Cozumel Diver Dies After 450 Foot Dive (confused initial reporting)

I would caution that this isn't necessarily "their story". Sometimes accounts get misinterpreted what with translations and the wrong people talking to the wrong people.

 

I'm not sure I've ever seen an early news story about a diving incident that didn't have a boatload of incorrect or missing information.

 

True. I would love to see what his widow said but would hate to ask even if I knew them.

Now I am wondering if they had him cremated there? My daughter has my written instructions on what to do & how when the time comes including direct cremation, unless I die traveling out of the US. Then I'd want DAN to return my body for a local autopsy regardless of any done there before cremation.

 

We are staying at Residencias Reef and heard the sirens nearby btwn 2-3pm on New Years Eve while we were in the pool after our AM dives. Next day in the Caleta, we heard that a diver’s body was recovered after the boat had searched for him for two hours. Diver - not swimmer - but no details on whether it was tech diving or regular single tank diving. Either way, many prayers of comfort for his family and friends.

 

They are referring to the Sand Dollar concrete pier located in the cliffs just north of Sunscape/Secrets/Residencias Reef. Not one in town.

 

Unless something is changed they have to take the body to the mainland for cremation. In 2013 that's how it was anyway. Also to move a deceased person that far they have to be embalmed first. My experience was that it can be done in about 24 hours. Since there is no temporary consulate office in San Miguel any longer the local death certificate has to be taken to the US Consulate on the mainland to get copies of the Report of a Death of an American Abroad, which serves as the only legal death certificate in the US.

 

There is a crematorium on the island...

 

What we have found out at this point is David was at 450 feet with another guy and current took both of them one of them was found and saved and David was found deceased. This information comes directly from David’s family member that was in Mexico with him. The risk in doing this type activity is high and David fully understood this as we discussed it the week prior to his trip but when the company that took him on the dive changes the story like what I’ve read is wrong and there is no miscommunication or a translation issue when they say he was just a tourist that was swimming sounds to me someone has changed a story to cover up a death in order to not hurt their future business or tourism. We get it accidents happen and David was an adult making decisions for himself in fact he was one to not do anything he didn’t want to do and would never be forced to do anything he didn’t want to do but with that said not telling the truth in order to protect ones reputation or for some other reason is not acceptable and David’s friends will ensure the truth comes out and if there is any criminality that’s been covered up we will expose it and those responsible will be brought to justice.

 

I read it a completely different way, even the text message you provided states it - for their privacy.

Tec diving is a dangerous endeavor, the individual divers are well aware of the risks involved. I'm sorry for your loss and hope that you and the family can find peace in some way.

 

I was so sorry to hear about this tragedy. Deep Exposure sent a message for help out to the dive shop owners message group as soon as they realized the divers were missing so I heard about it immediately, and my crew told me about it later as well, so there is/was no cover up by the dive shop - this was simply bad reporting. There were THREE incidents: 1) a drowned swimmer found by a totally different boat 2) a lost tech diver found alive 3) a lost tech rebreather diver found deceased.

What you have to understand is there is ZERO journalistic integrity or validity to anything you read in a Cozumel news rag. Between confusing facts between incidents, no fact checking, sensationalizing headlines and translation issues - this story became totally distorted.

Deep Exposure has not made any attempts that I can tell to cover anything up nor would they have any reason or motive to do so. Anyone who is a tech diver knows the risks they are taking. This was a tragic accident.