Cozumel-Diver lost

[pilot fish]

Deepstop, please reread this thread. I said noting about her heritage being a factor in her diving ability and I only ASKED if she was from a cruise ship. The question whether she was from a criuse ship would indicate to me that perhaps she was not a current diver and, as such, should not have dove that site. These are questions, not accusations, as you are spinning it.

I stand by my statement, most cruise ship "divers" are a horror uw and not serious divers. That has been my experience and most of the other divers I know, many of whom are on this Board. Are there exceptions? Sure, but very few. Why you would feel comnfortable diving from a cruise ship with mostly inexperienced divers is, at the very least, puzzling.

To lump all divers from cruise ships in the "can't dive very well, damages the reef" category is no different than saying all people of Japanese descent are poor divers.

Explain the relevance of pointing out the lost diver is from a cruise ship (incorrect) or of Japanese descent. Will that help find her or comfort her family?? Stereotyping people like this is one step away from racism :11:

For the record, I do a lot of cruising (14 cruises so far with 3 more booked) and I'm also a trimix diver. I've not seen the reef carnage you describe on any of the dives I've booked from a ship. If you'd like to see this "cruise ship diver's" skills in the water, I invite you to come here and do some dives with me anytime. I dive just about every weekend. Do you??

 

[pilot fish]

Generalizations for sure, but cruiseship people or not, a dive op should not take divers to Devils Throat without having seen them dive 1st.

I agree about MOST cruiseship divers, but some of us do go on cruises with our non-diving family members. That being said, I would not expect a dive op to take me to Devils Throat while on a cruise stop.

That is my poiint, Ron. It would seem imprudent to take a cruise group to an advanced dive site like DT. That is just my opinon.

 

[pilot fish]

Yes, diver segregation MUST be based on their preferred mode of vacationing, and NOT on anything trivial like EXPERIENCE!

The point being, you will not find, as a general rule, experienced, CURRENT divers on cruise ships, which is why all good dive ops segregate pod preople from regular divers.

 

[RonFrank]

My buddy at work (Spanish is his first language) just read through the article below as it appeared to have a lot more content than anything else I've seen.

The exact dive site is not listed. It references Punta Sur in Palancar which is just to say the marine park on the south reef. There was no reference to Devil's throat, or any specific site.

There were four divers and a DM (two Japanese, two Americans), and the OP was Studio Blue.

The search was called off 72 hours after the diver was reported missing. She is assumed Dead, and they are waiting for the body to surface somewhere.

The police are questioning why the DiveOp waited approximately 90 minutes before contacting authorities, and how this diver went missing.

There was really not a lot more relevant info that my buddy noticed, but he is a non-diver, and did not read me the article word for word.

Very sad, and it seems that folks in the know (mainly Studio Blue, and those that were on the boat) are tight lipped. This maybe because Coz does not really enjoy having these types of incidents published.

It's always sad to read about this type of tragedy. There are those on the island, and maybe on this board that have more information, but they are not talking.

My Speculation includes running out of air, equipment failure, medical emergency, or an embolism. If this happened while drifting at depth without others noticing, it's very conceivable that the diver may have drifted quickly out of sight, and out to sea.

My Prayers go out to the family.

Suspenden la búsqueda*-*Diario PorEsto!]Suspenden la búsqueda - Diario PorEsto!

 

[deepstops]

The point being, you will not find, as a general rule, experienced, CURRENT divers on cruise ships, which is why all good dive ops segregate pod preople from regular divers.

Pod people?? Grow up

That is my poiint, Ron. It would seem imprudent to take a cruise group to an advanced dive site like DT. That is just my opinon.

But then again she wasn't from a cruise ship.

 

[RonFrank]

For those that don't know what Devil's Throat looks like, here is a photo of the second entrance we dove. As I've only done this site once, my description maybe a bit off, but for someone that is not comfortable in the water, this could be a bit unnerving!

 

[BTravlin]

My wife and I dived Punta Sur for the first time on the 28th and, yes, it is an advanced dive. The day we were there the current was very slack and therefore was much more easily done. The dive itself is not that tough but when you combine a deep dive with long swim throughs, some narrow spots, some dark sections, some current and an exit at 120, you definitely don't want to take new divers there.

Very sorry this tragedy happened and hope others learn to not push themselves too far too soon.

 

[Mawg]

For those that don't know what Devil's Throat looks like, here is a photo of the second entrance we dove. As I've only done this site once, my description maybe a bit off, but for someone that is not comfortable in the water, this could be a bit unnerving!

THERE ARE OLD DIVERS AND BOLD DIVERS BUT NO OLD BOLD DIVERS!


My wife and I have been diving Cozumel since 1993. We've also been diving elsewhere. We've made over 150 dives in Cozumel. We go at least twice a year and have since 1993. In that time I can remember 3 to 4 reports of someone dying at Devils Throat. The " Throat " has been regarded as some sort of " Rite of Passage " for serious Cozumel Divers. I've always likened it to the guy who just couldnt resist racing his pick up truck over the RR tracks just before the train hit him. I used to see people wearing T Shirts that said " I dove the Throat .... and survived."

When I first started diving in Coz., I hooked up with a local DO who taught me A LOT about diving there and would NEVER have taken me to the throat. He said the throat was a cave dive at exterme depth and if you didnt have overhead training and advanced certification, you had no business going in there. I believed him then and I believe him now. I have been to Punta Sur many times, been in the Cathedral, beautiful dive, and swam OVER the entrance to the Throat a few times. I have also been to Maracaibo. I am confident in my skills and thoroughly comfortable in the water.

Since Wilma, I have noticed that a lot more DO's are taking people to the Throat. They are charging extra for it. I think this is a huge mistake. Being a good diver has never been about taking unnecessary risks. It's risky enough as it is. Just my opinion.

 

[pilot fish]

Pod people?? Grow up



But then again she wasn't from a cruise ship.

What we have here, Brian, is a failure to agree. You like diving with cruise people, fine, be my guest. Have fun.

Since we do not have any info on this poor lady, we are not sure of very much. Until we know, nothing can be ruled out. n'est ce pas?

 

[pilot fish]

My Speculation includes running out of air, equipment failure, medical emergency, or an embolism. If this happened while drifting at depth without others noticing, it's very conceivable that the diver may have drifted quickly out of sight, and out to sea.

My Prayers go out to the family.

Suspenden la búsqueda*-*Diario PorEsto!]Suspenden la búsqueda*-*Diario PorEsto!

My thoughts are with the poor family and I feel sorrow for this diver

My speculation is that she was a newbie, or not current, nor skilled for this site. I'd like to find out if indeed her husband dove with her, as first reported?