Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin?

John Bantin · 3rd February 2006, 06:05

I was told about a thread here with this title so I thought I should introduce myself:

I was born in the middle of the 20th Century.
I started my career, cutting the throats of innocent young men who were merely doing the bidding of their own government. We quietly won that war while the Americans noisily lost another nearby.

I then lived through the '70s and '80s like King Farouk. I started as a glamour photographer for a well-known magazine, then became an advertising photographer, and even directed a few films in that famous suburb of Los Angeles. I met some very interesting people during this time and still see their names come up in credits and have even spent time with a guy who lives in a very big house in The Mall. (My son thought I was a rock n roll star!)

Lt.Commander David Sisman intriduced me to diving. He warned me that the Royal Navy recruited divers from among men who proved incompetent pushing mops. Nevertheless I got hooked. That was in the late '70s and I joined the BSAC in the mid-'80s.

My diving hero is Stan Waterman. I nearly have as many anecdotes as he does. When I recently witnessed a young diver telling him where he was going wrong he kindly replied, "Good for You!"

That is the only problem with diving.Tomorrow someone will try on a mask for the first time. They will see their first glimpse of the underwater world, and within a couple of years will be an expert who will tell YOU where you are going wrong.

Peter Readey introduced me to rebreathers. When I last met him, he remarked that few of our group (those who went 'technical' in early days) are still around. I count Bret Gilliam as a friend. We meet at least once a year and have dinner. He pays. Alas, Rob Palmer let the new divers get to him and he paid the price.

As Barry Kinsman (another successful flm director) said, He just gets fed up with having to convince boys fresh out of school that he is good enough to shoot their crappy idea for a commercial. I understand Ridley Scott felt the same way when he upped and walked from a pre-production meeting for a recent Guinness commercial.

Years ago I knew Claude Levec. He was one of Omar Bradley's adjutants. Alas, most people saw him just as a silly old man with lots of stories about the War. Old age is never kind.

So enjoy diving. Enjoy being an expert. Just remember that as you get older and more experienced you will apparently know less and less. I have a nine-year-old and a six-year-old who already think they know a lot more than all of us. I took my nine-year-old scuba-diving in the Maldives in January. After about half-an-hour she signalled up. We went to the surface, where she asked, "Can we go and make sandcastles now?"

Thanks for reading this rambling post. I just want to spend my life being on holiday. What is wrong with that? Remember Hugh Hefner has had a much better time than any of us. ...and he never used a rebreather!

silentscuba · 3rd February 2006, 06:45

Hi John- Welcome to Rebreather World and enjoy the site. It looks like you have had a colorful life so far. Tell us about your Rebreather and diving experiences and what your goals are.

Nick uk. · 3rd February 2006, 06:52

Good morning John, i've got my cup of tea now and am ready for some more.........

Welcome!

decoweenie · 3rd February 2006, 07:25

What an introduction...

I have been reading your articles and reviews for years, so glad to see that the man behind them has a good sense of humor as well.

You are right, I agree that experience is a relative term but not sure if I am convinced about counting the years would be a good gauge.

Take someone who has been driving on empty country road between his farm and town for 50 years and new some young race driver, who is the better driver ?

Welcome to Rebreather World John!

MAD · 3rd February 2006, 08:52

Welcome on board John...

I know you are well known for keeping you views and opinions close to your chest... and really like to shy away from controversy... yeah right.

Happy days, if it was only the evening and I had a glass scotch in my hand.

Let the merriment commence.

btw... Most of us already know who that idiot is...

Seriously, good to have your input as always.

Mark

divetheworld · 3rd February 2006, 12:01

Hi John,

Nice to see you here on Rebreather World. We've corresponded before, hope to do so again.
I'm sure you will be a positive influence on the boards (if you have the time to visit!).

Brent.

Mdemon · 3rd February 2006, 12:07

Best intro I've read in ages!

You should do it for a living...

TheMacallan · 3rd February 2006, 16:16

.....just to explain to our non-UK members Johns part time job is staff writer for Diver Magazine..... and has been for many years.
He has a love or hate it style.

Go to
http://www.divernet.com/gear/dtst598.htm
for a 1998 view of the Inspiration

He was there at the start of the Inspiration so credit where credit is due.

I have never met him but apparently he is completely different from the magazine persona.

A complete "wind up" merchant so tread carefully.

shell-back · 3rd February 2006, 16:58

Quote:

I was born in the middle of the 20th Century.
I started my career, cutting the throats of innocent young men who were merely doing the bidding of their own government. We quietly won that war while the Americans noisily lost another nearby.

your old and proud ,

Quote:

"Good for You!"

Jim · 3rd February 2006, 18:09

Dear John (ahem),

Welcome. Thank you for the insight .... far more interesting than most of the articles in Diver! If you could make more articles in said mag read like your post they would appeal far more to most on this site.

One point - the original post was down - I believe - to someone's response to your article/review on a rebreather (poss Evo) - considered flipant / even irresponsible in places. Most on this site take the safety record of CCR/SCR very seriously for obvious reasons - hence the strength of feeling. As a now member of Rebreather World we trust you will take such issues and your influence on some who know no better, a little more seriously.

Anyway, being a young (well mid 30's anyway) man, I look forward to having my throat slit .... lovely jubbly.

Yours patriotically ! (I have a lot of time for those who fought for Queen & Country).

3rd February 2006, 06:05	#1 (permalink)
John Bantin New Member Current Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Twickenham Posts: 22	Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? I was told about a thread here with this title so I thought I should introduce myself: I was born in the middle of the 20th Century. I started my career, cutting the throats of innocent young men who were merely doing the bidding of their own government. We quietly won that war while the Americans noisily lost another nearby. I then lived through the '70s and '80s like King Farouk. I started as a glamour photographer for a well-known magazine, then became an advertising photographer, and even directed a few films in that famous suburb of Los Angeles. I met some very interesting people during this time and still see their names come up in credits and have even spent time with a guy who lives in a very big house in The Mall. (My son thought I was a rock n roll star!) Lt.Commander David Sisman intriduced me to diving. He warned me that the Royal Navy recruited divers from among men who proved incompetent pushing mops. Nevertheless I got hooked. That was in the late '70s and I joined the BSAC in the mid-'80s. My diving hero is Stan Waterman. I nearly have as many anecdotes as he does. When I recently witnessed a young diver telling him where he was going wrong he kindly replied, "Good for You!" That is the only problem with diving.Tomorrow someone will try on a mask for the first time. They will see their first glimpse of the underwater world, and within a couple of years will be an expert who will tell YOU where you are going wrong. Peter Readey introduced me to rebreathers. When I last met him, he remarked that few of our group (those who went 'technical' in early days) are still around. I count Bret Gilliam as a friend. We meet at least once a year and have dinner. He pays. Alas, Rob Palmer let the new divers get to him and he paid the price. As Barry Kinsman (another successful flm director) said, He just gets fed up with having to convince boys fresh out of school that he is good enough to shoot their crappy idea for a commercial. I understand Ridley Scott felt the same way when he upped and walked from a pre-production meeting for a recent Guinness commercial. Years ago I knew Claude Levec. He was one of Omar Bradley's adjutants. Alas, most people saw him just as a silly old man with lots of stories about the War. Old age is never kind. So enjoy diving. Enjoy being an expert. Just remember that as you get older and more experienced you will apparently know less and less. I have a nine-year-old and a six-year-old who already think they know a lot more than all of us. I took my nine-year-old scuba-diving in the Maldives in January. After about half-an-hour she signalled up. We went to the surface, where she asked, "Can we go and make sandcastles now?" Thanks for reading this rambling post. I just want to spend my life being on holiday. What is wrong with that? Remember Hugh Hefner has had a much better time than any of us. ...and he never used a rebreather! Last edited by John Bantin : 3rd February 2006 at 06:11.
(Offline)

3rd February 2006, 06:45	#2 (permalink)
silentscuba rEvo CCR Driver Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss rEvo Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic rEvo Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mill Creek, WA USA Posts: 568	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? Hi John- Welcome to Rebreather World and enjoy the site. It looks like you have had a colorful life so far. Tell us about your Rebreather and diving experiences and what your goals are. __________________ Curt McNamee rEvo CCR Diver KISS CCR Diver www.silentscuba.com
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3rd February 2006, 06:52	#3 (permalink)
Nick uk. Made in England. Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Azimuth Other Rebreather/s: Azimuth Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Viale C.Colombo 75 Marina di Carrara. MS 54036 Italy Posts: 579	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? Good morning John, i've got my cup of tea now and am ready for some more......... Welcome! __________________ If it aint broke....don't fix it, and if it is.............well......get another one! divechief2000@hotmail.com
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3rd February 2006, 07:25	#4 (permalink)
decoweenie Crash Test Dummy Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cairo Posts: 5,510	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? What an introduction... I have been reading your articles and reviews for years, so glad to see that the man behind them has a good sense of humor as well. You are right, I agree that experience is a relative term but not sure if I am convinced about counting the years would be a good gauge. Take someone who has been driving on empty country road between his farm and town for 50 years and new some young race driver, who is the better driver ? Welcome to Rebreather World John! __________________ "...after a while you get bored offering advice to a bull that like to keep butting the fence with its head rather than walking through the open gate..." - Rebreather World PM
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3rd February 2006, 08:52	#5 (permalink)
MAD Rebreather World Writer Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Evolution Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Home Build Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Northampton Posts: 71	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? Welcome on board John... I know you are well known for keeping you views and opinions close to your chest... and really like to shy away from controversy... yeah right. Happy days, if it was only the evening and I had a glass scotch in my hand. Let the merriment commence. btw... Most of us already know who that idiot is... Seriously, good to have your input as always. Mark __________________ 1007 dives and finally I'm a novice... www.divejunkie.com
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3rd February 2006, 12:01	#6 (permalink)
divetheworld Dive porn pimp Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Classic Kiss Other CCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leeds, England Posts: 1,537	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? Hi John, Nice to see you here on Rebreather World. We've corresponded before, hope to do so again. I'm sure you will be a positive influence on the boards (if you have the time to visit!). Brent. __________________ Self praise is no reccomendation. Dont try to be a great man, just be a man and let history be the judge of you. CHECK OUT OUR INTERWEBS FOR CUSTOM REBREATHER UPGRADES *WWW.NARKEDAT90.CO.UK* *http://www.grpservices.com/pursuit/* Supporting Shearwater Research Products in Europe
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3rd February 2006, 12:07	#7 (permalink)
Mdemon SiegeEngine II Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Home Build Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SWUK Posts: 1,890	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? Best intro I've read in ages! You should do it for a living... __________________ www.southwestmafia.com It's as easy as abc; a) "Carry adequate bailout" b) "If in doubt, bail out" c) "Always know your PO2" If you find that hard, stick to crochet. "Once the agenda-monkeys and perfect-worlders have moved on, perhaps we can do some diving?"
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3rd February 2006, 16:16	#8 (permalink)
TheMacallan New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 45	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? .....just to explain to our non-UK members Johns part time job is staff writer for Diver Magazine..... and has been for many years. He has a love or hate it style. Go to http://www.divernet.com/gear/dtst598.htm for a 1998 view of the Inspiration He was there at the start of the Inspiration so credit where credit is due. I have never met him but apparently he is completely different from the magazine persona. A complete "wind up" merchant so tread carefully.
(Online)

3rd February 2006, 16:58	#9 (permalink)
shell-back I do all my own stunts Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Dolphin Ray Azimuth Other SCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Dolphin Ray Azimuth Other SCR Home Build Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: middle of US Posts: 481	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? Quote: I was born in the middle of the 20th Century. I started my career, cutting the throats of innocent young men who were merely doing the bidding of their own government. We quietly won that war while the Americans noisily lost another nearby. your old and proud , Quote: "Good for You!"
(Offline)

3rd February 2006, 18:09	#10 (permalink)
Jim Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Purley, UK Posts: 109	Re: Who the hell is that idiot John Bantin? Dear John (ahem), Welcome. Thank you for the insight .... far more interesting than most of the articles in Diver! If you could make more articles in said mag read like your post they would appeal far more to most on this site. One point - the original post was down - I believe - to someone's response to your article/review on a rebreather (poss Evo) - considered flipant / even irresponsible in places. Most on this site take the safety record of CCR/SCR very seriously for obvious reasons - hence the strength of feeling. As a now member of Rebreather World we trust you will take such issues and your influence on some who know no better, a little more seriously. Anyway, being a young (well mid 30's anyway) man, I look forward to having my throat slit .... lovely jubbly. Yours patriotically ! (I have a lot of time for those who fought for Queen & Country). __________________ Jimbo
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