On Wed, 16 Oct 2002 16:18:41 +0200, Kuty <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I guess most of you are tired by now of my battle with the authorities.

Not me.  I've fighting Scuba Cops since the late 1980s.  :-))

>Nevertheless, I have promised to update you so I feel obliged
>to send to the list the letter I sent to the ISDA.  I don't know how much
>influence it will have but I feel that now I have done all I could.

You've done a great job, a credit to your country and Scuba or Else!
Let us know if and when you get a response from the European PADI
(which I had suspected in you last update might have been a subtle
brush off, even though you felt highly encouraged), but I hope it isn't.
>
>*******************************************

>As I mentioned before, I found out from several informal conversations with
>members of the professional committee, that these uncorroborated and
>actually wrong facts were considered when the 20-guided dives regulation
>was formed.  I have no doubt that the members of the committee believed Mr.
>Sayag?s testimony thanks to his credentials (a PADI course director) and
>did not think that this esteemed member of the committee would mislead
>them.  Even for this reason alone, the committee and the ISDA have a moral
>obligation to reconsider the new regulation in light of the true
>facts.

This points to a problem within ISDA itself, quite aside from Eyal.
How can members of the "professional committee", who drafted the
"20-guided dives regulation" be so UNINFORMED about what's going on
in the rest of the world?

In that respect, PADI becomes almost an irrelevant issue, and it only
gave Eyal the opportunity to push his bullshit upon the rest of the
diving community in Israel.

If the "committee" is creditable and does its job properly, then even
if their OWN experience diving outside of Israel is very limited,
surely the can find out (informally or formally) from OTHERS who do,
such as yourself.  Else, all they have to do is pose some questions
on the internet (which they DID about the regulation) or ACCESS the
info readily available on the internet about "regulation on scuba
DIVERS" practiced around the world.

>Putting aside Mr. Sayag?s letter, if the ISDA had reached the conclusion
>that newly certified divers were not able to dive unattended, at least in
>their first 20 dives, it means that the certification programs are not
>adequate.

That of course follows by logic, but I suspect the newly cert divers
from an Israeli PADI is no LESS competent (perhaps I should have
said no MORE incompetent <G>) than many of the newly certs from
PADI and OTHER agencies worldwide.

Good luck on your tackling of Sayag and other home problems.

>Kuty Weiss
>
>********************************************************
>
>The letter was written in Hebrew and I know the translation is not as good
>as the original (you'll have to take my word for it :-)  )

"What is Hebrew?", nilman asks.

"Is it better than Homebrew?" Mike Wallace asks.

"It certainly can't be better than Phyco-plonk,"  Strike declares
with authority.

-- Bob.