SYDNEY, Australia (14 Nov 2006) -- PADI, a California-based diver certification, travel and sportswear company that lobbies against environmental and public safety regulations, has expressed strong opposition to recommendations by a Sydney coroner aimed at enhancing diver safety. The coroner's recommendations that Australia clamp down on the recreational diving industry followed the widely publicised death of a police officer who died while scuba diving with friends. PADI, which has recently utilised its Project Aware affiliate to impede government efforts to protect Australia's critically endangered nurse sharks, said there is no evidence additional regulations would help to enhance diver safety. "We're not necessarily sure that regulation would improve diver safety," said PADI spokesman Richard Evans. "That would be the issue - does regulation actually improve diver safety or doesn't it?" "It would be our view that 2299.3 as it stands provides that code of conduct," Evans added referring to section 2299.3 of the Australian and New Zealand Standard for Occupational Diving Operations. But CDNN Dive Safety Editor Luther Monroe said PADI's argument is ludicrous. | | "The bottom line is that PADI's 'less is more' approach to diver training is increasingly perceived as nothing more than 'less is less' and therefore detrimental to the safety of divers throughout the world," Monroe said. "The only way to find out if new regulations aimed at enhancing diver safety will actually achieve the desired result is to implement them," Monroe concluded. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKCDNN Related TopicsUnsafe at Any Depth: PADI Scuba Diver |
