I witnessed a diver die onboard Lahaina Divers’ Molokai "Hammerhead" charter on October 14, 2016.
First off, this is a dangerous dive site (think opposite of Molokini crater), especially being located so far away from land and from other boats/help. This was the only boat out there. If the crew fails to help during an emergency and there isn't the proper emergency equipment onboard, you're really in trouble.
Here is what I witnessed:
1.) A dive instructor placed an unresponsive, non-breathing diver with the brightest blue face I have ever seen in the recovery position (on his side) without an oxygen mask. This is in violation of basic CPR procedures.
2.) The oxygen tank should have been full, the crew should have known how to use it, the oxygen mask should have been on the divers face as soon as he became unresponsive, and the mask should have remained on his face the entire time instead of being removed by the crew.
3.) Customers managed the emergency, NOT the crew. The most qualified people onboard hid upstairs on the top deck away from the scene. The customers (along with the least qualified crew member onboard) performed CPR for over 2 hours while the hunt for the rebreathers occurred.
4.) There was no AED onboard.
5.) There was no emergency rebreather diver recall procedure in place. The recall consisted of the captain driving around looking for the rebreathers (who don't blow bubbles), and for a dive instructor to put gear back on, and jump off of the boat alone in 10-12 ft seas multiple times trying to hunt for the rebreathers. The rebreathers said they had a 34 minute decompression stop which prevented them from coming up immediately.
Between these multiple delays and the coast guard delay due to other island emergencies, the odds were stacked against the diver. At such a dangerous dive site, I believe all divers (rebreathers and recreational) should surface together in their groups and work as a team to get back on board safely. Since there is the potential for many divers to surface in multiple areas and drift far away from the boat quickly (and have multiple emergencies), there should have been more crew members onboard.
So, don't lie on your PADI medical statement; don’t trust ocean conditions you are nervous about, even if Lahaina Divers is willing to let you jump in; don’t let Lahaina Divers try to tell you that it isn’t a dangerous dive because no one can predict the ocean especially in the “crazy” Pailolo channel; don't risk your life or your friends/family members’ lives if you're not extremely physically/mentally fit to handle yourself and potentially others in rough seas and very strong currents. Believe me, as a diver who has done this dive over 20 times, no matter how many sharks you might see, it isn't worth it.
