able to dive in any conditions upon finishing the basic open water course.
...They also know what diving SHOULD look like, and they've tasted that in the pool, and they know they should feel that they have not done well enough if they hit the bottom or kick up a cloud. If they continue to dive, they will improve, and they also know they should seek out more training. ...But given the struggles I had in learning to do those things, I do NOT think everyone should be expected to do them out of their initial class --
Where we differ is simply in drawing the line as to what "acceptable" is.
The sad part is we throw insults at one another in attempting to define that line, when we would be much better served to join and form a solid, common front against the training we all agree is substandard.