Galapagos Scuba Diving Fatality - February 12, 2010 - Eloise Gale

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RJP, divers not being ready to dive in the environment that they minimally trained in, after a year layoff, are not an unusual phenomena.

I understand, and don't disagree.

My point was that divedeeepr's assumption/assertion that any such diver witnessed thusly in the Keys or Bahamas must have been certified in a quarry is a bit "out there" to say the least. Further suggesting that someone who trained in "open-open water" would somehow be immune from any such skill fall-off is at least as silly.
 
I am compelled to comment on the original post because I was in the exact same situation once
I was on a dive expedition to the North Sea to dive some wrecks, About six months prior to leaving for the trip I met a woman who would later become my wife and was able to get her aboard. this would be the first time she ever saw a scuba diver, much less a technical diver.

Well on the very first dive we lost a diver, the details I wont go into as they are not relevant. but we spent a great deal of time searching for him, we where interviewed by Scotland Yard, we where all very upset by the situation, my wife so much so that we got the boat to bring us into shore and we stayed on land the next day while others searched. My wife did not understand the dangers involved and was not prepared for when something did go wrong.

My point of this is that I truly understand what the person writing this post is going through, and there is value in writing it down right away so the facts do not become confused with the nightmares as time goes, not to mention for legal reasons. I too wrote a long account of the situation in my dive journal the day it happened and then added stuff over the next two days as they developed.

My experience has taught me a couple of things which I would like to share
most importantly maintain a level of respect for the diciest, we where not next to her during her dive so we can not say what exactly happened, things like saying oh she just panicked etc can be very hurtful to those left behind.

I agree that there is value in looking at the situation but we need to do so without placing blame for several reasons

number one: as a certified diver you are responsible for yourself and your buddy, the DM is not your babysitter, it is up to the diver to be prepared to do the dive, that means ask questions about the dive, do the research prior to arriving so you know there is a strong current, be physically fit to do the dive.

number two; if something does go wrong, don't look to blame it on someone, nobody said diving wasn't dangerous and if things go wrong and you have not prepared for it then death is on the list of outcomes

number three: dive within yours or your buddies limits whom ever is the least experienced, least fit, etc. you need to have a discussion with your buddy to make sure this is good for both of you, this is especially true for spouses / partners as one may be keen and the other not prepared but does not want to burst the others bubble

number four: somewhere along the line diving has changed to where the DM is babysitter, they check your air, adjust your buoyancy, watch that your not to deep, keep you together with your buddy, even Carry your gear. this over dependence has resulted in an expectation and even a disappointment when your on a trip the DM simply says ok the boat has anchored over your dive site just jump in when your ready. Most divers today are not prepared to do a dive in a new location or environment without serious baby sitting.

anyways, I truly feel bad for the family and all those involved in this situation, it is terrible when someone you know even if for a short while has such a tragic end, and I believe part of that feeling we get comes from the fact that we know it could have been us just as easily.

Next time a dive operator or certifying agency tells you that diving is a safe sport just tell them that if that's so then you will not sign the liability release and see how much diving you do. This is a dangerous sport and you are the only one you should count on to prevent yourself from being discussed here as we are today.
 
There are so many good points in AquaTec's post that it should be required reading for everyone who dives. But I sure don't mind when the dive op carries my gear. :)
 
number two; if something does go wrong, don't look to blame it on someone, nobody said diving wasn't dangerous and if things go wrong and you have not prepared for it then death is on the list of outcomes.

I think that culturally, we, Americans, have a hard time accepting blame or accountability. We turn on the new everyday and read about someone suing someone. We see the shenanigans of our political system always pointing the finger elsewhere. We buy hot coffee and it burns us, so we sue. We're awful quick with the call to the lawyer.

Empirically I agree with what you are saying, but that is pretty hard for your neighbors to the South.
 
Rarely is anyone solely responsible for an outcome. I abhor the sue-happy society that has developed here. That said, you can't evaluate an incident to identify the causes without responsibility being placed. It isn't necessarily a primary intent, but when a diver dies because of panic, because of faulty equipment, because of a health issue, or because of the whim of the sea, there is "blame" at some level. All we can do is balance it the best we can and avoid malice or persecution in our analysis.
 
Well divedeepr, since you have slinked out of posting on this thread, I hope you learned some things. You still owe an apology for the things you said about NAUI and PADI, but this is the internet and I can't force you to.
 
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Open Water?
Have any of you really dove in 'open water'?
I mean where you see no bottom or any other structure, just blue water, like you're in the middle of nowhere...
QUOTE]

Yup, been there, done that. Monitor depth, time, gas: make sure the bubbles are going up, and if you're not following a compass, you're swimming in a circle.
 
Yup, been there, done that. Monitor depth, time, gas: make sure the bubbles are going up, and if you're not following a compass, you're swimming in a circle.

If you're truly in "open water in the middle of nowhere" and you're following a compass... you're screwed because even if you know the DIRECTION wherever you are going is gonna be really l-o-n-g swim!

:eyebrow:
 
That's the truth, on true "blue water" dives, say, out in the middle of the ocean, a thousand of more miles from anywhere, with the bottom thousands of meters below me, I sometimes don't bother to wear a compass.
 
number one: as a certified diver you are responsible for yourself and your buddy, the DM is not your babysitter, it is up to the diver to be prepared to do the dive, that means ask questions about the dive, do the research prior to arriving so you know there is a strong current, be physically fit to do the dive.

I think this could be the best quote in the whole thread, sadly many DMs are not really qualified to do the job they are employed to do, many have very little experience (I still cringe at PADI certifying DM's with 60 dives or 'Master' Scuba Divers with 50?!) while others may not actually have any form of DM qualification but have a lot of local experience - great until something goes wrong....

Every dive should be about A - being responsible for yourself, and B - Keeping and eye out and assisting your buddy. When anyone relies on someone else 100% to keep them out of trouble (including their buddy) problems are sadly more likely to happen.

It's harsh but it's reality - the most important person to look after on every dive is yourself.
 
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