Vintage Double Hose

I have NO stake in the NAVED process other than providing the space and making the cards for you guys. A couple of people have E-mailed asking when and how do we appoint/elect/designate divers to lead the NAVED group. As far as I know Nemrod, JES, Rob, Tom etc all kinda just got stuck with it cause they were there at the beginning. I would like to open the floor to discussion to divers that have suggestions on being future leaders of the NAVED group.......Or if you have a suggestion on someone you would like to nominate....

I nominate a mover and a shaker..............Allan the harness master as Prez.

I second that.

I think young Ron Sivonda with his enthusiasm and can do attitude would be a great addition. Allan is an obvious choice, Roger VanFranko, George Fee all good guys to have forwarding our efforts.....

First of all let me say that I am proud to be a member of NAVED, and feel fortunate as I believe we all should that this association does exist; irregardless of how large or small it may be. As for a new cabinet; I feel that all of the above statements apply and that those who have and are presently serving are doing a great job. I've always felt that proper recognition has been given to hard hat diving through such organizations as H.D.I. for example; but that there has never been that same recognition given to SCUBA diving. NAVED has changed all of that, and for that all of us should be proud. There is much we have already done to promote vintage diving and plenty more we can do. This in turn brings me to the one question that has bothered me for some time. HOW CAN I HELP? Unfortunately I do not have the time or finances to travel to many of the dive events and become involved in them like many of you do; but that does not lessen my interest in the growth of NAVED. I definitely want to see NAVED continue to grow and to continue to help preserve the history of vintage scuba diving. As for nominations of new cabinet members; here's just a few thoughts I've had. First of all I don't want to see any of the present cabinet members vacate their office for the sake of just replacing them. Again I feel that each of them have done a great job and that each of us should be greatful that they have served in this position. However; for whatever reason if we are to elect new NAVED cabinet members; how about if nominations are made for the different positions between now and The Portage Event. This will give nominee's time to accept or decline nominations and then a vote could take place this summer at Portage. For those who are not able to make Portage; their votes could be cast via the NAVED website. I make this suggestion mainly for a couple of reasons. First of all it will allow plenty of time for nominations, and for those nominated to either accept or decline that nomination. Second of all, and I feel this is important; it will provide a time at a dive event for those of us who are able to attend to actually attend a NAVED meeting as well. What better place than at Portage for The Legends of Diving weekend. Whether there are nominations, votes or not; I have always been surprised that at these events I have never been aware of any "official" NAVED meetings that were scheduled to take place. I feel that in the future if there were any announced NAVED meetings to take place at these events there would be many of us who would be interested in attending. Just my $.02 to let you know that I very much appreciate all that is done and provided by Bryan and everyone else who has served as members of NAVED, and all of the many services and products that you all provide. If I can be of any assistance please let me know. Terry

Actually I think Ron would be a great candidate as prez. He has a younger and fresher perspective on things and would, hopefully, spearhead a new direction in making NAVED a more well known name out there.

I also nominate myself as treasurer...please send all checks to me, and trust me...I'll take care of it

I have been thinking about the "Cabinet." I think that there is a need for only a President and some support people. For example.... President, Vp and say 2 advisors or whatever. There is at this time no need for a Sgt at Arms, treasurer, etc. I have been the treasurer for the whole time with NAVED and there is no money to Treasure. Up to date 90% of the costs that NAVED has had have been paid for by BRyan at VDH since there are no dues with NAVED. I like the fact that NAVED has no dues and feel that if possible we should continue that way as long as we can pay for expenses with donations as we have to date. If the time comes where these positions are needed then the President Allan can call for it. Just my 2 rupes.

I think that whatever the leadership decides is fine. If you guys (meaning the majority) want someone like me to help, just tell me how. If you want me to help those already on the board or any newly appointed guys, then I will do that as well. Whatever happens, the organization needs to grow larger instead of smaller, and preserve the history of diving. If you want me to serve as an officer, than I will do my best to agressively pursue our interests, once we clearly define them.

In the interest of being honest, this is how I feel about growing NAVED:

-Targeting younger people. I'm open for suggestions on this one.

-Emphasizing our experience. People want to learn from us and join us because we are GOOD, not just because we dive vintage gear (although it helps).

-Hosting lots of local events and creating some sort of listing of contacts for local divers that will buddy up with newer divers and mentor them. We can organize this like a guerrilla group, with each local guy serving as a chapter or regional guy.

-Leveraging our buying power (group buys of boat charters and equipment, for example).

-Creating a comprehensive FAQ online. It could debunk the myths. Lots of people on other boards think that if you do not have a BC on that you will plummet into the abyss. Some pictures, articles, and videos will help with this.

-Outlining vintage friendly shops in a sticky, complete with points of contact and phone numbers. Conversely, we should create a blacklist, composed of shops that do not support our style of diving. We could list stuff for fills, VIPs, gear repair, etc.

-Starting a skills campaign. Make people interested in vintage diving as a style, not just as a regulator or a tank pack. You know, that kind of "wind in your hair" crap that motorcycle clubs use all the time

-Targeting the "eclectic" or "minimalist" diver. Those guys do not have a niche, why not let them fall in with us? Even if their gear is not quite vintage, their skills are. ZKY (Eric) is a prime example of this. He has quite a following out west.

-We should have a thread or meeting outlining what we stand for as a group. We could be all democratic about it and vote, all members could have a say. Anyone not in the NAVED on the forum that wants a say can pay their money, get a card, and have their say. That way, when people ask us what the NAVED is, or what we do, we can tell them.

Some of you probably do not like some of the things that I am interested in promoting, but in the interest of fairness you should at least know my agenda if you are going to decide if you want me to serve on any board or not. Either way, just let me know. Also, I am not saying that any of this would make us any better than we already are. It cannot hurt to try though, and my First Sergeant used to tell me that it is better to get reeled into the plane that kicked out of it.

I STILL endorse Ron. And you should too...want to know why? Just look below at my signature.

You should trust Douchebag, I hear he has an Omega Planet Ocean....

BTW, you know you are among a unique group when you are referred to as a "young man" and you are 30

You have a lot of great ideas Ron and a lot you can add to the group. Keep it off afterburner for a while and I see lots of good things for all of us......Who knows, perhaps you could even get Mr. Douchbag HIS OWN NAVED card

No worries, I am interested if you guys want. Other than that I'm just a diver, I don't need to drive the bus.

Well if my taskmaster would ever let me up maybe I could snap a shot and apply!

I second the motion for Ron as President. I like your enthusiasm in regards to NAVED, and it sounds as if you and I share the same opinion when it comes to preserving the history of the double hose regulator and vintage scuba diving. I appreciate that you took the time to "spell out" for all of us what your opinions and ideas of direction are for NAVED. Please let me know if I can be of any help. I also feel that Allan is also an excellent nomination made by Rob and seconded by Luis; looks like a WIN / WIN situation for NAVED. Terry

But Nemrod & I always knew that if we ever had any money you would have managed it perfectly.