Diver Death Belize Blue Hole

[Mike]

I dove with Amigos del Mar. There were about 12 divers and they split us into 2 groups. There were 2 dive masters for each group. I was required to show my AOW card before we left port. The six of us dove one of the dive masters' computers (not our own). They had oxygen tanks hanging off the boat at our 7 minute decompression stop. We had a thorough pre-dive orientation. I think they did all they could do to make the dive safe. I dove with an AL100 (it is an option). One of the divers aborted the dive a minute into it( freaked out). Another diver in my group had to use a dive masters octo to get to the rest stop( they ran out of air).

Unfortunately your whole description other than someone actually having AOW, is basically a total cluster F in my opinion. No non-deco trained divers should be going on any non-deco dive with a planned 7 minute decompression stop. Nobody should ever be on a non-deco dive diving within training limits and experience, on a dive they are qualified to dive through experience and SAC rate and require 'oxygen' or what is actually just a standard al 80 tank to be hung at 30 ft. All those things you are describing are things no one needs if they dive a dive they are qualified to dive. Those items are all there as crutches for the Belize dive industry to mitigate the dangers as much as possible when they take divers on dives that they are unqualified to be going on.

Would it be cool if someone let you behind the wheel of an Indy car with no professional driving training when the fastest you've ever drove before is 100 mph in a factory car, and let you take the indy car up to 200 mph on the track, and to mitigate the danger you were being put in they put some pillows on the dash and had an extra large first aid kit standing by and gave you a fire extinguisher to hold in your lap?

Doing all they could do to make the dive safe is very simple, you only take divers with proper certification and experience on a dive they are qualified to do, that is simple and non-debatable, all the rest is rationalization and mitigation of a dangerous situation. But we've been through this all before a hundred times. It's very black and white no matter how much anyone else wants to paint the blue hole dive as having a lot of gray area about it. There are standards established and the Belize dive industry breaks and ignores them, they've done it to the point PADI has issued a letter officially stating it and the US state dept has issued a travelers warning about the state of the dive industry in Belize. I don't bring these issues up to belabor the point but to point out the obvious that no matter what any dive operation does to mitigate the risk, they are in the wrong as soon as the violate standards no matter how much they want to mitigate the risk and no matter how much any diver wants to rationalize what they are doing.

 

[Hawkwood]

...They had oxygen tanks hanging off the boat at our 7 minute decompression stop. We had a thorough pre-dive orientation. I think they did all they could do to make the dive safe. I dove with an AL100 (it is an option). One of the divers aborted the dive a minute into it( freaked out). Another diver in my group had to use a dive masters octo to get to the rest stop( they ran out of air).

So, you did not do an open water recreational dive...you did a decompression dive?

 

[Mike]

It blows my mind that anyone can say

I think they did all they could do to make the dive safe.

and this in the same paragraph

One of the divers aborted the dive a minute into it( freaked out). Another diver in my group had to use a dive masters octo to get to the rest stop( they ran out of air).

and I'm not even going to ask what this actually means

The six of us dove one of the dive masters' computers (not our own).

I'm going to naively assume that means all six were diving on their own computers rented from the shop, even though I know it means 5 people were relying on one person with a dive computer.

 

[chillyinCanada]

It more likely means they didn't have computers whereas the dm did. As you know it's a timed dive so diving the dm's computer is kind of a moot point.

I'm assuming here that you folks are not in favor of self responsibility and in favor of scuba police.

I've never had any trouble on this dive. I have seen a couple of divers needing more air whether that be from the dm or the hanging tanks. I've also been on other dives in other places where I've seen divers on a dm's tank. Too bad the scuba police weren't there then to say those divers were exceeding their training and the dive op should never have taken them out.

Our training and training materials tell us to dive within our training and experience. Iadvises of the RECOMMENDED depths for our level of certification. With a PADI certification card, a diver is just that a certified diver and responsible for themselves.

All that said, I do not support divers, new or otherwise from doing this dive if it is beyond their training level and if they ask me I'll tell them so. If I have a chance to bring up my opinion on this matter before they are already signed up and set on doing it, I make my case. I never never say a word about just before someone's dive. Don't want to mess with their head.

If you guys want to get on someone about this have PADI be the earliest voice and have them put far more emphasis on the recommendations in the materials and during OW training.

Belize is just "givin' 'em" what they want. Amigos runs boats out to Turneffe almost daily, they don't have to police the Blue Hole. If divers didn't want to go, then it wouldn't be part of Amigos business. Etc etc



---------- Post added July 9th, 2014 at 11:25 PM ----------

And apparently my rant is not yet over. I've just finished reading an interesting post on the Cozumel subforum. The post was interesting for many reasons but something struck me and reminded me that I've noticed it before . . . The bashers of how dangerous the Blue Hole dive is are rarely as hit under the collar about diving in Cozumel. I mean really, an "advanced" boat with extra air tanks running out of air and diving off of dm's tank! WTF?

I could go on and on about this comparison pointing out how a "regular" Cozumel dive may well be more dangerous than the Blue Hole dive but why bother? Those of you Blue Hole naysayers that get it get it, and those that don't never will.

To all new divers I say, please don't dive either the Blue Hole or Cozumel until you've had some dive experience that will stand in your favor.

With regard to the original post advising us of our fellow diver's death, as saddening as that is, based on what we've been told so far, it's my belief at this time that, while disheartening, the death is not related to the Blue Hole and may only be marginally related to diving.

 

[Mike]

All well and good to be self responsible.

However when a diver or multiple divers asks questions of a dive operator about their qualifications for doing the dive and the answers are not -

"You're not AOW? Sorry you can't go."

"How many dives do you have? 10? No you can't go."

"When was the last time you dived? 5 years ago? No you can't go"

But instead are -

"No problem, you'll be fine, we will hang tanks, we will dive together, we will have 2 dive masters, we do this all the time, it will be a quick bounce, we will make sure nothing happens to you, you will love it! Give me your credit card."

When that happens, and that is what is happening, all your rationalizations about self responsibility and giving the dive operators a complete pass on their ethics and responsibilities is pure BS, total trash.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I've never heard any of that but then I was qualified and experienced for it before I did it the first time. Perhaps while all of that conversation is going on, I'm already sitting on the boat. No idea.

So where did you hear that conversation?

Self responsibility is complete trash?

And when do you hear your suggested conversation at other locales?

 

[flots am]

All well and good to be self responsible.

However when a diver or multiple divers asks questions of a dive operator about their qualifications for doing the dive and the answers are not -

"You're not AOW? Sorry you can't go."

. . . instead are -

"No problem, you'll be fine, we will hang tanks, we will dive together, we will have 2 dive masters, we do this all the time, it will be a quick bounce, we will make sure nothing happens to you, you will love it! Give me your credit card."

When that happens, and that is what is happening, all your rationalizations about self responsibility and giving the dive operators a complete pass on their ethics and responsibilities is pure BS, total trash.

I know I posted this before, but the absolute funniest part of the Blue Hole dives is that anybody who is actually qualified to do the dive would never do it with a single tank.

The mark of being qualified for the above dive is to refuse to go.

flots.

 

[boulderjohn]

The six of us dove one of the dive masters' computers (not our own).

The wording of this sentence is ambiguous. I took it to mean that because the people in the group did not have their own computers, the shop gave each of them a computer to use for the trip. I know other shops in other places that require their divers to use computers and will supply them to those who do not have them. I hope that is what the post was intended to say.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I know I posted this before, but the absolute funniest part of the Blue Hole dives is that anybody who is actually qualified to do the dive would never do it with a single tank.

The mark of being qualified for the above dive is to refuse to go..

flots.

Oh flots . . .

 

[AWMIII]

The last time I dove the Blue Hole, I started with an al80 with 3200PSI of EAN25. My total dive run time was about 30 minutes. I surfaced with 1625psi with a max depth of 140. I immediately ran a dive plan on my computer and it said I had 11 minutes at 130 if I wanted to do a second dive immediately. I am not a small person. I weigh about 240lbs. I have a SAC between .45 and .55 on a single 80 in warm water.

My point is that it is a warm clear water dive with very little overhead and it is possible to do recreationally it on a single 80. Redundancy is also nice. I did miss redundancy, but a single 80 has enough gas in it for any reasonably experienced diver.


My second point is that EAN25 completely changes the dive plan. It takes it from a quick bounce against or over the no deco limits to a bounce dive that does not push the no deco limits. I wish the day boat operators would figure this out.

Amigos has 2 big boats. It is tough to keep them full and profitable. Too many marginal divers are taken out to Lighthouse Reef.

---------- Post added July 10th, 2014 at 11:13 AM ----------

Chilly, I am all for people being responsible for themselves. However, when a dive is guided, I think the operator has more responsibility. I think they should just pick up the mooring. Says the pool is open be back at a certain time.