Day: August 28, 2005

Now this is one association that is supposed to be representing Malaysian divers, but is doing exactly the opposite. Well, I may be lying there, actually. Sorry, guys. But the real fact is IT IS NOT DOING ANYTHING AT ALL!

It hasn’t said anything about the Tioman Marina Project (which is now destroying one of Tioman’s good dive sites), it hasn’t issued any statement to correct the UK press about the action taken by the local authorities against a local boatman that caused the death of a British open water student in Sabah. The only thing it has done was to organise a dive expo some years back. Yet it claims to be doing a lot with the Tourism Ministry and “other government agencies.” Which ones? It also claims to be THE AUTHORITY in setting standards for dive operators, instructors and DMs. What on earth for? If the instructors are not up to standard, complain to the respective IDC. I have seen an instructor who does shortcuts while teaching open water students..and he is one of the MSDA committee members. If this is the kind of standard MSDA wants to impose unto others, then they’d better forget it.

If you are just a limp cock new diver, you can’t join the association. You can only join if you are a resort owner, a dive shop operator, a scuba instructor or divemaster etc etc. But I see many instructors and divemasters who are not members of this association, nor do they know of its existence. The MSDA claims to have had an AGM last May. What was the outcome? Do we limp dick new divers know anything?

Is this an association only for the scuba diving “master race”? Is it still alive? And who does it really represent?

‘Kill shark’ says Australia scuba diving industry association director

Now this guy wants the authorities to hunt down this shark and kill it. Western Australian waters are teeming with sharks. Great whites, Bronze Whalers, Spinners…all of which are known to have attacked divers. Any shark that is 1.8m in length or longer have the potential to attack human beings. So? Your neighbour’s dog has killed more human beings in a year than all the sharks put together.

Okay, the culprit may be a Great White (Carcharodon carcharias), because it is the only known predator shark large enough to take on a diver. But which one? There may be tens of Great Whites off the coast of Western Australia. Are they asking the authorities to kill every single Great White until the right one is found? Grow up, guys! The number one rule of swimming or diving is, never enter water where attacks are known to have taken place. Especially if there are large predatory sharks around. Just because you are a diver, and you want to feel safe in the domain of the marine life, you kill marine life. You might as well nuke the ocean and go diving!

For the call to be made by the divers’ association head….is so totally un-on.

I just hope the Malaysian Scuba Diving Association isn’t like that. Oh, coming to MSDA, the office in Sri Hartamas is never open. Hmm…maybe I should write another thread on that.