Criminally negligent homicide?/Scuba Instructor Faces Charges (merged threads)

[Diver Dennis]

Sorry about that boys, didn't see the other one...

Actually, it's fine to delete this one.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Sorry about that boys, didn't see the other one...

Actually, it's fine to delete this one.

That is OK. It is sometimes tough to tell if they are the same because of how things may be worded. Those who read them, can point them out and that is they get fixed. Ciao.

 

[PhilEllis]

I don't think that it changes the picture at all, the question is not her "credentials" but her abilities. If the university knew what she was doing and chose to have her do it, what PADI or NAUI or SSI says is just irrelevant noise, they wouldn't know how to conduct a university program if it bit them in the rear, it not their thing.

This accident got a considerable amount of discussion here locally. What I know about it is simply what has been said about it from sources claiming to know.....

From what I understand, the activities that were going on at the time this incident happened were not activities and teaching protocols that ANY agency or university would approve. I also heard the rumor that indictments of other individuals might be forthcoming.

No matter the circumstances, this is a bad situation.

Phil Ellis

 

[String]

I cant see how the "instructor" is being hung out to dry here. Surely if its an academic model there must be a committee somewhere that decides standards, checks qualifications and appoints people for them ?!

If they appointed someone who wasn't qualified then that is their fault not the person who got appointed. If they appointed someone who had lied about qualification then its different.

Its looking to me like people are chasing the wrong person as opposed to going after the root cause.

 

[John_B]

Its looking to me like people are chasing the wrong person as opposed to going after the root cause.

Exactly.

Either that, or there is a whole lot more to the story than is being reported here. Phil, I won't ask you to repeat rumor and innuendo, but can you point us to somewhere that has that additional information?

 

[Nemrod]

Todays training standards require that the scuba regulator remain in place during controlled emergency swiming assents (CESA). This prevents the stundent from inhaling water and allows for the drill to be aborted.

The instructor should be in a position to abort the ascent if it is to fast or if exhaliation is not occuring.

I am sure that in 1976 the standards were different. It is the responsibility of the instructor to keep current with training standards.

This is a complicated story with conflicting information and the lady supposedly not being an instructor and not supervising the student who is counter alleged was "on drugs" and the whole of it will need to be worked out .

However, doff and don has been and continues to be a BASIC scuba skill since the inception of the sport and is considered as a BASIC skill to be important. Just because you were not taught this important skill means nothing other than your instructor was negligent in not preparing you for the possiblity you might someday need to remove gear if only temporarily to repair something. I think you should sue for not having been fully trained.

I don't think I would be teaching doff and don in eighteen feet of water, eight, but not eighteen. The skill can be learned in eight to ten feet of water and should be done with the instructor supervising closely no more than two or three students at a time, first one, then the other and then the other--not all at once. In that way she/he can remain in eye contact with the student and provide physical intervention if need be.

N

 

[Doubler]

Jay,
When I was first certified in 1976 this was a common drill. Remove all your gear on the bottom, surface, dive back down and put it all back on. Was called a Doff and Don exercise. Did it several times.

Jim

 

[Walter]

Todays training standards require that the scuba regulator remain in place during controlled emergency swiming assents (CESA). This prevents the stundent from inhaling water and allows for the drill to be aborted.

The instructor should be in a position to abort the ascent if it is to fast or if exhaliation is not occuring.

I am sure that in 1976 the standards were different. It is the responsibility of the instructor to keep current with training standards.

Since we've yet to hear under which standards she was operating, it's impossible to know what those standards require. You are making assumptions.

 

[Captain Morgan]

The skill can be learned in eight to ten feet of water and should be done with the instructor supervising closely no more than two or three students at a time, first one, then the other and then the other--not all at once. In that way she/he can remain in eye contact with the student and provide physical intervention if need be.

That's exactly how I remember my instructor training me and doing that drill with everyone else. He was literally up in my face during that exercise and during my ascent keeping eye contact. I know not everyone instructs the same way but I assure you he would have intervened if I was doing something wrong. I remember him grabbing another students BCD because she wasn't letting out enough air during her EBA because she was afraid she would run out before reaching the surface. We were in 10' of water. However fundamental the exercise....anything can happen. That was some 10 years ago, I imagine things have changed.

 

[jeter]

However, doff and don has been and continues to be a BASIC scuba skill since the inception of the sport and is considered as a BASIC skill to be important. Just because you were not taught this important skill means nothing other than your instructor was negligent in not preparing you for the possiblity you might someday need to remove gear if only temporarily to repair something. I think you should sue for not having been fully trained. N

Removing and replacing scuba gear in water to deep to stand in is certainly tought in my classes. This is a basic skill and tought in order to free your gear from entaglemnt.

However ABANDONING your gear and heading to the surface without your gear is not taught in my class and I believe it is dangerours. You should try to solve your problems underwater! Only a paniced diver would head to the surface without his gear in case of entagelement.