Russia - instructor caused divers death

[ZenDiver.3D]

Okay, my turn.

From what I have read, Pig really wants Scubaboard to be his avenging army and "do" something. I understand that he is upset, but confused on what exactly he thinks we can do. We are not the diving police. And anyone not directly involved or a direct witness to events has no business filing a complaint of any kind. Sorry, man, just not our area.

Now, as to the incident. It sounds as though things cascaded, as can happen. This is a tragic series of events. I try to carry a dm with me when I have more than two students, but 4 AOW students is Not a big issue, nor is it against any standards. The instructor may or may not be a good instructor, but I don't know. And since I personally don't know, I have no business trying to report him to padi or anywhere els.

He should have thumbed the dive for the other two, in my opinion, because one panic situation can be catching.... Plus, I like to keep my herd together. Even if they are already certified divers. Brand newbie divers still need time to practice good decision making and problem solving. I prefer to keep them under a closer watch.

Okay. Done. Maybe.

 

[bsee65]

Was the instructor a genius? Maybe not. Did he cause anyone's death? Not as far as I can tell. According to the report, all the dives were in 60' or less of water. Certified OW divers should be able to handle that, as well as understanding that they are responsible for their safety and that of their buddy.

If this guy was taking completely uncertified divers down under these conditions, there might be a case for fault. The alleged briefing seems quite clear as well. I wonder if any of the other three divers confirm the instructor's report?

 

[wilde100]

To stir the pot abit. I read from the translated post that the victim jumped out of the water before sinking as fast.

Also I noticed that he victim had his own brand new gear, including a dry suit.

I wonder if it was an overweighted diver who was unfamiliar with how to use his dry suit - ascended too fast and rewarded with DCS?

I say overweighted because I also note that the instructor mentioned he strenuously finned to the surface with his first student. With proper weighting, a BC controlled ascent should be manageable without much finning?? Finning (in most cases) would just contribute to a quicker than recommended ascent rate.

 

[Diver0001]

To stir the pot abit. I read from the translated post that the victim jumped out of the water before sinking as fast.

I just assumed it was a word that didn't translate well to English. I don't suspect a buoyant ascent on the part of the diver who went missing because if he had made a buoyant ascent he wouldn't have sank back underwater again like he did.... At least I can't visualize how.

The splashing on the surface with the hand that they reported would generally be more indicative of someone who made an emergency ascent, got to the surface in a state of panic and was unable to establish positive buoyancy.

R..

 

[wilde100]

I agree with your point. However in reviewing the translated text of the instructor's account. I failed to detect other instances where "jumped" was used to describe any of the ascents made. It might be a mistranslation or it might be indicative of the victim's situation.

Disregarding whether the victim's BCD was indeed inflated, it still MIGHT (high degree of speculation) be possible he ascended too fast by finning.

 

[300bar]

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[dwhthediver]

IF this incident is true, and IF the instructor's version is correct there were no standards violations, and IF an incident report was filed with PADI as required, it will be investigated, BUT these were certified divers doing AOW, not open water students, and it was the 3rd dive of the day in these conditions, though a night dive with 4 students and no CA is borderline dumb but it is not a standards violation. I will never take 4 students on a night dive without a CA

 

[wilde100]

With respect to 300bar, I have re-edited my own earlier post following his guidelines. Labels have been added to the now anonymous names to provide context.

 

[edenn1423]

I'm so confused. On my first dive, and I have only had 9 now, we had about two feet of visibility. We were a group of three and lost each other before we hit bottom around 40'. NAUI says one minute without a buddy means to surface. I got to the surface and saw one buddy three feet from me and one 30 feet from me. Needless death if it happened. You shouldn't have to have an instructor to hold your hand no matter how novice you are. Leave your diapers in the pool.

 

[ScubaSteve]

.....Leave your diapers in the pool.

Man is that an unpleasant thought....but it certainly gets the point accross