Dangerous Crossing

[cvchief]

From the article I posted:
It was referring to statements made by the boat captain and it appears he lied about who the owner was.
That is one red flag.
Things are sounding more fishy......another red flag.
I see a pattern of red flags now........
Those initial findings of the investigation raise alot of questions after the fact.
I think it is conceivable that the boat owner and dive shop can be held accountable for any improper paperwork and or permits.
It looks like the boat captain might also be in trouble for his attempt to hide some of the facts.
It is hard to tell from that info if they were operating legally, maybe time will tell.

So, there are alot of read flags, because a news article says there are a lot of red flags.

Feel free to correct me, but the allegations seem to be:

1. The boat was not of proper design or in the proper state of repair for crossing the channel. This seems reasonable to discuss from a safety perspective.
2. The boat's registration or ownership or paperwork is in question. I haven't heard anything to make this a safety issue.
3. Mau supposedly isn't affiliated with some dive organizations on the island. Does he have to belong? What does belonging mean even?


Doesn't all still go back to simply to the question of the seaworthiness of the boat for the use it was put to? Isn't all the rest noise without bearing on the question of why the boat went down? Don't make it more than it is.

 

[WSOPFAN]

I am curious as to why there are no comments from those involved. They already made statements to investigators and from what I can tell none of the victims have any liability whatsoever.

 

[MMM]

I am curious as to why there are no comments from those involved. They already made statements to investigators and from what I can tell none of the victims have any liability whatsoever.

Well, again, I'm just going from TV shows, but usually the lawyer has been on by now telling his clients to shut up and he will do all the talking. Haven't you seen that show?

 

[WSOPFAN]

Well, again, I'm just going from TV shows, but usually the lawyer has been on by now telling his clients to shut up and he will do all the talking. Haven't you seen that show?

So you think they have definitely all retained lawyers to file suit? I highly doubt it......cost too much and in the end they would get nothing. The biggest thing I am curious about is if any of the divers knew it had a glass bottom and was covered. If I were not told and I was on that dive boat, I would be livid. What if a storm set in very fast and no rescue effort could have been launched. The thought of having to endure a storm all night or be turned into cruiseship propeller chum would just about make me postal.

 

[cvchief]

Chief, if you go back and re-read some of the earlier posts I believe this has already been answered. Dave Dillehay says that the old "leaky"LU1 sunk again last summer and has been retired to the jungle. FWIW, it was a twin engine craft. Someone else, cenote's69 I think, said that Maurice Torelli took a glass bottomed boat from Scuba Mau, fixed it up a bit with a litttle help from his friends, and made a deal with mechanic Max (who owned the old LU and held its paperwork) to transfer that paperwork. Debradelamar came on and explained how that gets done. the "new" Livingunderwater, now truly living up to its name, was a single engine craft. I hope this is a fairly accurate Reader's Digest version to answer your question. I was thrown initially b/c I didn't know that the old LU had sunk again last summer and had not returned to the water until Dave posted it. A good thing too. It had become a POS...in spite of its 2 engines!

OK that makes more sense. I didn't recognize the picture of the back of that boat as the same one that sunk on Palancar last summer that also apparently sunk in Caleta around that time too. The paperwork and whether or not the permits were properly moved doesn't seem germane to the safety issue. Especially if you consider the old, once totally legal boat liked to sink alot....

 

[cvchief]

So you think they have definitely all retained lawyers to file suit? I highly doubt it......cost too much and in the end they would get nothing. The biggest thing I am curious about is if any of the divers knew it had a glass bottom and was covered. If I were not told and I was on that dive boat, I would be livid. What if a storm set in very fast and no rescue effort could have been launched. The thought of having to endure a storm all night or be turned into cruiseship propeller chum would just about make me postal.

It's Mexico. Who knows if you can even sue if you wanted to. Haven't we heard that at least two passengers were also personal friends who probalbly won't sue a pal. ( See friends )

 

[morecowbells]

I am curious as to why there are no comments from those involved. They already made statements to investigators and from what I can tell none of the victims have any liability whatsoever.

I admit that I am guilty (as many of us on this thread) of wanting to know all the details of what happened on this boat. Despite all the jabs and bickering, I have learned a great deal from this incident. I was always complacent in my belief that my bright orange SMB would be far more effective than a compact mirror in this type of situation and it never crossed my mind to carry one. I can now tell you with a 100% certainty I will start carrying a mirror in my bcd from now on.

I think it is important to be respectful to all those whom were involved. Sure we all want the nitty gritty details, but to call out these SB members by name, plus feel entitled to shame them into divulging this truly terrifying ordeal is in poor taste. I cannot imagine what these poor souls went through mentally (not seeing their loved ones again, unfinished business etc.) or the physical toll(dehydration, hypothermia, exhaustion, exposure etc.). Give them time to heal. Perhaps they will want to talk about it or perhaps not. That is their decision and it should be respected.

 

[Mike]

Hard to say, Mike. The google translated articles contradict themselves too much to tell.

Sure, I'd agree that a poorly built or patched boat should not be used for a channel crossing. I do not know for sure if that applies here is all.

All I know is that more than one report says the boat went down in a tearing hurry. The time reported was something like 15 seconds. So fast one person was caught in bouy lines apparently.

I do know that no boat goes down that fast without a catastrophic, read that as -- highly unusual -- circumstance. A circumstance that can cause a instantaneous loss of ability of displacement. An explosion is a typical cause of something like this. A collision with a larger boat at a good speed is another. Boats simply don't go down in 15 seconds without very unusual circumstances.

The fact that the boat seems to have gone down so quickly and the vague descriptions of some sort of a glass bottom, tells me that it's highly likely this boat had some sort of glass bottom situation of some sort. It explains the quick sinking. A logical scenario that explains such an unusually quick sinking could easily involve either a glass bottom that failed or a shoddy repair to the previous glass bottom hole in the boat that catastrophically failed and caused near instantaneous sinking.

Unless there is something not being disclosed, or the timing is being reported incorrectly, it sounds to me like a catastrophic failure of whatever the circumstances were surrounding this glass bottom situation.

So Don, I'd say it certainly has to apply here.

As for the lack of anybody involved reporting anything here, I guess I just look at that as sometimes the silence of what's not being said says it all.

 

[MMM]

So you think they have definitely all retained lawyers to file suit?

Where did I say that? Repeats of old TVs shows is all I'm saying.

 

[DandyDon]

So what day was it they almost died for hours, but already some are calling on them to give up the details...?

I don't know if I'd be sober enough to type yet?

I will start carrying a mirror in my bcd from now on.

I really like the one that hangs from my neck.