Diver dies at DUI demo event at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester

[large_diver]

Don't know any details about this, but here are 2 articles from the Gloucester Times. Very sad - condolences to his family.

GPD: Diver had no drysuit clearance » Top Stories » GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/tops...-after-incident-in-waters-off-Stage-Fort-Park

 

[drbill]

I've attended several DUI Demo Days out here on Catalina. It is my observation that they are always well supervised and that divers testing the dry suits out are accompanied by an instructor who stays with them. I don't know any more about this particular incident than what I read in the Gloucester Times article. However, the author of that article seems to have little clue about how the event was run, referring to the diver having had "no clearance" (certification on a drysuit).

I guess they don't understand that new divers dive many different pieces of equipment without having "clearance" for them (until they are certified). Think of all the OW students who don't have "clearance" for any of the SCUBA gear they are diving but are under the supervision of an instructor who (hopefully) eventually gives them "clearance" through certification. Divers involved in the DUI Demo Day may have never had dry suit certification, but according to the standards of the industry they are diving the new piece of equipment under the supervision of instructors.

I don't know what vis and other what conditions were like on the day of the event of course.

 

[Malpaso]

Being discussed here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...0-fatality-stage-fort-park-massachusetts.html

 

[large_diver]

I've been to that event before at that exact site. The site itself is relatively sheltered; water is shallow and slopes off gradually. Water temps are still in the low 40s in the Gloucester area. When I attended in 2011, the event was very well-organized.

Thanks for the link