Unqualified Divers in Caves--especially ones like Eagles Nest

Amen.

However - this is not our culture in these United States... We as a country can't even agree to support our president elect.

It used to be we were responsible for ourselves and neighbors played a role in watching out for kids - perhaps it can make a comeback - but for now "We are Lost in America"...

But that is a rant for a different thread.

 

I don't know the shops involved but I guarantee you that people knew they were doing it. There were several cave divers who had seen them on other dives but didn't get involved. The NACD and IUCRR came out with a see something say something policy after that but it didn't go over well because people got upset for getting called out. Some think the rules don't apply to them. Just a couple months after the Eagle's Nest incident there was a Naui instructor who had his little boy diving in the cavern at Peacock. I believe he was 11 or 12. I actually saw him and he was very little. It caused a ruckous but as far as I know nothing was done even though it violated State law in the park.

In my opinion it should start with the instructors and agencies. They are the professionals but most of the agencies are anything but that. In my opinion GUE is the only one that is professionally run and not some good ol' boys club. You don't see any GUE instructors doing these bone headed things but I can give examples of every other agency doing some shady stuff. The longer you are around cave diving the less respect you will have for the professionals as most are anything but that. By the way I am not GUE trained or have anything to do with them so I think I am pretty impartial. I definitely don't agree with all they do as far as team diving and no sidemount until you are advanced but it works for them and their students definitely look better than most agencies. Heck a lot of their Cave1 students look better than a lot of instructors with other agencies.

 

How about putting up tombstones of dead divers like the one in Blue Holes, Dahab, Egypt, to get those Darwin award candidates attention?

 

If they still ignore it & get the awards, hey, we'll improve our gene pool & our next generation will be smarter to not repeat it.

 

Interesting idea, and has some merit because some of the most awesome cavedives nobody does, because you will spend a full day to do the dive with carrying gear out and back. But, in the case of EN which is a deep dive, the legitimate divers will have a high probabililty of DCS. If given my choice, a gate a mile back with a lock (can't be combo), that requires check in with proper credentials presented. Another system that worked at a state park. Made a reservation with faxing/emailing in credentials, and when approved you got a signed permit that you put on your dashboard. Anybody without a permit was considered trespassing, and treated as so.

 

Did you report it?

 

Kelly it was reported to Naui and the State. There was a big stink on cdf about it. Marty Watson was the father/instructor and he is still teaching. He is still diving Peacock too.

 

Found the cdf thread

Eagles Nest to Repeat?

 

Thanks

 

Anyone want to venture a guess as to how many people are actually qualified to dive Eagles Nest? I guess this would really be two numbers, those that are qualified to dive it at all and those that are qualified to dive past the pit or the other restrictions?