The Argonauts John or Jean Francois ???????

[arcFlash]

I went to your profile and re-read all 25 of your posts to see where your coming from. I understand now, you just have a chip on your shoulder for some reason. That's cool. This is a forum so sharing stories is a major part of that, you keep all your dives secret. That's fine but don't call people out for not knowing your 'story'. On the upside, you finally found a voice and got to posting so maybe we will learn about your diving after all.

[Deltaforce]

Wow.  I could have saved you a bunch of time -- my posts are not that interesting.

No chip on my shoulder -- but I had to set the record straight on the great job the LDS's do on their summer diving programs, which were being dissed by those that did not take the time to find out the facts.

I try to add comments regarding my experience where I think it is helpful (if you read my posts, you've seen that regarding the St. Cloud Quarries, Green Lake, etc.).  I've had lots of diving experiences worldwide in many different types of environments.  I just don't feel the need to drone on about 30+ years worth of diving that may (or may not) be that interesting to anyone else. 

If I offended you, I apologize for that.  But it is important to realize that there is no "right" way to enjoy diving.  That was my only point.

I'm off to the lake.

[jasondbaker]

NAUI could make you do your certification dives with your hands tied behind your back but that has little to do with making someone a better diver.  Frankly, the quality of dive instruction has more to do with the instructor (and shop) than the certifying agency.  I would contend that the certification agency makes no difference to the 99% of divers which end up doing a 2-tank resort dive once a year.  And for the rest of us, the OW certification process simply provides the first opportunity to get wet.  Once you start diving regularly the real training starts. And nobody offers a c-card for that.

[arcFlash]

I don't know about that.  8) Those Navy Diver training video's show some serious $---! If training with tied hands doesn't make you a better diver it's news to them. If it's all about instructors, I don't want a Navy trainer teaching Padi. If they did MN would only have 6 divers and 3 would have a black eye.

 

USDiver: Tell me why your wearing a Kirby helmet in your avitar?

[ballfrog]

I am with you on that Grumpie. Sometimes when the viz is bad, its whether or not something feels like its man made. I have so much Aquaseal on the fingertips of my 7mm gloves that I can't even feel much with them. Cant wait for warmer water to get out and do some muck diving barehanded.

I prefer nitrile gloves for digging in the muck.  The string-dipped kind.  Not only are they a fraction of the cost of neoprene gloves, they last longer and provide a little protection from sharp things while allowing for good feeling and grip.

[Deltaforce]

It's called drown-proofing and actually you have your hands tied behind you and feet tied together.  You get to bob up and down in 12 feet of water for 20 minutes, then swim two lengths of the pool in that particular configuration.  I'm not sure it makes you a better diver, but it does give you some survival skills in case you escape enemy capture and have to jump overboard.

AF -- long ago in a galaxy far away I was checked out in the KM hat as part of my Oceanography coursework at the Florida Institute of Technology.

[Shooter]

NAUI could make you do your certification dives with your hands tied behind your back but that has little to do with making someone a better diver. 

[/quote]

The rigorous training I exp. in NAUI, part was actually entanglement of hands did make me a better diver. When i was doing a solo boat dive i would clip my gear off on the side of the boat. this time i was wearing my drysuit and I forgot to unhook my drysuit inflater. as i tried to slip out of my backplate, the inflater hose actually pinned my arm behind my back while holding my face underwater. after a minor thrashing freak out  :-[ , i got my reg in my mouth and freed myself.(glad i had a long hose!) I attribute that recovery to my training having exp it before

PS no pass for terry  >. no quarter asked, none given ;D

[MCS]

Just curious, when did the Argonauts begin teaching PADI classes? When I first met Jean (pre Argonauts) Jean did not have much good to say about PADI, when JW came on the scene he was not an instructor.

As far as shops go, Jeans original shop on Snelling Ave was not filled with artifacts. At that time Jean was quite adamant against artifact collecting. I cannot say about his new shop as I was only over there a few times and do not remember.

[Terry]

PS no pass for terry  >. no quarter asked, none given ;D
[/quote]

                        Nate buddy, curious what bs are you spewing/referring to now?

                                 MCS, I got a PADI cert. from JW in Dec. of 1981, the certs. I got from Jean were either NAUI or CMAS. I agree he didn't think much of PADI.  Aubineaus shop on  University Ave one black east of Lexington WAS full of stuff, now to refer to that stuff as "artifacts" might mean it had some value, not sure about that part, mostly old nets, anchors, lures, floats, a old single man decompression "coffin" old wooden oars, old outboard motors,,,,,, a set of old brass guages was the only thing I recall that may have had any value. Those hung on the wall of his office and could of been anything from anywhere. I remember the first time I saw his shop on Univ. I was already certified, and found it interesting to just wander about and see all the different stuff, thats what my original post here was about. Kind of miss that in todays shops, as it got me more psyched about diving even in a local mudhole (like yesterday on the islands of the west side on Minnetonka with Steve and Young Joe in 4' of vis.) was that you MIGHT find something really neat, and that still gets me fired up to go diving, more then 30 years later.

[MCS]

I remember when he got the chamber, had big dreams of being able to offer recompression services. I guess the lawyers & insurance companies talked him out of it (to much liability).

The MN School of Diving in Brainerd has a bit of character, I agree the twin cities shops are lacking / could do more to promote local diving.

When artifacts were mentioned I assumed stuff from Wrecks.