Come on.

Richard's not on this list to defend himself but this is a story he posted
on techdiver years and years ago about an incident that happened to him when
he was in high school.  The whole point of the story was that he was very
young and stupid but fortunate enough to be able to learn from his mistakes.

-Kent-



> -----Original Message-----
> From: SouthEast US Scuba Diving Travel list
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Krazy Kiwi
> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2000 9:28 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [SCUBA-SE] PFO test ?????????
>
>
> Carol Reid <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >Hi,
> >Kuty said look at this..........
> >A truly terrifying story
> >http://www.cisatlantic.com/trimix/pile/cmd.html
>
> Yes, I read the story by Richard L. Pyle. I saw a snippet of this article
> in the SPUMS journal & was so horrified I thought the guy must
> have been on
> drugs or had embelished his story abit .. no body can be that stupid can
> they!!
> Anyhow, Richard certainly lived up to his nickname, with an ego to match.
> Literally one cock-up after another & definitely an accident waiting to
> happen.
> Dived with faulty equipment - mask, pressure gauge, and that computer (the
> one between the ears called a brain) wasnt malfunctioning also!
> No backup gear & actually diving solo in such a remote place. (Ive been to
> Palau & the currents are unpredictable so you have to have your wits about
> you)
> Encountered narcosis at depth but, instead of going shallower to
> combat the
> problem, stayed at that depth chasing fish. Certainly away with
> the fairies!
> Did not monitor his air usage.
> Ascended to the surface at break-neck speed when he realised he was out of
> air, but then stuffed around on the boat instead of starting IWR
> immediately or moving his arse to get to Koror ASAP for help.
> Then, to compound things more he then does a couple more short dives, one
> to look for a particular type of fish Jack required & the second
> to collect
> it!!
> I will give this guy a new nickname that I think suits him better
> - Richard
> Cranium!!
>
> Carol,
> As for your original post about your undeserved hit ... call it an
> unexpected hit. Though we dive within the tables accidents do happen as
> dive computers cant calculate differences for yo-yo diving, multiple
> ascents in one dive, cold, fatigue, exertion, dehydration, whether you had
> a good nights sleep, effects of any prescriptions you may be on, sinus
> probs, etc.
>
> It is guesstimated that about 30% of the population have PFO. DAN had some
> data on PFO's - roughly half of the divers who had unexpected hits, and
> were tested, were positive for PFO.
> I was surprised to hear though, that many doctors dont think recreational
> divers should be screened for PFO... and would recommend it more for
> saturation divers. I guess it depends on how much you value life.
> Viv
>