An Open Letter of Personal Perspective to the Diving Industry by NetDoc

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Of course I'm afraid of having more Big Brother in my life. I'm almost to the point where teaching Scuba is not tenable for me. Adding more layers of intrusion as well as expense would probably push me out. I've never had a student accident so more intrusion would not benefit my students one whit.

Key Largo does not have a police force. Somehow our crime rate is about %10 of Miami's crime rate.

I believe that the quanta leap in enforcement you would like to see would be economically crippling for our industry, overly obtrusive and not warranted by the few accidents that currently happen. But that's just a "typical response" from anyone who might disagree with you.

As a result of this thread? Please tell us more. I am not aware of this at all.

Some might misinterpret that as your being deceptive: http://www.keysso.net/aboutso/aboutso.htm

Sorry, that was poorly stated on my part. I meant to say that I have learned a few things. I was pleased to learn that PADI has instituted a student questionnaire that they might be using to help enforce standards. Good for them. I have also learned that some dive professionals seem to want to hide this type of information. Too Bad. I understand why some instructors may not want to be bothered with any oversight. The ones that have things to hide are no surprise. I guess those that have nothing to hide just don't want to be bothered and have little concern for the overall good.

In any event, if and when an agency (or individual instructor) looks at this accident and wants to take actions to reduce the risk of similar accidents, I'm sure they will be able to do that.
 
Apparently Bear Lake has a high mineral content of especially white-colored calcium carbonate (lime) that affects the buoyancy characteristics of the water. Much like the Great Salt Lake, buoyancy rules would be different.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has dove in this lake or one like it?
Not that I have noticed. I have several hundred dives at the lake and descent amount where this accident took place. I have never needed to adjust my weighting any differently at Bear Lake versus any other fresh water lake in Utah.
 
Loosely translated: expert testimony is bought and paid for.

As for the lake's buoyancy, I've dove Bear Lake from the Boy Scout camp on the west side of the lake. I dove with a 3 mil, a steel tank and absolutely no lead. I weigh in at 300 pounds. I remember being fairly negative too.

Was the 3mil a beanie or the steel tank a Heiser?
 
I'm sure you don't mean to appear to be saying that scuba is unsafe.

Perhaps you mean "There is no way to make scuba diving risk free." Then you could go on and talk about the many, many things that have been done to reduce these risks. And then you could even go on to explain how risks must be constantly assessed and risk reduction measures instituted when appropriate.

---------- Post added December 23rd, 2014 at 12:20 PM ----------



Your words, not mine. What I have said is ENFORCEMENT needs to be part of the system to prevent accidents.

No I meant precisely what I said.

Under US law Scuba diving is a Hazardous Activity.

It is therefore legally speaking PER SE unsafe.

That means even with every reasonable precaution death can still occur while engaging in the activity.

Just because YOU have no idea what you are talking about doesn't mean the rest of us don't know.
 
Some might misinterpret that as your being deceptive: http://www.keysso.net/aboutso/aboutso.htm

Sorry, that was poorly stated on my part. I meant to say that I have learned a few things. I was pleased to learn that PADI has instituted a student questionnaire that they might be using to help enforce standards. Good for them. I have also learned that some dive professionals seem to want to hide this type of information. Too Bad. I understand why some instructors may not want to be bothered with any oversight. The ones that have things to hide are no surprise. I guess those that have nothing to hide just don't want to be bothered and have little concern for the overall good.

In any event, if and when an agency (or individual instructor) looks at this accident and wants to take actions to reduce the risk of similar accidents, I'm sure they will be able to do that.

There is one other thing to consider. If you are an instructor for another agency and witness a violation, and you know it is one, you may have trouble getting them to pay attention to you. I've also talked to instructors who don't want to report one out of fear they will be retaliated against by the offending instructor/shop. Even when it's brought to their attention that they are required to. "Violation? I didn't see anything. Was busy with my students."
 
I don't know if many of you have had a chance to read through the 150 + pages of expert testimony yet, but I just finished them. Since I've never dove a lake like this I had a question for those of you that might have.

Apparently Bear Lake has a high mineral content of especially white-colored calcium carbonate (lime) that affects the buoyancy characteristics of the water. Much like the Great Salt Lake, buoyancy rules would be different.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has dove in this lake or one like it?

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Pete said earlier the boy had on a 5mm wetsuit and expert testimony from court documents suggest he had on a 7mm farmer john. Anyone know which is true?

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From the expert testimony of witness accounts, the boy had achieved neutral buoyancy and overweighting was not a contributing factor to the incident. When found, the boy was suspended in a more vertical position. Does anyone have differing accounts?

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From the expert testimony, the scuba equipment was damaged during transport and storage.

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From the expert testimony, Although initially thought the boy drowned, he suffered from AGE

------------------

If I have any of this information incorrect please elaborate.

I don't know if many of you have had a chance to read through the 150 + pages of expert testimony yet, but I just finished them. Since I've never dove a lake like this I had a question for those of you that might have.

Apparently Bear Lake has a high mineral content of especially white-colored calcium carbonate (lime) that affects the buoyancy characteristics of the water. Much like the Great Salt Lake, buoyancy rules would be different.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has dove in this lake or one like it?

---------------

Pete said earlier the boy had on a 5mm wetsuit and expert testimony from court documents suggest he had on a 7mm farmer john. Anyone know which is true?

--------------

From the expert testimony of witness accounts, the boy had achieved neutral buoyancy and overweighting was not a contributing factor to the incident. When found, the boy was suspended in a more vertical position. Does anyone have differing accounts?

-----------------

From the expert testimony, the scuba equipment was damaged during transport and storage.

------------------

From the expert testimony, Although initially thought the boy drowned, he suffered from AGE

------------------

If I have any of this information incorrect please elaborate.


Seriously- where should we start?

A) there is no negligible buoyancy difference it is a freshwater lake- nice try though... Numerous divers have commented on this before. They have posted exactly the opposite.

B) the expert you reference who claims the bcd worked (despite the on scene police report and police video saying otherwise) - I think I'll trust the cops-
seems you only care about the report of someone being paid to be the expert... That's really smart. Not.

C) it was a well-worn 5mm not a 7mm (see police report or clawed back padi incident report) but again nice try to again justify the 30+ pounds of lead on a 120 pound child.

D) the eye witness accounts were self contradictory but apparently you missed the best eye witness - the young boy who was his buddy - who specifically said:
1) he could not assist the boy because he was like a rock-
2) he was way to heavy to help to the surface... like pulling up a weighted anchor- and
3) the boy (who drowned) struggled to get to the surface but could not swim up....because HE WAS TOO HEAVY...

E) the police report says the boy was found ON THE BOTTOM- where do you get this "suspended" crap?!?!?

F) what are the contraindications for diving and for AGE susceptibility? Surprise! Asthma and pulmonary infection:

"Arterial gas embolism is a major cause of death in diving and the initiating cause (pulmonary barotrauma) usually goes undetected. Caused most often by the expansion of respiratory gases during ascent, it also occurs when the breath is held during ascent from a dive, when there is local pulmonary pathology, when there is dynamic airway collapse in the non-cartilaginous airways and if there is low pulmonary compliance, particularly if this is not distributed evenly throughout the lungs. Boyle's law is the physical law controlling the event. Experimental evidence indicates that intratracheal pressures of about 10 kPa (4 fsw or 1.22 m. or ascending from 170 feet or 51.82 m. to 120 feet or 36.58 m.) are all that's needed for it to happen. Distention of the alveoli leads to rupture, alveolar leakage of gas, and extravasation of the gas into the arterial circuit.

....When there is local pulmonary pathology, when there is dynamic airway collapse in the non-cartilaginous airways and if there is low pulmonary compliance....

As caused by asthma or a respiratory infection!

Diving Hyperb Med. 2012 Dec;42(4):236.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a single, shallow, swimming pool scuba dive on pulmonary function in divers with asthma as compared to controls. Opinions concerning the risks of diving with asthma are still contradictory and inconclusive in the diving community.
METHODS:
Baseline pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed on a group of 22 divers with asthma and on a control group of 15 healthy divers. The same PFTs were repeated within 10 minutes after a single pool dive, at 5 metres' depth for 10 minutes. PFTs were measured using a portable Jaeger SpiroPro[emoji769] device. Student's paired t-tests and linear mixed effects model comparisons and interactions within the groups were used in the data analysis.
RESULTS:
Divers with asthma initially presented significantly lower values of FEV1/FVC%* (P < 0.01), FEF25* (P < 0.01), FEF50* (P < 0.001), FEF75* (P < 0.01) and FEF25-75* (P < 0.001) compared to controls. There were significant reductions in FEV1 (P < 0.01), FEV1/FVC% (P < 0.05), FEF50* (P < 0.01), FEF75* (P < 0.05) and FEF25-75* (P < 0.001) in the asthma group after the dive as compared to the control group. PEF was initially lower, although not significantly, in the asthma group and did not change significantly after the dive in either group (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:
A single, shallow, pool scuba dive to 5 metres' depth may impair function of small airways in asthmatic divers. More studies are necessary to estimate the risks when divers with asthma practise scuba diving. PFT results should be analysed after replicated dives in deeper pools and controlled open-water conditions.

Also:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/Asthma_and_Scuba_Diving

Enough of the BS now people- accept reality. This was solidly the fault of the instructor and family who lied on the medicals...
 
What bugs you about putting the standard in? I am somewhat bothered that they (students...we already know too many instructors don't.. :wink: (joke) ) won't understand them. But in my mind letting the students know what they should be taught is important, very similar to a Student Learning Agreement which is an AWESOME thing...that gets used too little (even by me)

It doesn't really bug me. I see good and bad with it and I'm not sure where the pros and cons balance out. I see a few issues.

First, I like that students who are diligent and wise would have more information before hitting the water that could help them to be safer and possible choose safer instructors. It also installs in them some call for at least a little personal responsibility about the course. That said, I see it working much better for the DM course, slightly less so for Rescue, less so for AOW, almost useless for Open Water and completely useless for DSDs. I just can't picture a DSD participant understanding the standards, much less telling the instructor "no, I'm not getting in the water with you because you forgot to use the flip chart.

Also, remember one thing that you alluded to, that the standards don't really list out what the student will learn; that is much better spelled out for them in their manual and video. It doesn't even tell how they should be taught; that was conveyed to instructors in the IDC. The standards tell the limits and minimum requirements, rules, etc that form the operating constraints of teaching the course.

A potential drawback I see, particularly for the more entry courses is that I worry, like you, that standards would not be understood. Also, I'd rather that my OW student concentrate on his buoyancy, trim and positional awareness rather than "uh oh, we're getting too close to the 12m limit of this dive." I also worry that taking the time to read and learn the standards would be better spent reading the manual, watching the video, asking questions in class or doing pool work. I have enough trouble getting most students to read the manual properly. Adding more information would make that harder. I guess the "instructor judgement" portion of the standards would also throw out some interesting conditions. I think the first DSD participant who says to me "the water seems a little cold to me. I think we should only do this one on one", that person would get their money back and a foot up their arse (I'll call it my "Jim Lapenta method" of student deselection).

Okay, maybe I listed more of the reasons against giving the standards to the students but you already know the positives.

peace
 
Again don't let the facts get in the way of your agendas folks...
 
Some might misinterpret that as your being deceptive: http://www.keysso.net/aboutso/aboutso.htm
Deceptive only if you grant that your question was faulty.
I live in a town where we have BOTH a police force and a sherrif's office that covers a much larger area than does the police force.
NetDoc lives in a town with NO police force, but there is a sherrif's office that covers Monroe County...i.e. the entire Florida Keys.
You asked him if he had a police force in Key Largo. His answer was accurate; No.
 
It seems to me the facts of what happened are not completely clear.

I'm merely trying to understand better what exactly happened based on the court documents I've read. It seems a lot of folks are providing plenty of personal opinions but have not taken the time to read the documents via Pacer.

Like Pete said, expert testimony is indeed from "paid" experts.

Since I was not there myself I'm not ready to be as bold as listing statements as "FACT:" though.


I appreciate the clarification on the Bear Lake buoyancy issue. I was a little taken back when I read that but that's why I posted the question.

I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) I clearly prefaced that question by stating I've never dove in that lake and was looking for clarification.
Good job on trying to get something started with that though "Omission" lol.

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As far as the boys statements, I'm very confused about what he actually said because I've read contradicting statements. So, as I was not there, I have no idea what is true or false.

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The "suspended crap" is coming from court documents I just finished reading. I'm not stating this to be fact, but would appreciate a link to any other reports.

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https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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