Oztek 99

[Huntzinger, Hugh A [AMSTA-AR-CCL-B]]

Back on Thursday, April 22, Bob wrote:

>
>>Jim Bowden;
>
>He was flamed by a former subscriber to Scuba-L for 'recklessness'
>and 'strokery' . The supreme irony and sadness is that according to
>100% reliable sources, the flamer died in a cave dive a few days ago,
>without having attempted anything extraordinary.

Who was this?

-hh

[Mike Wallace]

Mike's entire life was extraordinary. And Bob you can kiss my ass.

Mike

[Reef Fish (Large Nassau Grouper)]

Mike, were YOU involved in the cave accident? I was merely
commenting on Strike's report about various luminaries in Oztex.
I think I know why Hugh is bringing this up -- weeks later after
my posting on Apr 22 -- PROBABLY with the pure motive of baiting
you to make the kind of remark that is uncharacteristic of you,
and completely out of context.

Before getting to your remark, let's see more of the context of
my posting:

>Thu, 22 Apr 1999 19:41:52 +1000 Strike wrote
>
>>Today (Thursday) was the first day of a two-day International TDI Conference
>>to be followed - on Saturday and Sunday - by a two-day open Technologies
>>conference and rebreather forum, both of which are being held at Sydney's
>>National Maritime Museum, in Darling Harbour.
>
>Sounds like quite a techie pow-wow.
>
>>Featured speakers include; Brett Gilliam;
>
>He can still afford a plane ticket to Sidney after the Uwatec case? :-)
>Was the ticket one-way? :-))

>
>>Jim Bowden;
>
>He was flamed by a former subscriber to Scuba-L for 'recklessness'
>and 'strokery' . The supreme irony and sadness is that according to
>100% reliable sources, the flamer died in a cave dive a few days ago,
>without having attempted anything extraordinary.
>

>>Ann Kristovich;
>
>Read much about her in her role as member of the support teams in
>Sheck Exley's and Jim Bowdens record deep cave dives, and her
>own depth records in scuba diving.
>
>>Richard Pyle;
>
>Quite a legend in his recovery from a severe case of DCS, and continued
>diving routinely below 200 or 300 fsw on air (until relatively recently
>switched
>to rebreathers) in search of new marine species. I was the unsuccessful
>match-maker to consumate the mutual wishes of him and Dr. Dan Manion
>to be on the same "Deep Diving" discussion panel at DEMA in 1995. He
>must have been there primarily in the rebreather pow-wow.
>
>> and a cast of other diving luminaries! :-)
>
>Indeed. The hotel would not have needed any lights. :-)

So, my remark was EXACTLY as I stated, in the context of the above
"deep diving" panelists, that Mike Wixson's death was a case of

SUPREME IRONY and SADNESS

I did not mention Mike then; I did not mention the posting in Cavers'
list in which his death was flamed by George Irvine and others. I did
not know WHO his two buddies were; only the rescuers who found his
body. I knew you were his buddy on some dives but did not know (and
still don't) whether you were involved in that accident or not.

I learned about the tragedy from Jeff who learned it from Mike's
mother (because Jeff worked with her) and that's why I said the
sources were 100% reliable.

Because I didn't know whether you were involved or not, I even made
it a point that I wasn't going to ask you about the tragedy because
if you knew about it and you wanted to talk about it, you know whom
you could talk to, even if you don't want to talk about it on the
LIST.

It remained that way from April 22 to now. Not another word from
ME about Mike's incident. Not another word between me and Jeff about
it. Not a question from me to you or anyone else about that
incident. Why? Because it's not MY or anyone else's business
what Mike Wixson did, as it was not MY or anyone else's business
what Jim Bowden did. It was, to me, nothing but

SUPREME IRONY and SADNESS

that it happened.

NOW let's get back to your post:

>>Mike's entire life was extraordinary. And Bob you can kiss my ass.
>>
>>Mike

I still consider you my friend, Mike.

Your response left me no option but to explain what those 4 lines
I said about Jim Bowden was about. If was all my NON-JUDGMENTAL
commentary about "deep diving" and "deep divers".

If you want to know WHY I thought Hugh was out here to bait just
the kind of remark from YOU or anyone else, just go to DejaNews
and read the THREAD in rec.scuba about "diving below 130+ ft" --
which was intended (by me) to have been a SINGLE POST BY ME (in
response to a series of postings by WKPP parrots) about SELF
RESPONSIBILITY, the identical theme I used here on the Jim
Bowden flame thread in which you participated (though only
very briefly). My post was dragged out into an extended
thread by others, the least expected of whom was Hugh.

I have said MY PART. If you want to tell us about the incident,
or Mike Wixson's extraordinary life, fine. If not, that is also fine.

Your emotional response about your former buddy to a statement
pulled out of context by Hugh is understandable.

Now that Hugh has his answer: Mike Wixson;

And you have my answer: the context and history;

I suggest we just drop it or take it PRIVATE. It was NOT a theme
in Oztek 99 nor any new thread on this LIST.

Of course anyone can choose to start a new flamewar, or continue
some old ones. But I'll not be here to participate. Furthermore,
I STRONGLY SUGGEST anyone who is inclined to do so to FIRST go back
to the Jim Bowden thread in Scuba-L, then the current rec.scuba thread,

Dive Fatality statistics (was: Re: 130'+ on compressed air)

and several older flamewars on the same theme in both groups (all
easily retrievable via POWER SEARCH in DejaNews).

MUCH bandwidth and acrimony would be saved that way.

-- Bob.

[Kuty]

I was sorry to hear about Mike Wixon's death.

Like always, when I hear about a diving accident, it touches a nerve. If
someone on the list knows his family, please tell them that there is
someone in Israel who is sorry for their loss and sends his condolences.

Can someone tell us about the accident. I think that there is always
something to be learned from a diving accident.

With best regards,

Kuty

[Don Ward]

I too am sorry to hear about Mike's death. I know that Mike Wallace was a
friend and my condolences to him for the loss of a friend and to the family
of Mike Wixson. It is alway very sad to learn of the death of a fellow
diver and seems this time to be especially so since he was for a time a
member of this list.

The good cheer he brought to this list will be missed.

Dive safe all,

/Don

[David Strike]

At 09:43 AM 4/05/99 -0600, Don Ward wrote:
>I too am sorry to hear about Mike's death. I know that Mike Wallace was a
>friend and my condolences to him for the loss of a friend and to the family
>of Mike Wixson.

Words are very clumsy tools to describe the feelings of the heart or to do
justice to a life, but I'd like to echo Don's comments.

The death of close friends leaves those that remain the poorer for their
loss - but the richer for having known that person and shared in some of
their life experiences.

> It is alway very sad to learn of the death of a fellow
>diver and seems this time to be especially so since he was for a time a
>member of this list.

>The good cheer he brought to this list will be missed.

Strike
"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - Dylan Thomas