Indian fatality - Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

[npole]

Whatever it's the sequence to remove your gear, there's no convenience, hence no reason, to remove your weight belt after your BCD. If you're in the water, you'll remove it to easily jump back on the boat; if you're on the boat, you'll drop it to remove the rest of the equipment without wearing additional and useless weight.
For what reason someone should walk around and handle their stuff with 5-10-15...20 lbs of additional weight, when it can be simply put down? When you come back at your home with the shopping bags, do you take off your clothes while carrying those bags? Nope, the first thing you do is to place them on the ground/table... it's the same thing. You have to open a clip, grab it, and drop it.. it's 5 seconds. It shouldn't be discussed or questioned at all.

 

[kjsaw]

Phuket News: Two dive instructors charged over death of tourist off Phuket

“We have charged two of the diving instructors present when the incident occurred with negligence,” Lt Kanakorn Tamakhan of Phi Phi Island police told The Phuket News today (Jan 4).

“Mr Shukla had not taken off his diving weights, which weighed about 4 kilograms, when the incident took place. However, we can confirm that he had taken off his equipment,” he said.

“A large wave caused the boat to rock, this caused Mr Shukla to fall into the water and drown due to the weights. Although those who saw him fall jumped into the water after him, the water was very deep and it took a while to find him,” he explained.

Georg Kereit, manager of the dive company involved, which he asked not to be named, told The Phuket News, “We would like to express our deepest condolences to family and friends of Mr Shukla, and I can confirm that we are working close with police to manage this terrible accident.


“When the incident occurred the customer had returned to the boat and taken off his equipment. He was about to take off the weight belt when he fell overboard. Three people jumped in after him but could not locate him on the choppy surface, so the three people went with scuba gear to find him,” said Mr Kereit.

“CPR was provided immediately the body had been removed from the water and put on the boat, he was then given oxygen before being handed over to the hospital,” he added.

“It is standard practice in scuba diving that when you get out of the water you go to a spot where your can sit down and your scuba cylinder will be secure.

“You then loosen shoulder and waist straps and get out of the unit. The next step is to stand up and remove your weight belt. After that you can get out of your wet suit,” he said.

“So procedure wise, it was normal. It was in this impossible five second window while removing his weight belt that he fell,” he added.

In response to whether any regulations would be amended following the incident, Mr Kereit said, “We need to see with the owner if further railings will be installed to limit the possible exits, and non-certified divers will probably not be allowed to sit on the outside facing side of the boat.”

It troubles me that the manager of the dive company suggests removing weights last is "normal procedure". Deep water exit on a boat, the weights should be off first

 

[infieldg]

It troubles me that the manager of the dive company suggests removing weights last is "normal procedure". Deep water exit on a boat, the weights should be off first

Yeah pretty bad eh, more like standard practice to ensure any lost weights are retrieved with the body. Unbelievable.

The "impossible five second window" probably sounded safe at the time...$%$!

 

[Pearlman]

The standard procedure in our part of the world before climbing back to the boat:
1. Weight belt
2. BC
3. Fins
Some experienced divers would just hand over the fins and climb back to the boat. But for the inexperienced or students, this is highly discouraged.
Experienced and observing dm will always be the last back to the boat because he/she might need to dive down to pick up something falling off from the diverS!

It troubles me that the manager of the dive company suggests removing weights last is "normal procedure". Deep water exit on a boat, the weights should be off first

I always remove the WB first when in the water then the fins ... and most dive boats in TH or PP or ID have accepted this sequence. And then I once had an argument with a DM who almost literally snarled at me for removing the WB first. I dont remember which place PP or TH but he eventually got on the backfoot but insisted " on this boat you do as the captian sez ...". the waters were not exactly calm when this happened so I felt justified whatever they talked back to the contrary.

It was a one day engagement with this dive shop so things did not stretch further, to be sure, I was ready to ignore his commands if the seas got choppy ...

P