My favorite was the demanded apology.
For the record, here's a post of mine back in January, pretty much the last time this thread was active. I was talking to Blackthunda:
I understand that you, a self-professed "noob," read my post to be accusational or krass - sorry you feel that way.
This isn't personal - I'm not faulting you for any of it - and that you called it a "license" is only one of about a dozen red flags... Simply put, the information you gave us has obviously come from a really "off" source, and something doesn't smell right, and I'm letting you know.
If you want to ignore my advice, that's fine - but I'm giving you the straight skinny that if someone has offered you anything like you've reiterated here, there's something really wrong.
Here, I'll put it to you this way... This woman's implication, apparently, was that she needed volunteer divers to do some work for her or her company, and that she'd be willing to trade some training and a C-card or two for that work. Why would she do this? What, is there like a shortage of divers in South Florida? Why wouldn't she waltz in to any dive shop down there and ask people to join her to do this "coral polyup harvest" instead of taking a complete noob and having to train him first so that he can then do the same thing? I mean, all she'd have to do is run an ad in the paper that says, "Divers - help the environment - we need you... Show up on this date at this location, and we'll show you how you can help." A million South Floridians would show up, and maybe some vacationers, too. Why would anyone approach a fish club and offer to give free C-cards (for $300) to anyone willing to pluck polyups? It just doesn't make any sense. Red flag, man.
Bad juju... Run away. I don't know what the deal is, but there's something really wrong with what you told us.
I said nothing rude. Nothing personal. Eventually, I got tired of trying to convince Blackthunda, who got his panties in a wad in a hurry... And so I said, "Okay, fine. Call the AAUS," and left the thread.
Four months later it's resurrected by someone completely unrelated and insulting, and I get jumped by two others who declare that the program is authentic, that the school is authentic and that the club is authentic... And proceed to make this very personal and call me names and insult me, specifically, and you, tgreene, inadvertently. I am demanded to apologize.
...Which I do. A second time - same as what I said way back in January. If I seem rude, krass, or curt - or if my attitude offends you, then I'm sorry... But that still doesn't mean that the AAUS is giving out free scientific diver certifications to the nondiving public if they promise to remove coral frags from the ocean. There's still a problem with the concept, they just don't want to hear it.
If my delivery is too abrupt, then for that I apologize - but this isn't about me and this isn't about some sort of personality characteristic or psychoanalysis or who's acting like an ***. This is about what was said, and it simply isn't correct... Even if the "lady" really does exist.
Another quote of mine from last January, when this thread was active:
Look - you said in your above post that you were "asking for advice on how to start." Therein lies another red flag... If you were offered a free C-card, why would you ask us how to start? If you were really offered a free C-card, then you'd have said, "I am starting my dive classes, and I'm excited," not, "How do I get into diving?"
And another:
If you're really looking for answers on how to start scuba diving, then cool - find a reputable dive shop near you and attend class. In an above post, Speckled Grouper had a personal experience with one right in your home town, and highly recommended them to you, right down to the instructor's name. But if you want to ignore his advice, then you are welcome to do your own research - open the phone book or internet search engine of choice. Locate dive shops local to you. Visit a few of them and get a "feel" for the shop. Explore prices on your first "certification." Typical prices should start around $300, depending on what's included. If you're in South Florida, my bet is that there's at least six shops within a 30 minute drive. Here's a good place to start: http://www.browniedive.com/dealers/...s.shtml#florida
Hope that helps.
Interestingly, I said the same thing then that I did yesterday when I said, "What I meant to say was to contact Cody Gardner at Brownie's..."
So yeah, I did answer the question, and I did offer constructive advice, even though I was immediately met with a very defensive attitude that told me "Okay, first you need to calm down."
It was that attitude that made me a little less polite, and eventually I just stopped talking to the guy.
The whole thread should have been left in the back room somewhere... It was an obvious troll, now that I reread it... Who asks where to get certified if they were just offered a free certification?
