Raja Ampat claims another liveaboard victim

[jklassy]

Um... I have to say I have a totally different perspective. I do not at all agree that the Siren fleet is safely operated. I did a Siren liveaboard out of Komodo and I saw the craziest and least safe procedures that I have ever seen on a liveaboard dive operation. I didn't comment on Scubaboard at the time because I was a little intimidated - everyone seemed to think Frank and the crew and the boat were great. However, I am not at all surprised to see that the Siren fleet has experienced tragedy. They were so lax in safety procedures, I seriously thought about kissing the ground when we got back to land, and I am not that kind of person. We had several people blown from 100 feet to the surface with no safety stop, or blown so far away we could barely find them, and the Siren fleet had no interest in providing them with oxygen or any other standard assistance. We had divers who came out of the water terrified because they absolutely should not have been diving in the conditions they were in. I'm an experienced diver and I was right next to our dive guide, and we were all literally grabbing the coral to prevent us from being blown from 60ft direct to the surface. Sadly, none of the crew, dive masters, etc on the boat had ANY experience at all in the Komodo region. So, they take us to some of the strongest currents I've experienced in 1000+ dives over 12 years, and they throw inexperienced divers out there with dive guides who have never even been in that area before. How does anyone think that is a safe operation?? I could be lulled into thinking the Siren boats are safe if I'd been diving in perfectly calm warm pristine waters with no current. But when you see the kinds of conditions I saw, and you see that they throw inexperienced divers in the water with dive "masters" who've never even done a single dive in the area, you start to understand that they don't have a very solid focus on safety. And then when you see recreational divers come out of the water terrified for themselves or their loved ones they've seen blown off the dive site, and you see Frank and crew take a totally nonchalant attitude toward such incidents over a period of days, you start to understand that WWDS really doesn't give a **** about safety!

 

[maria munn]

"My impression is that this organization cares very much for their ships, staff and passengers"


All I can say is that yes, I absolutely agree that the Siren Fleet should care very much for it's passengers after an incident like this. It is the very least that anyone can do, and everyone would do if they are truly human.

With regards to the crew, no-one can comment apart from the crew themselves, and somehow I don't think you will find them posting here. I was with my partner who used to work on the Mandarin Siren a couple of weeks ago whilst helping Aquatic Alliance and he was so embarrassed as he still only has one pair of shorts from having lost everything in December.

A real person who cares about their staff who have worked with them for nearly 4 years would put their hand in their own pocket to personally replace their clothing first before securing deals on expanding their own live aboard fleet. Local crew cannot earn the money to buy back such smart brands as "Billabong" and "O'Neill" board-shorts which previous guests had kindly given him to say thank you for his hard work during the trip, and it would be hard to find these brands whilst working in Raja Ampat or Komodo ...

In Michel's words last week, he told me how embarrassed he was to be seen in Bali with two t-shirts and one pair of shorts, some six months after he lost everything .... I really felt for him ....

And yes, with regards to diving, I learnt that another member of crew had gone to 15 metres to retrieve an anchor in Komodo, again without being scuba certified .... I learnt that he came up and needed emergency oxygen treatment in front of the guests and was then taken to hospital immediately. How scary is that for everyone - not a nice incident to witness at all ....

Questions have to be raised as to why this is happening? Yes, maybe crew can be taken diving by instructors, but why not teach them how to dive properly on a certified course? This would help prevent accidents like this and give the local crew a real sense of achievement. A real win-win for everyone.

Yes, it is about learning how to dance in the rain, but surely it is all about helping each other too .... particularly when members of staff have served and supported company growth over such a long period of time? Safety for local crew, the same as guests, should never be compromised or treated differently ....

Please forgive me for feeling strongly about this, but it saddens me to hear of accident after incident without anyone listening .... and more accidents taking place .... which could so easily be prevented. I had one guest return from the Philippines a week early after flying out there to join a live aboard and finding out whilst there that the engine was in the wrong place and had to fly home. I felt so sad for her ...

I loved the company, as did Michel and as said before, all of the staff are lovely people. All we wanted was help to replace our possessions after working and trying so hard for them for years.

Maybe now things will change and a serious look as to why this is happening so often will take place. As mentioned in a previous thread, we as divers have to be responsible in choosing live aboard operators who truly care about our safety and the safety and care of the crew as well.

 

[Allison Finch]

Good Grief!!

Nothing like turning a thread about a terrible tragedy into a place to hang your dirty laundry. Maria, sometimes one simply cannot replace lost belongings with identical items. To expect that is a bit unreasonable, IMO. How about you negotiate in private, as most of us don't care to hear such private anger about material belongings like hoodies and i-pods, when so many lost so much. Sorry to sound judgemental, but ........