Family sues resort over son who died diving in The Crater

[ScubaSarus]

Lets see

Not having a lifeguard when they knew and were told to have one.

Free diving that's immensely stress full on the cardiovascular system and without a spotter. Heck Apnea breath holding is dangerous to do in your living room. He should not have been allowed really to do so alone IMO. I doubt I would give my mask to someone to free dive alone. I would volunteer to spot for him or see if I can pair him up.

I see negligence here.

He came to the surface, rolled over and sank. Sounds like a blackout. If others saw him, a lifeguard most likely would have saw him and could have jumped in to pull him out.

Do people know for sure vis was only 4' that day ? Hardly a place that should even allow SCUBA IMO or free diving without a buddy.

I think $74k is quite a small settlement for this negligent act for disobeying the safety rules even though the deceased took a big risk also by not having a spotter in a dangerous sport.

People and even I at one point underestimate the dangers of free diving. I'm glad an experience freediver set me straight a few years back.

Obviously and expensive corner to cut and a fatal decision not to have a spotter maybe. Some of us take risks; at least I do at times and I know its unwise. SCUBA diving in its self is a risk. The legal earnest though seems to fall on the people that ran the water hole as the man's relatives are also suffering his loss and are seeking compensation.

 

[boulderjohn]

The visibility in the crater is normally much better than 4'. For those who haven't been there, the problematic part is the part in the original lawsuit that says that they were required to have adequate lighting. The crater is actually a dome--think of a big rock igloo. In the early days people used to enter through the hole in the roof, dropping down on a rope. They now have a tunnel in through the side. Even on the brightest days, it would be dark as night if it were not for the lights.

And that's the problem. They don't have a lot of lights under water, and I have been there when they are not all working. I have done day dives where having a light was essential.

If you go to the Rocky Mountain Oysters forum and do a search, you will find that the crater management is frequently criticized for its failure to maintain the operation as it should be. Because there are so few divable locations in the area, it is frequently used for scuba instruction, and a number of people are concerned about teaching OW students in what can sometimes be nearly a night diving situation.

 

[ScubaSarus]

You bring up a good point about the missing lights and I had a hunch visibility was dependent on light in that hole. I believe public swimming pools that are in operation at night have lighting requirements and I'm not too sure of the lighting requirements for this place.

 

[Scared Silly]

For those who are not familiar with the crater:

Diving in a Crater at Wayfaring Travel Guide

 

[ScubaSarus]

Well here is their website: Utah Resorts - Homestead Resort - The Crater

It a very neat geological formation definitely worth visiting once.

The water is said to be crystal clear. They offer their own SCUBA tours for non-certs and you can have a 35 min dive for a cost also.

I'm surprised the guy was freediving alone. Snorkeling and doing a shallow descent here and there is one thing; but going to a far depth not having enough air to rise could be speculated leading to a blackout. The stress of lack of O2 to the heart is humongous while freediving.

The crater is 55ft deep. I'm lucky to be able to freedive 20-25 feet and barely make it back to the surface.

 

[boulderjohn]

The water is said to be crystal clear.

I don't know who has said that, but I have never seen anything like that. The walls are essentially dirt, and you are required to make careful controlled seated entries to minimize silt-creating waves.

The bottom, more like 65 feet, is soft and composed of a fine gray silt. Getting near it stirs it up. A year or so ago a part of the wooden platform, actually a wooden seating area in the 94° water, collapsed, creating a silt explosion that lasted to some degree for many months. This was made worse by the fact that they made no effort to repair it, and visitors were all going to the bottom to look at it and stir things up some more.

The water is full of minerals. If you wear a T-shirt in it and let it dry, you could probably stand it up in the corner of your room.

 

[Hank49]

RIP, free diver.

 

[Clanggedin]

Utah law states that geothermic pools are required to have a lifeguard. I'm not sure if I would classify the Crater as a 'pool'. It's more of a Quarry.

I bet the owners of the Crater will defend it in this sense. There is no law stating Quarries need lifeguards.

 

[boulderjohn]

Utah law states that geothermic pools are required to have a lifeguard. I'm not sure if I would classify the Crater as a 'pool'. It's more of a Quarry.

I bet the owners of the Crater will defend it in this sense. There is no law stating Quarries need lifeguards.

How is it like a quarry? It is a natural thermal pool, essentially an extinct mud geyser.

Nothing has ever been quarried out of it.

 

[ScubaSarus]

I don't know who has said that, but I have never seen anything like that. The walls are essentially dirt, and you are required to make careful controlled seated entries to minimize silt-creating waves.

The water is full of minerals. If you wear a T-shirt in it and let it dry, you could probably stand it up in the corner of your room.

Quoting from their website:

They say they have carved a tunnel to allow access to crystal clear mineral water.