On Thursday, April 25, 2002 10:03 PM, Reef Fish wrote:

(snip)
> This rotund, handsome, Asian gentleman, who is a disbeliver of
> reliance on any buddy, did yield to his feet to come up with an
> ingenious solution of the use of his buddy (wife) who does wear
> booties with her fins (not to mention whose body weight is a few
> tons less than his), after a few torture treatments on his feet.   He
> would bring and wear his booties for the SOLE <G> purpose of
> negotiating the 10-meter (30 feet) razor-mind-field walk (until
> Achimedes comes to the rescue), then takes his booties off and put
> on the free-diving long foot-fins, so that his BUDDY can take the
> booties back to shore and put them securely in the parked car  --
> which is the only means of transportation to get one to such shore
> dives.  Of course the entire process is reversed on exit.  Now THAT's
> one good use of a buddy you seemed to have overlooked also, in
> your shore-diving treatese.

(snip)

> Meeester Strike,  what is your advise to that elderly rotund gentleman
> besides a crash-diet to lose a ton or two?

This has all the ingredients of a, 'Dear Abby' column!  :-)

Dear, rotund, handsome, Asian gentleman! :-)))

It would seem, from your letter, that you have discovered the perfect
solution to the problems of a shore diving water entry that entails walking
over razor-sharp shells and rocks.  However, I would urge you to re-consider
the use of diving booties.  Quite apart from their obvious value in
negotiating such hazards as you describe a well-worn booty carries with it
its own personal aroma signature, (thus ensuring that the owner can quickly
and readily identify their own equipment);  they make excellent receptacles
for pieces-of-eight; gold doubloons and Louis D'ors discovered during the
course of the dive, (mainly 'cause no customs officer's going to want to
look too closely into a smelly old boot); and they help prevent the
abrasions and blistering sometimes associated with wearing full-foot fins
for extended periods of time. :-)

As regards weight-loss?  Having never seen or heard of a whale contracting
the bends, I can think of no good reason why you should consider losing
weight other than the fact that you might be tempted to sit down on those
same razor-sharp rocks in order to remove the said booties before passing
them to Mrs Meejagee.  While it might be suggested that the greater surface
area of your body mass would cause the weight to be more equitably
distributed over the sharp rocks there nevertheless exists the possibility
that your pride might be punctured, thus making it uncomfortable to sit on a
bar stool at the end of the diving day!  :-)

Strike