Why, oh why?

[Linus]

On a serious note here, for the first time in looooong while...

In case anyone is new to this forum or for any other missed the story so far, here we go again...

Seriously considdering (Aaah, f**k! How do you spell that...) to opt for a career as a professional diver, I'd really like to hear what made all you gentlemen do it, if you did. Or why you didn't, if you decided not to. Is this getting confusing?


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[TacticalRifleBKH]

Linus, I have been a commercial diver in the oilfields since I got out of the military. I have been lucky enough to have a small consulting operation turn into a reasonably profitable operation. Even before I was on my own my, family owned a commercial diving operation in Florida. Unfortunately for independant organizations in the mid 80's it didn't survive the crash of the petro chem industry... I've seen quite a few fellas get into hardhat diving because they loved scuba diving, and then wash out shortly thereafter cause they realize they are diving in a cold blacked out environment. The only reason that I have stuck with it for so long is that is has proven financially lucrative, and I have been lucky enough to develop some great contacts in the industry, and some great friends overall...Just for the record I am a scuba diver as well, I mostly stick to caves and wrecks, the only reason I ever go diving at resorts is to look at the women, lol, I am definitely not interested in the reef... I think it applies here just like the SEALs say, "The only easy day, Was yesterday"... I finished up an easy eight day job in shallow water just this morning, and it is amazing at how much my dam bones hurt... Like I said, the only reason I do it is for the money.... Thanks.......Bruce

PS- I apologize that my profile didn't say much to you, I am not bd from the divenet, just TacrifleBKH....your sense of humor is kind of off, lol, I thought mine was dark...I wasn't trying to flame you on the snipernet, hope you didn't take offense...I have developed an avid interest in snipercraft and have the opportunity to shoot several L/E and Mil comps, I know that to those people I am an outsider, and that is probbly despised, but I'm just trying to get the best possible info and resources to make the best go I can at the comps this year and for those upcoming....I can however talk all the diving you want...Thanks, hope to hear from you............Bruce

[Linus]

Thanx Tacrifle!

That was a great reply! And regarding the SNIPERNET issue, don't worry: I know humor when I see it! I'm just glad you find that pic so amusing, you're more than welcome.

About diving:
I spent the better part of sunday hovering above the wreck of an old frigate that was sunk in 1719. Big-ass cannons everywhere and this amazing flask shimmering in pink and purple! Sounds like a fantasy, right? Well, sure, it was great but it's not what I like best about diving. What I'm getting at is that some divers are "wrekkies", others are extatic when diving in sea-food soup and some yet are pure cocktail divers. I represent a fourth variant, who don't much care one way or another what the circumstances are but rather focus on what you do under water. I do UW nav just for fun, I love S/R, I stomp the bottom to get the "right" conditions for executing a tactile search! You can do all these thing on dry land, you might argue, but that's just the point: I like being under water! I'm not much of a sports fan but if I could play soccer under water, I would! I invent as many excuses I can to go below and when I'm there I want something to do. So is it any wonder I'm starting to think maybe I should check out the possibilities to do this for a living?

Of course environmental factors and circumstances play a huge part in all this, I'm not denying that, but when my buddies say "Nah, it's been blowing too hard, visibilty will be way down." I go "So? There'll be all that wet stuff all around!"

And when I don't do that, I crawl on my belly through the woods dressed like Chewbacca and tell people they're dead 'cause I can see 'em through my scope. I need a psychologist ASAP...

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Honestas supra omnis

[This message has been edited by Linus (edited 02-21-2001).]

[bd]

Tactical-

Damn dude, we even share the same name. Scary. ;-)


Linus,

Did you get my email I forwarded from Tim on commercial diving?


Take care, my friends,

BD

[TacticalRifleBKH]

Nope, you don't need a shrink, what you described sounds almost exactly like me. Due mostly because I got my start in L/E diving from conducting U/W zero visibility Nav courses to Police SCUBA divers. Then when something difficult, like a conductor pipe penetration in the industrial canal behind the projects to retrieve some crack mother's baby that was placed in the culvert (because she thought it was a safe place out of the rain) while she went to go blow the dope man for her rock, and the child got washed a hundred feet or so back to the trash screen they began calling me. Eventually it turned into something that happened more and more, not always with a body to retrieve, but sometimes for retrieval of evidence, or just extrication of an automobile that the thieves decided to abandon in the canal when it was dry, and now it had become a hazardous obstruction. I guess in a way it would be a love/passion for the water, I have grown up around the water, have always been better in the water than most people, and maybe this sounds stupid, but believe that the water is the primary giver of life for this world we live in, and respect it in the same aspect. I guess it could be construed more like a sado massochistic obsession with the water.. I get bombarded all the time from my buddies that would never consider scuba diving ( most commercial divers are that way) dogging me because I put on a bottle and go blow bubbles. And likewise I get shit from all the hard core tek divers who try and make a rebuttal because hardhat divers have an umbillical to the surface. But screw it I do what I do because I like what I do, and because I am pretty good at it. I am in the process now of trying to find 4 semi closed circuit air/ mixed gas rebreathers to take our night nav courses to a higher level. Later......Bruce

[Linus]

bd;

Shit man, I've been getting tons of junkmail lately! I just hope hope I didn't clear out Tim's mail with the trash... No, I don't think so, I'd have noticed. And I didn't get anything new from you, at least not yet. Yeah, yeah, it's supposed to arrive right away, I know, but sometimes it will spin around on some server or another for days, even! If you can't reach me an the linus@bajen.com address, try linusmedia@hotmail.com which I check at least once a day. And while we're at it, I just finished checking the chances for governmental funding: No problem. Man, some things about Sweden are truly outstanding!


Tacrifle; I told you, didn't I? Anybody else around here named Bruce? http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/smile.gif

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[TacticalRifleBKH]

Cool, is knowing that another good diver is named Bruce...
Uncool, is throwing up in your hat at 300 feet on gas, and doing a ditch and don to clean it out....
Really Uncool, is the dive supervisor freaking out cause he hears your hat flood on the bitch box.....
Totally Uncool, is that supervisor aborting the dive, bringing you to surface, chewing your ass while doing the water stops, chewing your ass while the tenders are undressing you, and chewing your ass throughout the entire chamber ride, and making you work the deck during the rest of the dive at tender pay.......

Like I said Cool is knowing that it really is a small world.........Yup Linus you did mention that to me, Thanks Fellas, God Bless.......

[Linus]

Hello?

What happened, everybody just belly-upped or what?

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[Linus]

bd;

Any news, so far?

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[bd]

Linus,

You've got mail.

BD

[Linus]

Nope. I don't!

I don't know why, but for future reference use this address:

linusmedia@hotmail.com

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Honestas supra omnis