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Grex Nature Item 39: Diving...Not Backpacking
Entered by peacefrg on Thu Dec 8 16:21:23 UTC 1994:





The Diving...Not Backpacking...Item

9 responses total.

#1 of 9 by peacefrg on Thu Dec 8 16:22:23 1994:

I started a backpacking item and you guys were talking about diving.
That's something I've always been interested in too, But I've never done 
it. Maybe you will convince me to go after reading all about it.

#2 of 9 by rcurl on Thu Dec 8 17:12:44 1994:

A long time ago I took up cave diving - before there was a National Cave
Diving Association, and lots of training, etc. After groping my way
through a number of silted-up underwater cave passages, the fact that
there was no *air surface* to escape to, sank in. I gave it up. The
equipment and training are now vastly better, but cave diving is still the
highest risk form of diving, with the highest fatality rate. A very
experienced cave diver - and a friend - died this year while doing what he
loved.

#3 of 9 by n8nxf on Fri Dec 9 13:29:25 1994:

Scuba diving is kind of like backpacking:  You carry what you need for
survival on your back.

#4 of 9 by rcurl on Fri Dec 9 15:26:35 1994:

True, though the immediacy and criticality of the need is somewhat more
acute with the scuba.

#5 of 9 by spartan on Fri Dec 9 16:11:10 1994:

I went snorkeling in Hawaii once. Does that count?

#6 of 9 by rcurl on Fri Dec 9 22:43:36 1994:

They have sharks there - it counts.

#7 of 9 by jdg00 on Sun Dec 11 04:21:09 1994:

I saw two sharks while diving off the Kaui coast: a grey reef shark about 20 
feet long, and a white-tipped reef shark about 8 feet long.  Both were
really neat to see.

I'm much more frightened of baby barracuda; they school, and they don't yet
know that divers aren't good to eat.

#8 of 9 by wolves on Thu Dec 29 16:33:08 1994:

I was certified this summer and it's great.  I've only been to the 
quarry's but in February I'm heading to Couzmel.

#9 of 9 by jdg00 on Mon Jan 9 14:40:22 1995:

Cozumel is the #1 spot in the world, in terms of risk, for American divers.
More die there than anywhere else on Earth.  I've been there, and I 
think I understand why.
 
Reason #1: Cozumel dives are deep, and in strong currents, and are best
suited to the advanced diver.  (Commonly 80-100 feet, though some
locations can be found which may be shallower along Palancar.)

Reason #2: Cozumel is close to the U.S., with easy access and relatively
inexpensive (compared to other Carribbean locations), and is therefore
the second most popular Caribbean dive destination, after the Caymans.

Reason #3: The dive services operators leave the diver in charge of their
own dive tables.  It's easy to exceed limits due to the diving depth, and
for some reason, it seems that quite a few divers perish without strict
supervision.

Reason #4: Until recently, Cozumel had no barotrauma medical facilities.

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