Error a death off Ulua Beach, Maui, has me wondering about scuba safety

[Steelyeyes]

Actually, they do.

My wife just informed me of the recent change..... Good to know since I'm working at making it to 66 in a few months.

 

[DandyDon]

There is probably a reason DAN won't insure people of that age.

Dive Accident Insurance For Divers Age 70 And Older​

 

[boulderjohn]

There is probably a reason DAN won't insure people of that age.

My wife just informed me of the recent change..... Good to know since I'm working at making it to 66 in a few months.

Dive Accident Insurance For Divers Age 70 And Older​

I don't know how recent this change can be, since I have been over 70 for 5 years and have had DAN insurance for all that time.

 

[cvdwrites]

It is odd that there are no details on who he was diving with. It seems like others were there, was it a club trip, a shop, a local buddy? Usually we do see this information but everyone got so excited about the skeleton in the (treehouse) closet they forgot about the diver.

Yes, exactly. The original reports said he floated away from his "group," but we haven't heard anything from anyone else who may have been there. Again, Maui PD won't release anything at this point. If anyone here has suggestions on where I might look for or find people who might have been in the group, I'd surely appreciate the help.

I also didn't realize the dives there were unlikely to be launched off a boat and that a group might not have or need a guide/instructor.

Thanks again to everyone for their input and thoughts on my original post.

 

[JtotheG]

Was there any current - when i dove Maui (years back) there was a good amount of current and he probably needed time to catch his breath, sit on the ocean floor and just take some time to regroup. You can't blame a dive guide for these occurrences unless they specifically did something to cause the death (like over weighting a brand new dry suit diver). They are there to simply show you some frog fish and guide you back to the boat. Sometimes they have to go a bit fast ... because of timing. I was diving last year in Sipadan and there was a diver who was 80 diving with us. When he couldnt dive he didnt - he also exited the dive with a sausage when he needed to and made sure to tell the crew on the boat to keep an eye for him prior to entering the water in case he called it early. Its super sad but when doing any activity we need to be aware of our own limits and take the appropriate precautions. Of course sometimes a medical emergency happens and there is nothing anyone can do ...

 

[cvdwrites]

Was there any current - when i dove Maui (years back) there was a good amount of current and he probably needed time to catch his breath, sit on the ocean floor and just take some time to regroup. You can't blame a dive guide for these occurrences unless they specifically did something to cause the death (like over weighting a brand new dry suit diver). They are there to simply show you some frog fish and guide you back to the boat. Sometimes they have to go a bit fast ... because of timing. I was diving last year in Sipadan and there was a diver who was 80 diving with us. When he couldnt dive he didnt - he also exited the dive with a sausage when he needed to and made sure to tell the crew on the boat to keep an eye for him prior to entering the water in case he called it early. Its super sad but when doing any activity we need to be aware of our own limits and take the appropriate precautions. Of course sometimes a medical emergency happens and there is nothing anyone can do ...

I think there was current, yes.

 

[Nemrod]

Has anyone heard anything about the death of Henry Frantz Jr. in March while on a group dive off Ulua Beach, Maui? My understanding is that he complained of exhaustion, then drifted away from his group, and was discovered floating in a cove and could not be revived. I haven't heard which dive shop or charter company took him out that day—does anyone know? And I'm curious as to how this kind of thing can happen with a group. Wouldn't he be required to dive with a buddy, and maybe use a sausage to indicate his whereabouts?
Also: Is there not an agency or regulatory body in the US that makes sure dive guides know what they're doing, and holds them accountable when something goes wrong?

Are you a lawyer and involved in this circumstance? Your info does not indicate that you are a scuba diver?

 

[cvdwrites]

Are you a lawyer and involved in this circumstance? Your info does not indicate that you are a scuba diver?

I'm a journalist, working on a story about this incident, as well as about the loss of his son. As a thoughtful and thorough writer, I always want to understand as much about the situation and the people as I possibly can. I'm not a diver, so I'm asking for advice, input, and thoughts from those who are.

 

[Nemrod]

I'm a journalist, working on a story about this incident, as well as about the loss of his son. As a thoughtful and thorough writer, I always want to understand as much about the situation and the people as I possibly can. I'm not a diver, so I'm asking for advice, input, and thoughts from those who are.

Then go take a scuba course, do some diving trips perhaps to the place of interest or if there is local diving available do that. Then you will have been actually thorough.