barkydog:
1. Who should dive at the Grotto? It's the site where people die - deep, with places that induce panic in a lot of divers, and one of the only places you really can't get out of easily if something goes wrong. It's also the site people come to Saipan to dive. Should only very small groups be taken to the Grotto? Should only people who are already advanced certified dive there? Should we accept a number of deaths every year as the price for thousands enjoying this site harmlessly?
2. If you're leading dives, how far should you go to try to save someone else? If the instructor had let the student shoot to the surface and hadn't gone after her, what would have happened (would she have been sued? fired? what?). Could the instructor have saved the student and saved herself?
Barky
I'll take a crack at answering a few of barky's questions.
Who should dive at the Grotto? Not trying to be flip here, and no disrespect to the recently deceased, but my answer is "someone who isn't gonna freak out." If you've never been there, the Grotto is a great dive. It is, however, rather unforgiving of error. There's an inside and an outside, and if you're stuck outside, you're in for a long float until rescued, and that's being optimistic. You can deal with any inwater emergency at the Grotto just like any other site, except an embolism or other injury caused by rapid ascent outside (or a heart attack while outside, too).
I wouldn't mind if you had to be advanced certified to dive it (though, full disclosure: I'm an instructor), and it makes a lot of sense. Diving Lau Lau is just as easy to do the deep portion of the Advanced class. But, by then, most students have dove either Lau Lau or Obyan exclusively, and they want to do the Grotto for their advanced class. I've taken newer students to the grotto, and had mixed results (no injuries) so now I pretty much stick with Lau Lau for classes.
The people who seem to die at the grotto are not locals; they seem to be tourists. From this I draw a conclusion: It seems as if the locals are more comfortable there. Barky, I know you, (and you know me and Marpacifica). I would imagine that your experience diving there with people you know and trust (me, Joe, marpacifica (when he's around) Dr. Dianne, Dr. Mark, Richard, Patrick and Syd (hey, I saw Syd today!!!!)even Chad (remember him?) is much different than a random stranger on vacay with a DM. Point being, you're much less likely to freak out and get yourself killed.
As for the other question: had the instructor not gone up with her, would she have gotten sued? Maybe. But still a far better result than what happened here. And there's a big difference between getting sued and actually losing. I have faith in my insurance and PADI's lawyers. And I'd rather go bankrupt than orphan my kid.
Point being: I, and any prudent Instructor, DM or rescue trained diver will do what I can to help, without endangering myself and/or the other students/divers I'm leading, etc. If I can help, great. If I can't, well.... At least you signed the releases. Cold blooded? Probably. But that's the way it is.
And don't worry, Barky. You're a great diver. I have faith in you. I know that if I were your buddy, and needed help, you would do what you could for me. You're a much better diver than you give yourself credit for.
