Instructor molested me on first dive

[kanonfodr]

To the OP: Guts to you!! Reporting it is the first step in stopping that creep from doing it again, and your willingness to continue learning to scuba dive shoes great heart. As said before by others, don't let one creep get ya down over an amazing (I would say life-changing) sport.

Peace,
Greg

 

[mike_s]

Apologies for the tone of this, but have you done anything about it?

I kinda had the same thought.

poster joins scubaboard today. and this is her first post?


I mean if something like this happens so you see folks go busting out to join SB and post about it like this? but they did nothing about it when it happened, didn't fire the instructor, notify local police, etc? huh?

just seems like something is out of place.


The only other possibility is that perhaps this is was a current user and they created a 2nd account to discuss it because they didn't want to reveal their identity as a victum on what has happened. (can't blame them for that.)

 

[H2Andy]

i don't like the implications that somehow the OP's story is not kosher. for some reason, every time someone says "i was assaulted" the implications begin that it's not true for x, y, or z reasons ... in fact, a lot of people are afraid to go forward precisely because they fear they will not be believed and their motives will be questioned

and posting here is doing something about it (gathering information, speaking about what happened)

also, she reported it to the agency. since it happened in a foreign country, it's probably useless to report it to the police b/c of the difficulties of coordinating testimony and prosecution

 

[Jim Ernst]

To the OP.

Thank you for bringing this situation out in the open and for reporting that scum, We don't need Instructors like that being allowed to get away with such actions as this jerk did to you!

 

[vladimir]

Andy makes great points in his two posts. The OP's story is totally plausible and she has no motive to fabricate it. These predators rely on and exploit the "reasonableness" of people anxious to withhold judgment in what will generally be a "she-said-he-said" situation. That is why their crimes are rarely reported and even more rarely successfully prosecuted. If this instructor wasn't taking advantage of the OP's vulnerability on her first dive, he'd be (and probably is) preying on women who have had too much to drink, find themselves alone in a remote place, etc. Anything that can be done to stop him is a service to other women.

 

[boulderjohn]

No reason to name a country. I am contacting the agency (which is recognized by PADI) and trust that they will take appropriate action. It would be irresponsible for me to not report the incident, but I also am ready to just forget the whole thing. Drama is over... time to learn how to dive.

Probably because you are not a diver, your wording here is not quite accurate, and it is confusing me a bit. Agencies are not recognized by PADI; PADI is an agency. I hope you meant that you reported to PADI because it is the agency of the operator/instructor you used. If instead you meant you reported it to the diver operator who employed the instructor, and that operator is part of the PADI system, then you have not done enough. You need to report directly to PADI itself.

Several years ago I was checking out potential operators before a trip, and I learned that one I was considering was on PADI's black list for incidents such as this.

 

[marinediva]

It does not seem strange to me that a woman who has had this type of treatment would do what she has done.
I feel very strongly that it is not appropriate to analysing why the op has made this her first post.
She is the victim here and should not be looked at in any other way. Sexual Assault is a serious matter and I strongly suggest the op receives the support and encouragement she deserves, rather than having to validate her decisions and story. The right agency and authorities with the proper training in how to treat this type of incident will. Not Herman and any others that feel they have ownership of the site because of length of membership.

I am saying this not as a diving instructor but rather someone who has had training as a sexual assault and child abuse support worker.

 

[sladerer]

Joining my fellow SB'ers to express my sadness in hearing this. Sexual predators need to be stopped
and reporting this one to the boat captain, dive shop/resort, dive agency, and local police is the right
thing to do, even if it's difficult to put a light on this.

Had it been my wife and I found out about it, I'm afraid his next dive would be his last...

 

[KY_BOB]

The guy is a scumbag. Hang him out to dry. This kind of behavior is never tolerated. A pervert does not change. EVER. He will do this to someone else if he is not stopped.

I just read 4 pages of this thread and this response is exactly my thoughts.

Let the resort, dive op, or whoever know. They probably don't want him any more than you wanted what happened.

As others have said, I'm sorry for your bad experience. In the diving community, that is the exception rather than the rule. If your interested in diving, pursue it. Don't let one jerk stop you from it.

Don't feel bad about getting a bad apple out of the barrel. Let someone know.

 

[knotical]

To make it easier to report, PADI has an email address specifically for reporting incidents:
QA@padi.com

Kind thoughts, best wishes, and applause for your strength evidenced by your determination to not let this incident sour you on diving.