I do not understand this thread, the deceased was not SCUBA diving?
It is always a sad tragedy when we lose a life, unfulfilled possibilities, loved ones left, not been without tragedies in my own life, none of us are without being touched. I just do not understand this "safety" thinking, it is like a obsession that all things should be safe and if it cannot be made safe (undefined) then some party, the government usually, should either make it safe or prevent the activity by making it illegal.
How many signs is enough, should we close everything, fence the world off? Or live with the possibility that that there are no guarantees in anything we do and part of an authentic experience is in fact an element of danger. Thus, for SCUBA, we train for that possibility or should. People enroll in additional courses, rescue, technical, dive with mentors to improve their skills. But still we lose divers, outlaw diving?
Drownings exclusive of SCUBA, look, everyone thinks they can swim, some few can but most people including most SCUBA divers are basically non-swimmers. Putting up signs on a beach is not going to deter such a person from venturing into the water because they think they can do it. And most times they get away with it. Sometimes they drown.
SCUBA, how many people, on this board, actually train to dive? By that I mean water work, drills but equally important, physical fitness. Developing a core fitness to draw upon in an emergency. Like being caught in a current, or an injured buddy that needs assistance from you? Swimming, cycling, running, lifting weights, yoga, whatever, a combination of fitness activities that build a core fitness and reserve are important to SCUBA but I see little evidence that the average SCUBA diver does anything. Divers over 50, did you get a stress test? Do we watch our weight, try to stay on BMI?
SCUBA is really easy as activities go, or at least can be and usually is. But, it can also be very dangerous and require significant core fitness and training. I see a lot of divers with a case full of cert cards but I rarely see the fitness level that should be needed to back those cards up. And then that diver might bite off more than can chew on a dive that would be a challenge for them on a good day but it is not a good day, it is a bad day and they do not make it. So, oh, yeah, let's just close off the beach, close off the dive site, dynamite the cave entrance, fence it of, ban the sport. Or be responsible.
N