SharkRider
Contributor
Thought # 1.
I'm sure many of you have heard of the tragic death of the DM performing a rescue of another diver off the coast of North Carolina. Could this tragic death have been prevented? The answer seems to be an emphatic NO. The death was due to a health matter and nothing more... however, I still feel the need to raise one simple point about the boat operator. It befuddles me that noone onbaord the boat saw what happened to the DM shortly after he successfully completed his retrieval of the diver. In other words, no one saw him slip off the board and no one was aware of it for at least a matter of minutes. My thought is and always has been, that when someone is in the water off the back of my boat, there is an eye on that person, and literally an arm directed at that person until they are safely back on the boat. The death was not the fault of the crew or anyone else, but there is still fault with the crew.
Thought # 2.
The tragic death of Steve Irwin... AKA the Crocodile Hunter sent shivers down my spine and certainly will give me great pause in my future activities. For years now I have swam with Sting Rays, including some quite large Southerns off the coasts of Ocean City and North Carolina. I have frequently swam in close and directly above trying to get some good video footage or pictures. While I've known of the possibility of being spiked, I had never heard of it happening to someone unless they physically stepped on the ray. While this was a freak accident... one in a million type deal... I'll think twice before getting so close next time.
Thought # 3.
Has anyone noticed that prices for resorts have gone up across the board? Resorts are only affected by fuel prices because less people travel to them... so the few of us that do travel pay outrageously high prices to cover for the resorts losses. I think we should boycott resorts and make them bring prices down... if they lower their prices, they can fill their resorts... as lower accomodation costs will help to cover a travelers increased fuel costs. Liveaboard vessels have fuel costs, but these are not as high as people think. They increase their prices all the while moving their vessel less during the trip. Think about it.
more to follow if reponses are good and interesting
I'm sure many of you have heard of the tragic death of the DM performing a rescue of another diver off the coast of North Carolina. Could this tragic death have been prevented? The answer seems to be an emphatic NO. The death was due to a health matter and nothing more... however, I still feel the need to raise one simple point about the boat operator. It befuddles me that noone onbaord the boat saw what happened to the DM shortly after he successfully completed his retrieval of the diver. In other words, no one saw him slip off the board and no one was aware of it for at least a matter of minutes. My thought is and always has been, that when someone is in the water off the back of my boat, there is an eye on that person, and literally an arm directed at that person until they are safely back on the boat. The death was not the fault of the crew or anyone else, but there is still fault with the crew.
Thought # 2.
The tragic death of Steve Irwin... AKA the Crocodile Hunter sent shivers down my spine and certainly will give me great pause in my future activities. For years now I have swam with Sting Rays, including some quite large Southerns off the coasts of Ocean City and North Carolina. I have frequently swam in close and directly above trying to get some good video footage or pictures. While I've known of the possibility of being spiked, I had never heard of it happening to someone unless they physically stepped on the ray. While this was a freak accident... one in a million type deal... I'll think twice before getting so close next time.
Thought # 3.
Has anyone noticed that prices for resorts have gone up across the board? Resorts are only affected by fuel prices because less people travel to them... so the few of us that do travel pay outrageously high prices to cover for the resorts losses. I think we should boycott resorts and make them bring prices down... if they lower their prices, they can fill their resorts... as lower accomodation costs will help to cover a travelers increased fuel costs. Liveaboard vessels have fuel costs, but these are not as high as people think. They increase their prices all the while moving their vessel less during the trip. Think about it.
more to follow if reponses are good and interesting
