Colin - my sincere condolences.
Most of my diving is tech (overhead and decompression). In general - I don't trust anybody. When getting fills - if possible - I take in the appearance of the shop (is it neat, organized, does the compressor look well maintained, do they have analysis certificates available for inspection.) I'm concerned not just about CO - but any sort of hydrocarbon contamination of my O2 clean cylinders. And even if everything looks great - I still always analyze my breathing gas - for O2 and CO. Every time.
SCUBA is a self-regulated industry. Unlike aviation - which is highly regulated and operates under the supervision of the FAA and in the case of accidents / incidents the NTSB - SCUBA relies on agencies that have the general purpose of promoting the sport. Promoting the sport implies attention to safety (dead divers hurt business) but it is also involved with making a profit. I don't believe that PADI - or any other For Profit diving organization can be expected to guard the public trust to the same degree as we might see in more regulated areas - because they have multiple - and sometimes conflicting goals. Comparing my experiences as a pilot with my experiences as a diver - there is no question that one finds a great deal more variance in the quality of programs, instructors, facilites and equipment in diving. I'm not arguing for goverment regulation of scuba - but the variance of quality is a fact.
Regarding the Resort. Again - they are generally interested in a safe environment - but as a corporation - their primary goal is to make money for their shareholders. In the best case - in the opinion of their attorneys - they have performed their duty to provide a safe enough environment to limit their liabilty in the event of a lawsuit. (Not that that makes you safe - it just makes them safe.) In the worst case - they are negligent - and you end up chasing them through the courts to get a judgement.
Long story short - as a diver - you are engaging in a sport that could have potentially fatal consequences. You have a personal responsibility to ensure your own safety. And if you trust others to do so - you are doing this at your own peril.
Please don't take this as a judgement of your spouse. If she was a recreational diver - she probably recieved little or no training about the potential risks of CO contamination or how to analyze. Once again - I'm very sorry for you loss.
Bjorn Loftis
Most of my diving is tech (overhead and decompression). In general - I don't trust anybody. When getting fills - if possible - I take in the appearance of the shop (is it neat, organized, does the compressor look well maintained, do they have analysis certificates available for inspection.) I'm concerned not just about CO - but any sort of hydrocarbon contamination of my O2 clean cylinders. And even if everything looks great - I still always analyze my breathing gas - for O2 and CO. Every time.
SCUBA is a self-regulated industry. Unlike aviation - which is highly regulated and operates under the supervision of the FAA and in the case of accidents / incidents the NTSB - SCUBA relies on agencies that have the general purpose of promoting the sport. Promoting the sport implies attention to safety (dead divers hurt business) but it is also involved with making a profit. I don't believe that PADI - or any other For Profit diving organization can be expected to guard the public trust to the same degree as we might see in more regulated areas - because they have multiple - and sometimes conflicting goals. Comparing my experiences as a pilot with my experiences as a diver - there is no question that one finds a great deal more variance in the quality of programs, instructors, facilites and equipment in diving. I'm not arguing for goverment regulation of scuba - but the variance of quality is a fact.
Regarding the Resort. Again - they are generally interested in a safe environment - but as a corporation - their primary goal is to make money for their shareholders. In the best case - in the opinion of their attorneys - they have performed their duty to provide a safe enough environment to limit their liabilty in the event of a lawsuit. (Not that that makes you safe - it just makes them safe.) In the worst case - they are negligent - and you end up chasing them through the courts to get a judgement.
Long story short - as a diver - you are engaging in a sport that could have potentially fatal consequences. You have a personal responsibility to ensure your own safety. And if you trust others to do so - you are doing this at your own peril.
Please don't take this as a judgement of your spouse. If she was a recreational diver - she probably recieved little or no training about the potential risks of CO contamination or how to analyze. Once again - I'm very sorry for you loss.
Bjorn Loftis
