Horizon Dive Adventures Complaint Filed in Federal Court

[Wookie]

As per the coroner, he tried to call and emailed to tell them they are NOT authorized to do the recovery. Funny how that message was "overlooked" until after the recovery.

My point exactly.

 

[Protondecay123]

On the ROV video footage you can clearly see the recovery divers roll Mr Stewart's remains over. IIRC he was lying on his back with knees bent. I wonder why they just didn't attach a lift bag and go from there?

 

[HalcyonDaze]

This wasn’t exactly a planned recovery. It wasn’t like the search team found Rob, called the coroner, and the coroner made body recovery arrangements, so when you say “have talked to enough people in the Keys to buy the assertion that there wasn't anyone else equally qualified in the area”, you are correct, there were no folks within 100 miles or so that were more qualified. There was a trained technical forensics team known to the coroner, however. Too bad the coroner never had the opportunity to call them.

I suppose I have a few questions here. Was the technical forensics team capable of getting to the site, diving down, and examining the body in situ? Or was it simply a team that would have been present at the surface to supervise the recovery via ROV and examine the diver's gear topside? And how quickly could said team have gotten there, seeing as a) relocating a relatively small object underwater is not easy and b) the body was not in a static or controlled environment (potential to be disturbed by currents, decomposition, or scavengers)? Is it SOP to leave a diving fatality in the open ocean (as opposed to being within a wreck or cave, where it's not going anywhere) until getting approval from the coroner to recover it?

 

[Wookie]

I did not mean to imply that the team that recovered Stewart was wrong, only that their unilateral actions without consulting legal authorities doesn’t look good in the aftermath.

The forensic team offered to dr Beaver is qualified and equipped to dive to those depths, are former or current law enforcement officers from NYPD, MCSO, and FBI. All were on the dive teams for their LE agencies. They live from Key Largo, FLL, Stuart, Fort Myers. There is a lot of talent in south Florida.

 

[coolwave3]

As said previously, and you seem to agree Wookie, it just doesn't seem "kosher" to have people who are potentially involved in a law suit also recover the body, ESPECIALLY, (as you point out), when there is a lot of other talent available. Not to mention, then to proceed with unauthorized "forensics" on the boat (by unqualified people) that was never videotaped or otherwise recorded by said individuals.
If there was no attempted cover-up or manipulation, not only was this "heroic" decision dumb, but incredibly stupid.

 

[divezonescuba]

Not ccr certified, just hypoxic trimix oc. The Poseidon is still sitting in my living room.

My question.

Has there been any disclosure on the number, mix, and content of the bailout bottles?

 

[Wookie]

Not ccr certified, just hypoxic trimix oc. The Poseidon is still sitting in my living room.

My question.

Has there been any disclosure on the number, mix, and content of the bailout bottles?

Not publicly

 

[JackD342]

Unless I missed it, I am surprised we are 167 posts into this thread and no one has yet linked to an earlier thread that covers much of the same ground, by many of the same contributors. Yes, there is a lot of reading over there...
Filmmaker Rob Stewart dies off Alligator Reef

 

[Protondecay123]

Not ccr certified, just hypoxic trimix oc. The Poseidon is still sitting in my living room.

My question.

Has there been any disclosure on the number, mix, and content of the bailout bottles?

Not that I have seen. To be honest my bud previously at Panama City was asking me " What was the Dive Plan", Where, what size, what content and how many stage bottles. Time at Max depth Etc. Focus on the Dive Plan and it's execution! Believe me if there is a way to screw something up, it's been screwed up 100 times that way in the Navy! That's why there are so many regs, logs, etc.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

I did not mean to imply that the team that recovered Stewart was wrong, only that their unilateral actions without consulting legal authorities doesn’t look good in the aftermath.

The forensic team offered to dr Beaver is qualified and equipped to dive to those depths, are former or current law enforcement officers from NYPD, MCSO, and FBI. All were on the dive teams for their LE agencies. They live from Key Largo, FLL, Stuart, Fort Myers. There is a lot of talent in south Florida.

Two follow-up questions then. One, why wasn't that team assembled and ready to go? I understand that a recovery does not have the immediacy of a rescue, but at the time I remember open calls (possibly from the victim's family) for tech divers to search for Stewart.

Second, let's say the WET group did tamper with the evidence, and not just by bungling. What could they have likely done that would alter the available evidence in such a fashion as to benefit Horizon in court and wouldn't be turned up in an autopsy or by the NEDU?