Female Diver Broke Ankle at Blue Grotto

[sydney-diver]

Slipping and falling in dive gear is a scary thought. Packing in with all the crap on would not be fun. I've been trying out some felt soled boots for some of the slippery rock areas.

-Mitch

Yes it's not much fun, and can be dangerous if you're trying to enter/exit the water on slippery rocks with a heavy surf. Some boots have more grip than others and are more suited to shore diving. And it's always a good idea to keep your regulator in your mouth until there's no chance of falling back into the water.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Just so you'll know, the only value of the signed release is in preventing someone from trying to file a suit. You cannot sign away your rights. That said, I know nothing of the circumstances of this fall.

SeaRat

 

[caver]

She was wearing her fins while walking down the stairs....

 

[RedCash02]

She was wearing her fins while walking down the stairs....

You know this as a fact? There's a big platform at the bottom of those stairs. I can't imagine why anyone would even consider doing that.

 

[laguna230diver]

Giant stride!

 

[ItsBruce]

Just so you'll know, the only value of the signed release is in preventing someone from trying to file a suit. You cannot sign away your rights. That said, I know nothing of the circumstances of this fall.

SeaRat

Is that so? Can you cite me some Florida case or statutory law that says that? OTOH, see Cutchin v. Habitat Curacao-Maduro Dive Fanta-Seas, Inc., 1999 A.M.C. 1377 (S.D.Fla.1999), where the court upheld a waiver.

 

[DandyDon]

I doubt that anyone would wear fins on those steps...

Does look like a climb to be made carefully. I do a much shorter climb into Santa Rosa NM's Blue Hole, but wearing my kit, carrying my fins, pony, and camera in one hand, holding the rail in the other - after requesting all of the tourists sitting on the steps and the kids playing to move out of harms way. No fall is fun and in gear worse.

Last time I climbed out, there was a lady sitting right in the middle of my lane, and since these stairs are divided I really like to stay right, avoiding divers I can't see that may be coming down their lane soon. I warned her that was a dangerous place to be with divers leaving the water. She gave me a dumb look, asked if I was serious, but moved.

Mostly I like boats with deck hands.

 

[RedCash02]

Don,

That photos is actually a little misleading. That's just a viewing platform that's about 20ft above the actual water level. The dive platform is on the far left.

Here's the viewing platform from water level:

I don't have a good shot of the dive stairs but this gives you a pretty good idea:

No reason to wear fins.

Finally, an obligatory shot of the 2nd half of the stairs at Devil's Den (first half is slippery rock steps):

 

[greenwood_60]

She fell on the stone portion, not the metal stairs shown. She was not wearing her fins, but had them in her hands/arms. For $40 per person, the steps should be in better condition.

 

[knowone]

Forty bucks? Any wonder the joint looks like Hollywoodland.