I have been diving since 1958 ( retired 2002) starting out in those days as a young teenager who was interested in free diving. I was a “Spearo”- the colloquial name given to those sports minded people who hunted fish underwater with only snorkel, fins, mask and rubber powered spear gun or often just a hand spear. Divers of that era were mostly breath hold divers. Scuba (Aqualung divers) was in it's infancy and few had access to the equipment -or to air compressors to fill the scuba tanks. Most outsider observers called those “Spearos” mad or shark bait! There is a whole history just in that aspect of diving and it is rare to see much accurate information on the history of those times .....but that is another story. A few years later I joined one of the early dive clubs in Sydney and was an active member for many years holding various club positions. One of which was the newly created position of Club Instructor for scuba diving. I had a semi quasi medical background and could get information of a technical nature from the medical profession (as a medical detailer) from which I acquired a good working knowledge of medical matters related to diving as well as other matters -and a good vocabulary. This experience helped in my early efforts to learn and then pass on the important knowledge and understanding that I had gained. And so I was elected to ta position within the club and began teaching and training people to the new sport of (Aqualung diving) scuba divers.
Over the years I became more and more involved in teaching and in the technical knowledge of diving and diving Instruction.
Some of the positions and activities give a broad brush stroke to the range of my vocational involvement in the diving world:
Senior Vice President Australian Underwater Federation
Technical Chairman USFA of NSW.
Chief Examiner Australian Underwater Federation Open Scuba
Championship
Registered Commercial Diver Class 2&3 (dv000545)
Master Instructor NAUI #6382
Master Instructor NADS#945
PADI Instructor,Openwater, Specialty,Medic First Aid
Instructor #104260
CMAS Level 2 Instructor (World Underwater Federation)
Qualified Coxswain Maritime Services Board NSW
This is a partial list, there are more qualifications; but this should give some idea of the involvement and illustrate why I feel justified in making comments about the Dive Industry.....
As a professional diver in Northern NSW, he assisted local authorities in search and recovery work. During this period I was also engaged for a number of years by the NSW State Government's Hydrographic Department on a part time basis. A major job during this time was survey diving work and other diving activities for the sand bypass project at the entrance to the Tweed River. (Including a hair raising night job to free a large tug boat which had become entangled in it's own mooring system and as a result was drifting towards the shore where it would have run aground)
On a more exotic note in I (with buddy Paul Dempsey 1977) did a marathon underwater swim for the Pacific Festival in Townsville. The swim was from Magnetic Island to Townsville -a distance of 6 miles it took 5and1/2 hours and 11tank changes.....the tank changes were all done underwater to save time. Underwater depth was mostly about 10 meters – otherwise decompression sickness would have been a definite high risk..
For many years I taught all levels of dive activities in various high schools, technical colleges and Tafe. During that time I also took on a number of high profile administrative and management or teaching/training positions with various commercial organizations. It could fairly be said that over most of my working life I was involved with diving activities at high professional levels and by any definition should be qualified to express an opinion on most aspects of the diving industry and it's activities.
Because of this in-depth diverse involvement I now holds very strong, some would say even controversial views (on matters to do with training of divers especially); on the demise of what I see as the corporatism mentality which has now damaged almost beyond repair the heart of sports diving today........ to me it's a pale sycophantic travesty of what diving should be abou. Simply put the divers who have been trained in the new commercially oriented shop systems, where four days is the norm for an Openwater certificate course - are with few exceptions - accidents waiting to happen! . One North Queensland Instructor was often seen to say to his recently “qualified” Openwater certificate graduates .... “now don't ever go back in the water without more training”!!
With this background of a life in diving and now in retirement, I feel there is an imperative to tell a few stories. But! These stories have an objective and they come with a warning, sometimes you really do need to know stuff. So these stories are not just for fun or entertainment -one hopes that they have interest for themselves. However, the primary focus is as a teaching aid.... to contribute in a small way to help neophytes to identify hidden risks, often not apparent to the average person who is a new diver -especially one who has been trained at the very basic level tuition which is deemed the normal entry level. These stories explain some of the more esoteric complications and traps for the unwary.....to say that a diver is “trained” in todays toxic mendacity of the “Professional Teaching System” is an oxymoron which sometimes can lead to horrific consequences if the person continues with the recreation. Fortunately many don't! -which keeps the accident ratio in check.
And perhaps, just as importantly, inherent in the stories is a plea to those who should know better. To lift their game. To the newer “professionals”: Aspire to become true advocates for the wonderful underwater world; rather than marketing spin merchants, or salespeople, who's common aim seems to be dumbing down aspects of diving information because it means rapid acquisition to higher profits.
Something to think about: “Efficiency is the objective!” -a catch all phrase for today's dumbed down society. But, it does not have the same meaning as effectiveness!! Many activities can be “efficient” -cost efficient for example does not imply a thing works well it just means that it has a cost which was acceptable..... But these cost efficient results are rarely effective and this goes to the heart of the problem we are dealing with peoples safety what price do we put on a life!
The overwhelming practice of commercialized “education” does indeed enhance sales and involve more people in the sport (for a while). But, is it at the expense of safe diving practice? Is it too much to still have hope? Can we once again revive the cherished art of real teaching for the benefit of the student?. And, as they say; “ these stories are true, only the names have been changed or omitted..... and finally for some these stories may set the record straight.
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