By the way, I just received this email from Capt. Colin of
JVD Scuba:
"Jost Van Dyke Scuba arrived at 'the Playground' mooring buoy Thursday morning to assist and continue in search efforts with two Instructors and two advanced 'master scuba diver trainer' rated tourists who were paying to dive and wanting to help. Upon arrival at the buoy, VISAR divers were on the mooring and divers were being deployed minutes later to search. We were advised that no assistance was necessary in that area and our team went downwind to search at the Twin Towers area off the Northside of Little Jost Van Dyke, for the potential drift of the body. After a one hour search dive and 30 minute surface interval at the Twin Towers, our dive vessel returned to the Playground mooring where the body had already been recovered and VISAR divers had left the scene. Our divers went on the dive anyway, less than 1 hour after the body had been recovered and removed from the water, there were absolutely NO SHARKS in the vicinity at that time (and they were looking!!!). Abundant fish life, as usual, but no sharks whatsoever, and our dive covered the entire site and then some, totalling :55 minutes bottom time. We dived the site again twice on Friday and no sharks were seen either, so the rumors of some massive school of sharks invading the BVI is "all media/rumor oriented"... because we have four boats diving around Jost all day long, six days a week, and it's just our normal abundant marine life, nothing dangerous. Of course, we are all very sick and disturbed that a diver died here, but that can happen when BASIC scuba safety rules are neglected: the divers did not stay together and the fault is unfortunately that of all three divers, plain and simple, and sad: the 'Buddy System' must be adhered to from entering the water to leaving it, every time. Everyone MUST stay closely together when scuba diving at all times. Also, we understand that the diver, although relatively experienced (we hear), had not been diving in some time, and that was, in hindsight, poor judgement to go diving without Professional supervision on the first dive of their vacation. If I haven't piloted an airplane in a year, I wouldn't take one up with my wife and kids alone and fly, I'd hire a professional Pilot to take me up first and go over things again to refresh my skills with a Refresher Course. Unfortunately, we commonly see tourists rent sailing yachts and go diving unsupervised with little or no experience in true 'open water' diving, yet they have a false sense of security about 'how easy diving is' and we are truly lucky that these incidents are not more common in our area. We ALWAYS recommend Refresher Courses... and diving with any of the Professional BVI Dive Operators is the 'guaranteed way' to safely enjoy all of the wonderful dive sites we have to share with International travelers of all skill levels. My family and our Six Instructors are all deeply sorry for this tragedy happening so close to home for us, and more so disturbed and saddened that another family is passing through such a horrible loss of a father and husband, and our condolences, sympathies, and prayers are going out to them. A true loss. My best regards, Capt Colin D. Aldridge, Director Jost Van Dyke Scuba & BVI Eco-Tours , Great Harbour,
JVD, BVI 284.495.0271
JVD Scuba - Jost Van Dyke & The BVI
info@jostvandykescuba.com"
