Posted by Scott Napierkowski on March 19, 19100 at 16:41:25:
In Reply to: Re: Bill 13 and wreck preservation/who's diving - who's not? posted by steve on March 18, 19100 at 15:21:16:
I can't believe I'm actually responding to this drivel, but here goes...
Steve Abraitis PhD, I desire none of your "research", for sale or otherwise. The last thing I feel like doing is handing you $100.00 (or whatever you're charging these days) for a ream of paper filled with bogus Loran-C numbers. One of my longtime dive partners met you at Dobbins Landing a couple of years back and I subsequently phoned you out of curiosity after a list of local numbers you gave him didn't pan out. Your story of "silver coins on a Ohio beach" that you claim to find on regular basis and use to "finance your expeditions" is ludicrous. I have talked with several other wreck divers as well as a prominent dive charter Captain in Barcelona, New York and they all agree that on the subject of Great Lakes shipwrecks, you are not to be trusted. You have done a great disservice to new wreck divers by suckering them in with your extraordinary tales, third-hand knowledge (at best), and professorial tone. If you want to run around the Great Lakes with an inflatable tied to the roof of your car and talk diving with the unwitting, fine. That's your business. Just don't try to make it mine, deal?
As far as your red "mystery truck" is concerned, the only diver I know of that drives such a truck is divemaster Bill Allen and he's been diving Lake Erie wrecks for over 20 years. His knowledge and ethics are never called into question. I should know - I've been diving with him for the last 8 seasons and I've NEVER known him to remove anything from a wreck other than someone's lost weight belt or knife. WE KNOW who's doing the damage in our area Steve, so you can take your "red truck" stories and assault allegations elsewhere, thank you very much.
Regards,
Scott Napierkowski
Erie, PA
divehead@juno.com