Solo diver missing Port Phillip Bay - Victoria

[ScubaSteve]

Andrew Houston, 51, was only about 50m off the Middle Brighton shore when he was found lying face-down in full scuba diving equipment including a wetsuit, weight-belt, air compressor, tank and mask about 12.30pm following a major police search.

Poor Man's rebreather. Any diver death is an unnecessary loss however as Flots indicated, poaching certainly comes with a stiff penalty as this diver found out. Greed never pays.

 

[peterbj7]

Greed never pays

Oh how I wish that were true.

 

[timakempton]

To all you guy's making comments about karma because of the poaching connection, you need to take a good hard look at yourselves. Have you never done anything illegal in your lives?? I mean for gods sake the man had 3 kids.

 

[Mike.D]

Nothing illegal enough to constitute the huge fines he would have faced if he had been caught alive. With the amount of abalone he had he was getting close to some jail time.

 

[bergersau]

All sympathy to his family. They in all likelihood have done nothing wrong and have lost a family member.


But I've no sympathy for poachers who get caught. That kind of abuse of our fisheries is doing immense harm and needs to be stopped. The human race is causing enough damage to the environment without criminals further worsening the problems by poaching vulnerable species like abalone.


Abalone poaching in Victoria carries a jail sentence of up to 10 years and a $150,000 AU fine.
Fisheries would probably also have seized all his dive gear and the vehicle he was using had he been caught with that haul.

 

[koozemani]

Nothing illegal enough to constitute the huge fines he would have faced if he had been caught alive. With the amount of abalone he had he was getting close to some jail time.

I read an article that stated with the new tougher laws, trafficking in abalone was punishable by up to 10 years. If this is correct, then what was he thinking, for gods sake he has three kids.

it is however always sad when a diver passes.