Planning to go to Belize? Unsafe practices you should know know about addressed

[Jim Lapenta]

PADI cautions dive guides and tour operators: Belize needs dive and scuba safety policy - The San Pedro Sun News

While it is long overdue and does not go nearly far enough new divers should be aware of unsafe practices like those noted here.

Maybe with any luck they'll start yanking the certs of these centers and the instructors/guides and show they are actually committed to diver safety over profit. Then they can start to address Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and other places with such unprofessional and dangerous behavior.

I have another discussion going on here: https://www.facebook.com/james.lape...fset=0&total_comments=9&notif_t=share_comment

 

[Mike]

Good to hear but I thought nothing out of the ordinary ever went on at the Blue Hole and the safety record superceded any reason to have any concerns????

(PADI) sent out a strong letter regarding unsafe dive practices at the world renowned Belize’s Blue Hole. The letter, which was copied to the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), made reference to instances where newly certified or novice divers were taken to a depth of about 130 feet without deep diving training or experience, which violates the code of practice. The letter also reminded tour guides and operators that safety of diving clients and students is the first priority and responsibility.

Should an incident occur, your actions, while acting in the capacity of a dive professional and PADI Member, will be scrutinized. Violating the PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding, especially while supervising divers, may increase your liability. Further, depending upon the specific circumstances, this could also jeopardize your PADI membership,” states the letter.
According to the President of the San Pedro Tourist Guide Association, Phillip “Billy” Leslie, while the letter is strong and is viewed as a reminder, PADI members must adhere to the standards they have signed on to. “It is a strong reminder indicating that if we are engaged in such practices, that for safety purposes, we should discontinue it.

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Good for PADI for beginning this process with putting all the shops on notice that PADI is aware of what they are doing

 

[tracydr]

Interesting how the Belize organization tries to minimize the concern and also tries to explain that only " newly certified" divers shouldn't be taken down deep. At least,this is the way I took their statement.
" just to remind them to use good judgment when taking newly certified divers. These are divers who have only done four dives before going to the Blue Hole immediately following their certification or a new diver who has limited experience and definitely no deep diving like is the case at the Blue Hole. It’s a reminder to them to use best judgment,” Velsan explained.
She makes it sound as if a diver with 8-9 dives, or AOW would be perfectly fine to take on this dive. That's how I take this, anyway. And, was it a "strong" letter or a " reminder" letter?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It was bull crap. The instances are well documented. Real action would have been to yank dive center and instructor certs. It was a naughty naughty don't do such things letter. So weak the the govt. is looking at setting up standards and controls. And then politics will enter into it. Just what will happen in other areas until they grow some and put safety and proper training over profits.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mike]

It's a more positive step in the right direction than a negative one

 

[lostcajun]

It is important to note that there are many GREAT dive operations in Belize. Sea Sports, Belize Dive Services, and Frenchies as I have experienced them were very cautious with their divers. BUT that doesn't excuse any dive operation for carelessness.

 

[boulderjohn]

But when you read the article carefully, you see how really powerless PADI (or any agency) is in relation to this issue. In fact, even using the word "agency" is an issue. PADI annually reminds affiliated dive centers that it is not, in fact, an "agency" as the term is usually defined by law. That means that they have no authority over how the business is run. If the business wants to continue to run new students out to the Blue Hole, there is nothing PADI can do to prevent it. That, by the way, protects PADI as well. If someone dies because the operator followed unsafe practices, PADI cannot be sued because they have no control over those practices.

Thus, PADI can "remind" the agencies what safe practices are, but the only thing they can enforce (as the article says) is what happens during training dives. Once the diver is certified, they have no control whatsoever over what happens. If a dive operator wants to take new divers to 300 feet, there is nothing they can do about.

The people who can do something about it, however, are the people in Belize. Whether it is the government making a law or a cooperative of dive operators agreeing to abide by common standards, that is how something can be enforced. For example, in Australia a number of years ago, the Mike Ball dive operation violated its own policy by allowing a couple to dive without doing a checkout dive first. There was no law saying it had to be done--it was an advertised policy designed to promote safe diving. When the wife died, the operator had to pay a very hefty fine for violating their own policy. That is more than any scuba agency has the power to do.

 

[supergaijin]

This kind of wording annoys me. On one hand we have PADI's recommended depths for divers; on the other hand these may apply if... certain things happen.... or may not... I wish there could be something a lot plainer for operators taking divers as part of a commercial venture. Divers can do their own thing in their own backyard but vacationers are subjected to certain rules.

I personally do not see OW and AOW certs as an automatic license to dive to 'x' depth. A '9-dive diver' is not qualified to dive deeper than 60' IMO. However an argument could be made that guests require a 'Deep Diver Specialty' before guide pros intentionally take them to depths deeper than 100'- or at least something that requires them to show a level of maturity and understanding of the risks involved at depth.

“Although these dive tours may not be course training dives, they may still violate the intent of the PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding and may place insufficiently trained or inadequately equipped divers in harm’s way. .... Should an incident occur, your actions, while acting in the capacity of a dive professional and PADI Member, will be scrutinized. Violating the PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding, especially while supervising divers, may increase your liability. Further, depending upon the specific circumstances, this could also jeopardize your PADI membership,” states the letter.

 

[DevonDiver]

But when you read the article carefully, you see how really powerless PADI (or any agency) is in relation to this issue. In fact, even using the word "agency" is an issue. PADI annually reminds affiliated dive centers that it is not, in fact, an "agency" as the term is usually defined by law. That means that they have no authority over how the business is run

IMHO, that's PADI-apologist bullcr@p.

Yes, PADI don't have any formal authority on the business operations of a member dive center/instructor. However, they do have ABSOLUTE influence over the PADI membership status of those persons/businesses. They choose not to exert that influence through the membership agreement.

PADI membership standards, both for operations (IRRA) and individuals are very clear about adherence to Safe Diving Practices, professionalism and safety. Breaching those could (should) be clear grounds for QA and suspension/expulsion.

Would dangerous centers/pros change their behavior if they sincerely worried about losing their PADI member status? I think so. That's an influence.. and it could be applied; to improve dive safety.

The fact that so many centers/pros act without any regard for safe diving practices or customer safety is testimony to how impervious they feel from sanctions from PADI.

PADI only choose to apply QA (quality assurance) towards formal training courses. That covers their liability. They also choose not to apply QA towards non-training activities. That also protects them from liability... it's insulation against 'unnecessary' involvement.

However, when PADI take money from IRRA members to plaster 'PADI Dive Center/5* Center' etc all over premises, it should bring some accountability for quality assurance. It doesn't. PADI wants to deny that relationship ('non-agency')... fair enough.

Let's just not be disingenuous about understanding that this is a PADI business decision... and one that could easily be interpreted as deceptive by those divers who choose to dive with a PADI IRRA member and/or professional based upon the (false) perception that PADI is actively involved in ensuring safety and standards to non-training dives through that membership...

 

[Mike]

What can't be denied to be a positive aspect is that there is media coverage and official notice that all is not well at the Blue Hole in Belize. Something that some of us here on scubaboard have pointed out for years. Now there is one more piece of evidence out there for visitors of Belize to find and be made aware of and a wake up call not just to blindly trust their operator. Every item like this shames those doing it and shines a light on it.

The Belize Tourism Board has been officially made aware of the issue. A lot may depend on how serious they take this or not, only some time will ultimately tell about that.

Also to note positively is that this action was the result of PADI receiving several complaints about specific dive operators and blue hole diving incidents, so word is getting out about accountabity.

Further the president of the Belize Tourist Board said specifically that the notice from PADI demonstrates the need for "a dive policy to be put in place that will address how dive operators and guides must follow rules when engaging customers in high-risk activities."

These are all very positive steps in the right direction.

Hopefully it doesn't take a death to finally be the tipping point, and a death combined with US State dept general warnings about the dive industry of Belize and a PADI warning that is specific to the Blue Hole all can become what eventually creates a change within the country and ultimately saves the vacation, health or life of others.