Diver Missing Race Rocks BC, Canada

[gcarter]

Hi JohnnyC,
From the family statement, the family is not hoping for some legislation for scuba divers but legislation for diving operators. It sounds reasonable as within a month, the same dive center was responsible for causing two massive air and sea search and rescues for divers on its charter dives to Race Rocks. Though the June pair was found a mile or two away, such incident is costly not just to human life and the family, but to tax payers paying for the tens and thousands of $ per search. Based on Race Rocks website, the currents at Race Rocks on June 6 at 1pm and July 5th at 11am, being the approximate time when two troubled teams of divers entered water, were both tearing away at 5.5 knots. At that speed, even drift diving will be like riding an elevator with the door open! As there are plenty of tourists interested in trying out Race Rocks, the dive center should have timed the dives to match the slack tides, which in a full moon can be very brief.

There is nothing in anything I have read to suggest that the dive center caused these events. Divers are always free to make their own decisions as to currents /c conditions and their ability to do a dive.

 

[wedivebc]

There is nothing in anything I have read to suggest that the dive center caused these events. Divers are always free to make their own decisions as to currents /c conditions and their ability to do a dive.

I totally agree with this post although there is a disturbing tendency for people, not just divers to not accept the consequenses of their bad decisions.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I totally agree with this post although there is a disturbing tendency for people, not just divers to NOT accept the consequences of their bad decisions.

Fixed it for you...

 

[Shinythings]

I wonder if Ogden might be more particular about who goes out there in the future?

I think we are seeing more care being taken by the charter operators in the area now as a result of this. I believe there is a certain onus on the diver to dive within their skill level. In the case of inexperienced divers, I feel the dive pros/shop that they are paying have a responsibility to say no.

 

[rjack321]

There is nothing in anything I have read to suggest that the dive center caused these events. Divers are always free to make their own decisions as to currents /c conditions and their ability to do a dive.

"The current's not that bad"
"We take intermediate divers here all the time"
"Just relax and go with the flow we will pick you up"

There are lots of ways that operators or more experienced buddies can cajole or contribute to other divers doing something they might otherwise doubt, cancel, or never sign up/pay for in the first place. Peer pressure and group dynamics/motivations are a powerful force in many accidents.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

"The current's not that bad"
"We take intermediate divers here all the time"
"Just relax and go with the flow we will pick you up"

There are lots of ways that operators or more experienced buddies can cajole or contribute to other divers doing something they might otherwise doubt, cancel, or never sign up/pay for in the first place. Peer pressure and group dynamics/motivations are a powerful force in many accidents.

... a significant point in this article ... http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/content/460-dont-worry-will-ok.html

Given the tidal exchanges that day, I was surprised to learn that the dive charter took these people out there. It's not so much that there are "always" areas that are diveable ... it's more to the point that nobody can accurately know what the current patterns will be on days of large exchanges. That's why they call them "predictions" ... it's not that uncommon for them to be different than what you're expecting. Experience matters ... not just in terms of dealing with difficult and unpredictable events, but in terms of knowing when to anticipate what might be, and call the dive before you ever put yourself in a bad situation in the first place. If nothing else, dive ops should be more selective about who they bring into these situations on large exchange days ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[boulderjohn]

Not every diver has 1,000 or more logged dives in a wide variety of locations. New divers are wisely taught in their OW classes that when they encounter diving environments that are new to them, they need to get local guidance before going out on a dive. Yes, ultimately it is their decision to do a dive, but they have no choice but to base that decision in large part on the advice of the people who know the area well. I had over 800 logged dives in a wide variety of situations when I went to Puget Sound, but I had never dived there. I didn't know anything about how the tides affect the diving conditions in those various dive sites. I relied completely on friends who lived there to choose the dive sites that would be best for us then.

 

[rjack321]

Not every diver has 1,000 or more logged dives in a wide variety of locations. New divers are wisely taught in their OW classes that when they encounter diving environments that are new to them, they need to get local guidance before going out on a dive. Yes, ultimately it is their decision to do a dive, but they have no choice but to base that decision in large part on the advice of the people who know the area well. I had over 800 logged dives in a wide variety of situations when I went to Puget Sound, but I had never dived there. I didn't know anything about how the tides affect the diving conditions in those various dive sites. I relied completely on friends who lived there to choose the dive sites that would be best for us then.

Despite having 10x the experience of the two novices being discussed here, I bet you weren't taken to Race Rocks or (from Bob's article) Lummi Island. I'd bet money you went to one of our low to modest current shore dives first. Or if it was a boat diving site it was one of our most benign ones. That's just what good hosts do, as having fun in new conditions is the highest priority.

 

[boulderjohn]

Despite having 10x the experience of the two novices being discussed here, I bet you weren't taken to Race Rocks or (from Bob's article) Lummi Island. I'd bet money you went to one of our low to modest current shore dives first. Or if it was a boat diving site it was one of our most benign ones. That's just what good hosts do, as having fun in new conditions is the highest priority.

And you would be right.

 

[Scubawankenobi]

Not every diver has 1,000 or more logged dives in a wide variety of locations. New divers are wisely taught in their OW classes that when they encounter diving environments that are new to them, they need to get local guidance before going out on a dive. Yes, ultimately it is their decision to do a dive, but they have no choice but to base that decision in large part on the advice of the people who know the area well. I had over 800 logged dives in a wide variety of situations when I went to Puget Sound, but I had never dived there. I didn't know anything about how the tides affect the diving conditions in those various dive sites. I relied completely on friends who lived there to choose the dive sites that would be best for us then.

Re: "wisely taught in their OW classes that when they encounter diving environments that are new to them, they need to get local guidance before going out on a dive"

For the record -
The diver involved in this tragedy did the right thing. He informed them of his limited experience / inexperience w/local conditions and requested a Dive Master.
A DM was provided by the operator and assigned as the diver's buddy.