FBI Advises Dive Schools To Watch For Unusual Students

[LeighAnn]

Source: Tampa Tribune

-snip-

The FBI has sent a nationwide alert to scuba instructors to watch for a number of suspicious behaviors among diving students that the agency says could be signs of criminal activity.

Among the behaviors the FBI mentions are "odd inquiries" about diving in irregular areas - such as murky water or sewer pipes - or requests to learn advanced combat swimming skills such as how to use rebreathers and diver propulsion vehicles.

The FBI also advised instructors to be wary of applicants from countries where diving is an uncommon activity, as well as requests from religious organizations, cults, associations or charitable agencies "not normally associated with diving."

-snip-

Other actions mentioned in the FBI alert are customers asking to pay in cash for diving instruction and refusal or reluctance to provide personal information.

Read more: http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBXDCNXH3F.html

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[AlCzervik]

1. ok so if they don't want to learn how to surface someone call the FBI.

[MidwestTransplant]

2. LOL, or decompression tables.

[soothsayer]

3. here come the dolphins with explosives on them, the remote control attack toy planes,

and the crop dusters spraying anthrax. terra! t erra~! terra!

[EFerrari]

5. "Fa loves Pa!"

:rofl:

[depakid]

13. Classic!

[mitchum]

36. LOL!!!

[DBoon]

8. FBI says beware of sharks with lasers

nt

[Ex Lion Tamer]

21. "frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads"

Probably will be able to manage no better than sea bass.

[Tesha]

38. (nevermind, duplicate)

[Duer 157099]

4. Hmmm .. diving in sewer pipes? Really?

Yeah, a request like that might raise some eyebrows (one hopes).

[Frank Cannon]

20. Sewer scuba: Another of life's simple pleasures ruined...

by terrorists.

[DeSwiss]

6. The FBI has lost it....

..."...and religious organizations, cults, associations or charitable agencies "not normally associated with diving."

Well there goes Noahs Ark Baptist Church's application for diving classes for the Deacon's Board....

[Newsjock]

7. Wait a minute ... this one's a rerun

We already had the "al-Qaida scuba diver" scare back in 2002 ... and again in 2005. They're so short on fresh scare tactics that they have to recycle the old ones?

http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/Middle_East/WW3_REPORT__36-4_Jun_2002
June 2, 2002
With security beefed up on the Brooklyn Bridge roadway, officials invoked the threat of al-Qaeda scuba divers launching an underwater attack.

http://stopnewworldorder.tripod.com/stopnewworldorder/index.blog/1075979/alqaeda-threat-to-trafalgar-fleet
The Sunday Times - Britain
April 24, 2005
SECURITY chiefs fear Al-Qaeda terrorists trained as scuba divers could mount attacks against a royal review of the fleet being held to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar.

[DBoon]

9. was this the "beware of floating objects scare"?

nt

[frylock]

10. i'd love to see the list of religous orgs, cults, etc. that ARE normally associated with diving..

worshipers of Cthulhu perhaps?

[kath]

30. Oh, man, this thread just gets more and more hilarious!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Terra, terra, terra, fear, fear, fear, terra, terra, terra,.... and the beat goes on.

[opihimoimoi]

11. Errrrr....... 6 YEARS after 9/11....ALERT ALERT blah blah blah

[The_Casual_Observer]

12. Still trying to close that barn door eh FBI?

[19jet54]

14. More Government Rocket Scientist...

... the genius' missed 9/11, not they are looking for a spy under every rock? My guess is, they will make up some if they cannot find any. I'll bet their pay & bonuses are based on how many they find?

[knight_of_the_star]

15. Gotta give them some credit

It was the big boys in charge who dropped the ball there, the field agents were doing their jobs just being held up by the idiots in charge.

[19jet54]

33. Ok...

... 10% did their jobs, 90% didn't = Systemic Problems & Over-Reaction just make it worse overall?

[provis99]

16. what next? suspicious hot air ballooners?

[melody]

17. religious organizations, cults, associations "not normally associated with diving"?????

What the hell religious organizations or cults ARE "normally associated with diving"? The First Gospel Church of the Risen Frogman?
Our Lady of Lloyd Bridges? What a weird way to put it.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

19. How will this affect baptisms which involves submersion?

Will all those who have had their sins washed away be required to register with the FBI?

[VWolf]

24. LMAO!!!!

"Our Lady of Lloyd Bridges"

You kill me.

:rofl:

[pschoeb]

25. isn't there that religious book "The Porpoise Diving Life" ?

nt

[DBoon]

27. LOL!

nt

[mitchum]

37. LOL!!!

[pinniped]

18. Don't worry, these pinnipeds are on guard duty.

This harbor seal is guarding his rock.



These California sea lions are assigned to the Pier 39 detail.

[Thor_MN]

22. Here in Minnesota, 10,000 (+) lakes and all but a handful of places could be considered murky

Your typical Minnesota (and everywhere else) lake has stuff growing in it that limits visibility to under 15 feet. Most salt water divers would consider that murky, we consider it normal. Rebreathers and DPUs are no more related to combat than using a 4 wheel drive vehicle could be considered an advanced combat technique. One area of commercial diving would be diving in sewers, probably pays fairly well. Making a thousand toilets throw the water in the bowl onto the ceiling is messy, but not a very effective terra weapon...

Looks like the FBI felt that they needed to put out a reminder that they exist. "Hey Huey!! We stop any imaginary terraists this month yet? No? Damn. Not even one? Guess we need to run the SCUBA scare thing again..."

I wouldn't be surprised if someone gets shot just because they wanted to go blow some bubbles.

[ShortnFiery]

23. Great. More fear mongering from our illustrious "serve and protect" crowd in suits.

:eyes:

Here's a thought: Unusual? How about STUPID? That's how the FBI, et. al., is REPEATEDLY alienating solid good American Citizens within our Muslim Communities. Instead of recruiting "FBI Agents" who could actually work with these communities OR truly develop cases via covert actions, the Feds, INSTEAD, hire ex-cons low life characters within Muslim communities in order to make up stuff and feed young angry Muslim men information. It's the LAZY way that the FBI can announce, "See, we earn our paychecks!"

Yes, we'll be sure to stay alert and get all Fearful when actual COMPETENT LEADERS request that we be aware of something TRULY specific, with validated two sources before they go out frightening the American Public with amorphous scuba-clad boogiemen. :thumbsdown:

[grahamhgreen]

26. Don't forget to beware of "pen guns", as well

as Santa Clauses, homeless people, and women with baby carriages (yes, those were real 'terra alerts')...

[MisterP]

35. and pregnant women and people sweating in the summer

real Americans use Sharper Image personal climate control systems!!!

[gauguin57]

28. And if the diving students are carrying a cylinder of "patio gas"...

...well, just flunk them right there and then.

[Lance_Boyle]

29. rebreathers are for 'combat diving?'

Just about every dive shop offers rebreather instruction. What on Earth does the FBI think is particularly terroristic about rebreathers? I think the FBI's under pressure (oh yeah, pun intended) from the tank refill industry...

[kath]

31. OMFG, this whole thread needs to be nominated for the DUzies!

:rofl: :rofl:


haven't laughed so hard in quite a while...

[damntexdem]

32. Also, report anyone with green skin, gills, and a propulsive tail.

"I don't need those flippers -- my feet are webbed."

Gotta be careful with those undocumented aliens, after all. ;-)

[mikelgb]

34. should I burn my PADI cert?

[caligirl]

39. That won't work in Santa Cruz Ca. Home of different is the norm.

[noshenanigans]

40. Just like a water bottle taking down a plane...

that's one of those weird scenarios that would be tragic but I'd say "wow, kudos." Because that's pretty impressive to complete a terrorist attack with a Bond-like SCUBA dealie.

[Screwfly]

41. The FBI would be better off

tracking people who suspiciously ask where they download James Bond action scene music.

I mean, how can you have a giant underwater spear gun fight without these groovy tunes playing in the background.