9 replies to this topic

[georoc01]

http://news.yahoo.co...-172315719.html

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

I really hate the way the media uses the term "shark-infested waters" to make the story more dramatic than it needs to be....as if the water is teeming with sharks circling (a la Open Water). All of us divers know that to see a shark in the water is a rare thing these days, and we greatly anticipate running into them. We also know they're not out to purposely harm us (much less eat us for dinner), but the general population still thinks people are targeted by sharks mainly because of the way the media portrays them.

OK, getting off my soapbox now!

It's still a very serious situation these 2 divers found themselves in; from dehydration, cold, hunger & exhaustion and the possibility of spending the night in the ocean. The dive op certainly has some operational changes to make!

[peterbj7]

Agreed that "shark infested" is a bit strong, but this is a very serious matter indeed. It happened in Belize (the south, not up here at the Cayes) a few years ago and one of the divers did indeed die of exposure. IMO a dive operator that does this should be automatically closed down, and only allowed to reopen when they have demonstrated to the satisfaction of relevant authorities that they have changed their procedures and the incident could not recur. Plus a hefty fine. I would expect (hope) that such an investigation would take at least a couple of weeks, so that there would be a very real incentive on the operator not to offend in the first place.

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

Frankly, after the stink down in Australia over leaving divers or snorkelers behind the past few years, you'd think that all diver operators world-wide would take head counts very seriously. Most boats are fairly full, so it's easy to notice missing tanks in the racks!

[scubaski]

I've been on a dive boat where they issue every diver a green numbered stop sign shaped tag. In the empty space where the tag was on the board a red stop sign showed. No green stop shaped tag returned after dive, Captain did not move boat.

[Hipshot]

This is why a roll call prior to the dive boat raising anchor is a necessity.

Rick



Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.-Albert Einstein

[WreckWench]

We've dove with RJ's before...its sad to see something like this happen.

However there is no excuse for it.

And for what it is worth...Tammy is right...the article is very inflammatory using shark infested waters, etc. Poppycock!

[peterbj7]

All dive operators I know here (northern Belize) operate a roll call. With small boats it's informal, as the crew know all the divers personally, but on larger boats it's a formal process. Nothing else is acceptable. I was once lambasted on Trip Advisor for not holding a formal roll call using a clipboard when we had just four divers all diving with one DM, which tends to confirm my (very low) view of that website.

[georoc01]

When we dove in Australia, everyone had to sign that they were on the boat before it moved. Didn't matter if the person actually got in the water for the dive or not. May seem strict, but it worked.

[Mermaid Lady]

Hmmm remind me not to dive with that outfit any time soon.

Glad those two guys made it back alive!