Incident Today at Gilboa

[Barracuda2]

I went in support to the press conference today. You'll want to watch WTOL and Fox channel 36 and Fox lima tonight at 10:00 and 11:00. Mike did a great job fielding their questions; I thought the conference went very well. Several news papers were also present. The main thrust was that diving is an activity with risk and divers are primarily responsible for their choices when involved in this activity. Also, the safety prioirity at the quarry was really stressed during the interviews. I hope they report it as Mike said it, but you never know.

 

[wb416]

I went in support to the press conference today. You'll want to watch WTOL and Fox channel 36 and Fox lima tonight at 10:00 and 11:00. Mike did a great job fielding their questions; I thought the conference went very well. Several news papers were also present. The main thrust was that diving is an activity with risk and divers are primarily responsible for their choices when involved in this activity. Also, the safety prioirity at the quarry was really stressed during the interviews. I hope they report it as Mike said it, but you never know.

Thanks for the update... didn't get a chance to go, so it's good to hear a report back!

 

[scubapolly]

Dennis,
What was the tone from the press? Were they taking an accusatory tone, or was it mainly just an information session?

I don't have access to any of those stations, hopefully they'll put them on their websites.

 

[speedhound]

Just logged on this evening and heard about things at Gilboa. I hope things work out for Mike and all.
I miss the place and want to go back some time!

 

[crpntr133]

I went in support to the press conference today. You'll want to watch WTOL and Fox channel 36 and Fox lima tonight at 10:00 and 11:00. Mike did a great job fielding their questions; I thought the conference went very well. Several news papers were also present. The main thrust was that diving is an activity with risk and divers are primarily responsible for their choices when involved in this activity. Also, the safety prioirity at the quarry was really stressed during the interviews. I hope they report it as Mike said it, but you never know.

Prime example of assumed risk.

I really hope that the press doesn't screw this one up. Too many times has something been twisted just a bit or not totally reported and it has a different meaning. Kinda like the "the divers oxygen tanks were empty".

 

[eckybay]

Lima News Take on the press conference....

http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=41443

Despite recent deaths, quarry is safe, diving instructors say

GILBOA — Although there have been four recent deaths at the Gilboa Quarry, diving instructors and emergency responders say it’s one of the safest diving sites in the United States — a favorite among seasoned diving instructors and a magnet to divers in the multi-state area.

Mike Williams, owner of the quarry, hosted a forum with the media Friday morning and assured them he goes the extra mile with safety precautions at the diving site. He said many divers don’t go to the quarry because it’s strict when it comes to safety.

Putnam County Sheriff James Beutler agreed.

He attributed the recent deaths at the quarry to “fate.”

“That’s the only thing you can say is that it’s fate,” Beutler said. “And it all happened this year.”

Beutler asked Williams to hold the media forum after getting numerous calls from reporters asking why there were so many deaths there. Several residents also called and asked what he was going to do about it. And one caller asked him if he was going to shut the place down.

“I hope you all got some good background,” Beutler said. “It’s extremely safe here. The number of people that come here and the number of deaths, when you compare it to the number of highway deaths, the number here is really low.”

Beutler said the quarry was not liable for any of the deaths, including the most recent death last weekend. Although investigators have not concluded what happened in that death, Beutler said, it was probably caused by physiological complications.

“The first two (deaths), they experienced equipment malfunctions,” Beutler said. “The third death was because of physiological problems. … No foul play was suspected.”

Williams said safety is his number one priority at the quarry.

“The four deaths we’ve had here: When it’s a heart issue, there’s not a lot you can do about that,” Williams said. “The other three, it breaks my heart because everyone has someone they love and they lost that person the day they perished here.”

Williams is concerned that people want to emphasize the number of deaths there and the media focuses on the negative.

“Ask yourself: ‘How many lives were saved because of the training we offer here?’

“I pray about this place every day,” Williams said. “I pray that everybody will be safe and use good judgment. But that’s not always in my hands.”

 

[MikeFerrara]

Yep, you have to look out for "fate". Did he really say that?

 

[Jchoby]

Dennis,
What was the tone from the press? Were they taking an accusatory tone, or was it mainly just an information session?

I don't have access to any of those stations, hopefully they'll put them on their websites.

Most were rather civil.... I think only one of them was a bit pushy and looking for dirt. But when it became clear that its an individual responsibility for diver safety and that Gilboa is a safe place with strict rules in place, they had no room to throw stones.

 

[Barracuda2]

Dennis,
What was the tone from the press? Were they taking an accusatory tone, or was it mainly just an information session?

I don't have access to any of those stations, hopefully they'll put them on their websites.

Tried to post this yesterday; SB must have had a hicup

I watched the news presentations last night on WTOL and FOX and both were much more positive than negative. There was no spin to blame the Quarry or staff. They aired comments from the sheriff, an instructor/shop owner, and Mike. All stated that the Gilboa's priority was safety and a great place to dive. There was one reporter there on a witch hunt---don't know from where. I think she got a little frustrated as the comments, questions, and interviews went on. She was heard saying as she left, "no one is going to tell me how to do my job."

Mike F., maybe the word "fate" wasn't a good choice of words from the sheriff, but in any risk activity, doesn't "stuff just happen" that at times are out of our control? Isn't that why they're called "accidents"? I think what he really meant by that word was that these accidents are beyond the control of the Quarry?

 

[MikeFerrara]

Mike F., maybe the word "fate" wasn't a good choice of words from the sheriff, but in any risk activity, doesn't "stuff just happen" that at times are out of our control? Isn't that why they're called "accidents"? I think what he really meant by that word was that these accidents are beyond the control of the Quarry?

Out of control of the quarry, certainly. If I though accidents "just happened" I would never get in the water. There isn't much we can do about a heart attack but aside from medical problems dive accidents are NOT "acts of God" they are caused by mistakes and I certainly think we can control those.

Over the years I've witnessed too many accidents and studied many more that I didn't witness and it seems like a relatively few mistakes made over and over. Knowledge, ability, experience and judgement are the keys but many divers rely on commercially evaliable training for a good portion of that and most training is demendtrably poor. You can't ever eliminate 100% of the mistakes but with a deficiency of ability and knowledge mistakes are extremely common. Fortunately even with mistakes being common, they usually don't result in fatality...just messed up dives. It's just easier for someone who doesn't dive well to get hurt and you can just get in the water and watch and see that most divers do NOT dive well. Gilboa is as good of a place as anywhere I've ever been to get a really graphic view of that. In a single Sat afternoon at Gilboa, you can witness enough blatant incompetence to last a lifetime.

If some reporter looking to conduct a witch hunt were smart, they'd learn something about diving make arrangements to get underwater and watch for a while. I think they would have plenty to write about. Fortunately for much of the dive industry, reporters are stupid. Whenever they want to know what causes dive accidents they talk to the people who sell diving so they get fed BS by people who are defending their practices. They should try talking to some folks who know diving but don't have a dog in the race.

Now, I like Mike and he does the best he can so I'm glad they aren't hanging him. On the other hand, if they were trying to hang some of the instructors who teach at Gilboa and maybe a few of the people who write training standards for some of the agencies, I would offer to supply the rope, the tree and the horse.