Is this for real?

[Turtle Diver]

This was posted in another thread:


I've got some bad news for you dude. In Hawaii it is now a U.S. Coast Guard mandate that you dive with, follow and follow the direction of a Professional Dive Leader (aka DM) on any paid dive from a commercial boat. Big Brother is making your safety the responsability of the dive boat operator now.



Has anybody heard anything about this?

 

[mrjimboalaska]

?????????????????

 

[justleesa]

News to me. Where did you hear it?

 

[rakkis]

i call shens

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

LoL Perfect!

-- Be a self sufficient diver....ditch that guide!!! On special for the next month, Divemaster classes $350.00 --

 

[okamiotoko2004]

I work with some Coast Guard here, I'll ask them if they know anything about it. Either way not sure how they will be able to enforce too much, they have a lot on their plate already.

 

[Turtle Diver]

News to me. Where did you hear it?

It came from this thread:


http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=186357&page=8


post #74


I wanted to check it out before I got all bent out of shape over it.

 

[friscuba]

Not sure if the guy is technically correct, but you could extrapolate the relatively recent settlement from a diver death last year on Oahu that that might be the case. Apparently a diver died and a Coast Guard representative(s) claimed that 8 divers per 1 leader was not enough supervision, hence the reason for the death. They said it could have been avoided by having more dive leaders in the water. At that point the defendant's lawyers recommended a settlement. I think the settlement was split between the rental gear manufacturer and the dive operator. I never did hear whether it was a teaching or straight diving situation.

In many parts of the state, 6 to 1 seems to be the norm for supervision.

 

[Cacia]

NO....
Blank them.

the Aquazone settlement?

that was screwy...I know PADI legal was buzzing about that case.

 

[friscuba]

That case pretty much hinged on a Coast Guard ... opinion. Wouldn't surprise me if that's what poster #74 in the particular thread was referring to.

Problem with the Coast Guard, every time there's a change in personnel, there's a change in the way the colregs are read, affects a lot of operators. Getting into giving opinions on how much supervision divers require shouldn't even be part of what they do... they should let the dive agencies and their insurance people hash that out.