Boy, 14, scuba diving with his dad, drowns off Deerfield Beach

[Boatlawyer]

I find it hard to beleive that information such as the 2 not being certified would have been released at this stage

I think that it was reported at one point that they were inexperieced - and that got warped to not certified.

I also doubt that such specific details as the father surfaced to clear his mask would be available at this stage also - that could only have come from the father and I think he`d bee too busy greiving to talk to the media

I sense a lot of guess work - As I said once -- I really hope thats the case

The story sourced "investigators" as opposed to the father, i.e., the information is what was told by the father to investigators (not the media). This information is likely a matter of public record, hence the greater detail in the latter stories, after the medical examiner and sheriff's report were filed.

That said, as a parent (of a 16 y/o with whom I was certified just 3 short weeks ago), my heart is breaking for the father, regardless of his fault.

 

[downunderjenn]

So, did the father really ascend to clear his mask? Were they really not certified? Why did the son not ascend? Why did the son drown if he could still breathe? It's very tragic. I guess I'm just curious as to how such a thing could happen. I do feel sorry for the family.

You can buy all your gear. You just can't purchase air or rent tanks with air from a dive shop unless you are certified. I'll look at my PADI reports and see if they have anything to say about ensuring shops look at cards, recently.

 

[scubasean]

You just can't purchase air or rent tanks with air from a dive shop unless you are certified. I'll look at my PADI reports and see if they have anything to say about ensuring shops look at cards, recently.

Well, this all depends on whether someone checks your card...If I walk into a dive shop that doesn't know me, and I'm wearing a drysuit or carrying a banged-up tank, chances are (in CA anyway...) my tanks will be filled without question...

No law (in CA) says they must check my certification.

 

[jetfixer]

My dad took me through the scuba course at 13 (1971, NASDS) and we dove together through the teenage years. It helped keep me balanced and connected to my dad. We shared the outdoors together, and it was fun and exciting to dive with him.
I remember the boat dives to Catalina Island. We talked a lot - about sex, about money, about school, about life. I learned that he didn't know everything and neither did I.
Sometimes he would get sea sick and I would bring him a damp towel. He'd talk about our dives, the dive basics, our equipment, safety issues. He pointed out other divers and which ones were better divers than us, and he'd ask me what we could learn from them. Dad said that diving had great risks, and that most great things in life did, and that was OK.
I was 13, 14, 15... and we would hold hands during the dive to stay together (at least, that is what he said). Every dive, we would practice buddy breathing. Dad said that most people didn't find out how they handled an emergency until one was upon them. He said he trusted me on a dive more than most adults because he already knew he could count on me when it mattered.
When we got home, we cleaned the gear together. He explained that if we took care of the things that were important to us, those things would take care of us. We went through catalogs together and dreamed of better scuba gear. Dad set goals for me to earn the money to buy this stuff. I wanted an AtPac, and dad said if I always dived safe, took care of my gear and saved 20% of the money, he'd help with the rest. When I was 15, we both got our At Pacs.
We always watched Jacques Cousteau together, and we talked about our responsibility to take care of the seas.
When I was 16, Dad took us all to Kona, Hi, where him and I dived several times. I was the luckiest teenager I knew.
Dad doesn't dive anymore - he's over 70. But he still asks me about my dives, about my gear, about my safety and skills, and we still talk about life. In 20 days, my son will move back to town with his wife and my 2 grand children, and him and I will dive together, and we will talk.
I thank God my father dived with me as a teenager.

Thanks for sharing this Rick. A very touching recollection of a beautiful Father/Son relationship. We could all learn from people such as your Dad....