boycott Peter Hughes Diving

[O-ring]

...but I have heard that the captain threatened to fire any crew that went ashore. One woman did anyway, was fired, but lived and told the story (from what I read). That being said, I wonder if the passengers were discouraged from leaving the vessel...

 

[Genesis]

to ride out a hurricane, I'd fire any crewmember who deserted the vessel as well. That's not an indication of a bad decision; in fact, allowing crew to depart while keeping the vessel afloat, especially with pax aboard, is exactly the opposite.

Obviously that crewmember wasn't tied down. And neither were the guests, all of whom decided to stay and ride it out.

Discouraging someone, particularly if its done only with words, is not the same as forcing them.

 

[WreckWriter]

I do know a few things about hurricane survival when stuck on a boat. Basically there are 2 things you want, in this order (this assumes a large boat, as these folks had and also assumes you MUST stay aboard):

1- Sea room. Your best bet is to get in deep water with plenty of room to navigate.

2- Failing sea room, the next best bet is a "hurricane hole". Every coastal area has them, all the local captains know where they are.

Based on the little that I know about what happened, it seems to me an act of God.

Could things have been done better? Probably. They usually could have in hindsight.

I'm most sorry you lost your friends. I do seriously doubt that either the captain (esspecially) or management felt that this tragedy was possible when they made the decisions they made.

Do we ALWAYS have to make money from tragedy? I think not. Prayers are more in order than lawsuits.

Tom

 

[WreckWriter]

Genesis once bubbled...
to ride out a hurricane, I'd fire any crewmember who deserted the vessel as well.

Absolutley right Karl. For the first time, we agree.

Tom

 

[Rick Murchison]

LegoPacific once bubbled...
1. "To go to sea when a hurricane is approaching the area isn't necessarily a bad idea"...especially not if you can get at least one dive in before the storm hits. This way you won't have to give any refunds.

I say the sky is blue - you say the grass is green - your comment is irrelevant, and has nothing to do with mine. I have no idea what motives the captain had at the time of sailing - You can bet he didn't intend to hazard his boat, even if you are correct about his primary motive being to get in a dive. And my statement that it's often a good idea to put to sea when a storm is approaching stands on its own.

2. "There were other boats anchored/tied in Big Creek." Yes, the Aggressor was anchored in Big Creek the night before. Why did the Aggressor's captain choose to give up a day of diving?
When the Wave Dancer finally pulled into Big Creek, the only space available had the Wave Dancers bow exposed.

Obviously, looking back, the Aggressor captain made the better decision. And that's easy to see now. What's your point?

3. "Iris' track and forecast was for Belize City - she made her jog to the south late in the game." Actually, Iris was on track almost directly for Big Creek before the Wave Dancer belatedly pulled the hook. (see http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2001/IRIS_graphics.html and select strike probabilities)
4. "it was "too late" to got to Belize City" Actually Belize City is closer than Big Creek. (see http://www.scubabelize.com/images/maprad_large.jpg )

Yes, do look at the strike probability charts. The 2300 strike probability chart (and the forecast track at that time) has the storm boresighted on Belize City. It is not until the 0500 chart that the forecast shifts south. Too late.

Sure, it would be easy to write this off to a "act of God" to appease the lawyers and insurance underwriters, but everything I've seen shows that Peter Hughes Diving was at best negligent, perhaps even criminally so.

So, the late decision to put in at Big Creek is at best negligent, perhaps even criminal? Believing that, what do you now propose? Please be specific.
Rick

 

[jepuskar]

Simply reading Peter Hughes refund policy is enough to keep me away should I ever end up in Belize.

Lawsuits are settled for a reason. If your wrong, you settle.


Ask Michael Jackson.

 

[Rick Murchison]

jepuskar once bubbled...
Lawsuits are settled for a reason. If your(sic) wrong, you settle.

That statement is pure BS. When it comes to insurance companies, if it's cheaper they settle. It has zero to do with "wrong" or "right." And it cuts both ways. Usually both sides fear a worse deal from court, so they decide not to take the chance - especially in cases like this where the issues are incredibly complex and uncertain. The insurance company and PHD were willing to settle because they feared a huge settlement from the court - the plaintiffs were willing to settle because they feared a big fat zero award from the court.
Rick

 

[Genesis]

If I were a plaintiff's lawyer on this one I'd be fearing a big fat goose egg award....

Why?

Because the pax elected to stay on board, the boat was in port (they could indeed leave!), and the argument that they accepted the risk of being there would be very, very compelling.

 

[Rick Murchison]

jepuskar once bubbled...
Simply reading Peter Hughes refund policy is enough to keep me away should I ever end up in Belize.

In that case you won't be going on any liveaboard, as they all have essentially the same policy. PHD's just isn't as well hidden in the fine print.
Rick

 

[DivePartner1]

Did anyone other Rick actually read the article?