Father and son run over by dive charter

[Scott L]

Looks like the news media is stalking this thread..... see below reference in RED

.....

 

[mike_s]

There does seem to be more "guests" browsing than usual

Haven't been watching the "list" of who's watching... but there are more "guests" reading this than members.

There are currently 20 users browsing this thread. (9 members and 11 guests)​

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

11 years old drift diving? While I'm not familiar with that reef at all it just sounds a little young regardless of the fact that Dad was with him.

No, it's not too young.

But, what if I'm a new diver that hasn't yet learned to listen for an approaching boat, hasn't learned to deploy a safety sausage from a safety stop, and just don't have that much situational awareness yet. I can easily see someone being run over by their own boat in that situation.

Then they have no business in the water. I do not see that at all.

FWC report summary, verbatim. Boldface mine. Not saying its 100 percent accurate; saying its what the FWC says in its initial report:

On 080911 at approximately 0910 hours a commercial dive charter vessel was operating a drift dive approximatley one mile north of Conch reef. Two divers standing on the stern dive platform jumped into the water while the vessel was in reverse gear. The divers were struck by the vessel propellers sustaining severe life threatening injuries. The divers were airlifted to Dade County hospitals for treatment of their injuries.

The captain may have been repositioning due to slow diver set up, wave push, or current movement. We just don't know yet. The point is the divers entered prematurely. A DM should have known better, how to read the situation, and not entered with his son.
I am curious as to where the boat's DM was. Perhaps helping the captain at the front or side to reposition.

I find it way difficult to believe that a diver and son would just jump in the water prematurely.

It's like so far fetched I can't think of any possible scenario

People get complacent, or arrogant, or rushed, and do bonehead things all the time.

I imagine the actual account of this will be surprising....something wierd must have happened.

I agree. There has to be more to this story. And it may be a weird series of events. It is a terrible thing, all the way around.

 

[danvolker]

Imagine a couple of Rock climbers on a cliff face, about to repel down 100 feet. Both step off the ledge, without first clipping in their ropes--so they free fall to their death. Is rock climbing to blame? Is the practice of repelling down a face to blame?

Maybe something distracted them, but in any event, they choose to step off.

 

[DandyDon]

There are currently 21 users browsing this thread. (8 members and 13 guests)

I've heard that some news outlets are stalking us.

 

[aprxh]

I am Hoping for a full recovery for the boy and his father.

I fear we will never know the whole story on what happened.

 

[mdb]

I've done many a drift dive off West Palm Beach, some of the best with Norine Rouse and her beloved turtles. Drift diving is a great way to dive. Sorry to see the outcome in this incident.

 

[gypsyjim]

Looks like the news media is stalking this thread..... see below reference in RED



CORRECTION: Harrington Father & Son Injured in Florida Boating Accident - WGMD.COM



CORRECTION: Harrington Father & Son Injured in Florida Boating Accident


CORRECTION 8.12.11: A correction to a story we first told you about Thursday.

Florida newspaper the “Key West Citizen” had reported that a Harrington man and his 11-year-old son were injured this week when they were run over by their charter boat’s propellers while diving in the Florida Keys. That part of the story was correct. However the newspaper had the father and son’s names switched.

We now have learned from a thread on scubaboard.com that 39-year old Jared Adkins and his son Calvin got into the water near Conch Reef, just south of Key Largo on Tuesday, and were readying for their dive, when the 46-foot charter boat “Big Dipper” ran over them.

Investigators are still trying to determine exactly what happened.

WBOC TV meantime is reporting that Jared Adkins has been released from the hospital; his son remains in critical condition at Miami’s Children’s Hospital.

==============================================================================

ORIGINAL STORY 8.11.11: A Florida newspaper is reporting that a Harrington man and his 11-year-old son were injured this week when they were run over by their charter boat’s propellers while diving in the Florida Keys.

The “Key West Citizen” says 39-year old Calvin Adkins and his son got into the water near Conch Reef, just south of Key Largo on Tuesday, and were readying for their dive, when the 46-foot charter boat “Big Dipper” ran over them.

The newspaper says both were taken to a hospital in Miami in serious condition.

=============================================================================

KEY WEST — A Delaware man and his 11-year-old son had to be hospitalized after being run over by their charter boat’s propellers while diving in the Florida Keys.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Bobby Dube tells the Key West Citizen that 39-year-old Calvin Adkins of Harrington, Del., and his son were airlifted to Miami hospitals in serious condition after Tuesday’s accident.

Dube says Adkins and his son were run over by their 46-foot charter boat just after getting into the water near Conch Reef, 9 miles south of Key Largo. It was unclear whether they jumped in before the boat’s captain and crew told them to.

The Coast Guard, state wildlife officials and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office are investigating

Maybe that explains why the media gets things so wrong, so often!

Going to an on-line chat type forum, to collect rumors, and random 1/2 facts, rather than going to direct sources that might have more accurate information, seems awfully lazy, and publishing such half truths and possibly erroneous info is asking for trouble.

 

[Splitlip]

I love the rubber duck image, LOL.

Last thing we need is more legislation.
You made some excellent points. The captain should have been much more in tune with the skill level of his divers.
This has not happened in 30 years. (38 in my recollection at least in Palm Beach)

I'm thinking (guessing) father and son were on the platform; they were to be the first in the water. Captain reverses trying to set up the drop. The boy falls and dad jumps in behind him. As soon as the captain sees the boy go over, he cuts the engine. Not quickly enough to avoid crtical injuries to the boy.

Dad was released and son is in intensive care if I recall correctly.

The crew should not have had an 11 year old with 40 some pounds of gear standing on the platform.

Like I said, just guessing.

I don't think it is absolutely necessary for divers to be on the platform while in motion ( on most dive sites) , but on the other hand, I really don't like the idea at all that an accident like the horrible one that just occurred, would have an effect on practices which have not caused accidents for 30 years.

I don't hold to the school of thought, that it always has to be someone else's fault...that it can never be just unfortunate that a person had an accident.

I still believe absolutely, that if I jump into the water before the captain tells me to, then I am in the wrong, and can't blame the platform issue for the bad drop. So I listen very carefully to the divemaster and Captain, and take this "entrance to the water moment", as a very serious element of the dive, that has to be perfect. I always am certain of the dive command, before jumping in...this IS common sense.

Let's say there is a spectacular coral cave, with a huge jewfish living in it, on a 100 foot by 50 foot patch of coral we know of. The current is running at 2 knots. I want my ultra cool shot, a friend of mine with me, wants to be able to see this place, because it has been talked about so much ( there is such a place).

The current "may" be exactly north...or, it may be headed at a 30 degree angle east of pure north...you can't really tell as you approach the site, with the wind going an entirely different direction. I can stand on the platform with my buddy, the captain can make a big circle and intersect over the edge of the patch at the area he expects will be the upcurrent edge ( not something anyone can be sure about--you can even have different current directions on the bottom, from the surface). When he sees he has hit the edge, he reverses engines to hit a complete stop over the edge, or to back up maybe ten feet...then shuts down or idles and calls the DIVE Command out, with NO doubt whatsoever of this being the correct instant to jump in, BC emptied of air, and begin swimming down at flank speed, even before hitting the water .....At the bottom almost exactly over the feature the captain wanted us on, we end up with a perfect drop...This is a place where the "rubber duck" style divers, that jump in to the water in straggling groups, spread out by over a minute, floating, and slowly descending, would be no where near the coral cave feature, and probably no where near any part of the reef itself( probably over sand--which in my book, they deserve; I CAN'T STAND TO SEE DIVERS FLOATING ALONG ON THE SURFACE FOR A MINUTE BEFORE DESCENDING !!!ARGH!!#%!!!! To me, this is the worst style of diving. It is possible in areas where zero current exists, but it is retarded as a standard method of ocean diving. Check your guages while you are on the boat....Stay with your buddy durring the fast descent, check everything you want at the bottom...If you are handicapped by a bad sinus, why should your medical impairment, screw up the optimal practice for all the healthy divers? I say, let the healthy divers go down the RIGHT way, and the medically impaired can try to hit from a long slow drift in--but they will not have the success rate in perfect drops, that a healthy diver will have. Period.

In other words, should some bogus law be enacted to prevent captains from being able to run with divers on the platform, it would mean destroying good drop potentials in challenging areas , and missing out on spectacular dives. Forget it....People need to take responsibility for their own actions. And some times a tragic accident, is just a tragic accident, and NOT something that needs to change existing laws and practices.

 

[mike_s]

Maybe that explains why the media gets things so wrong, so often!

Going to an on-line chat type forum, to collect rumors, and random 1/2 facts, rather than going to direct sources that might have more accurate information, seems awfully lazy, and publishing such half truths and possibly erroneous info is asking for trouble.

Sadly the media is this lazy on most stuff they report on now days.


1/2 facts is exactly right.