Japanese tourist missing in Crystal Bay (Bali)

[supergaijin]

Should the company be named at this stage? i don't think so.

At this stage I think naming will only mean shaming, and there is nothing to suggest that the company did anything more than provide transport to a dive site.

 

[racerx_]

No shame intended on my part. That's simply what was published in the article, just quoted it for easy reference.

 

[_marin]

I've been diving with TWD for the past week and here I heard that she was a divemaster and her boyfriend and buddy for the dive is an instructor, but in the news article they talk about her being novice. Also, since I can't confirm this at the moment I didn't open a new topic but my diveguide told me there was another fatality at Crystal Bay today apparently a UK citizen...

 

[zivva]

Also, since I can't confirm this at the moment I didn't open a new topic but my diveguide told me there was another fatality at Crystal Bay today apparently a UK citizen...

Confirmed.

The owner of a local resort here in Nusa Lembongan (Nusa Penida small sister island) died this morning @ Crystal Bay.

Apparently he rushed to the surface and was inconscious after surfacing.

No further details at the moment ...

 

[Quero]

I've been diving with TWD for the past week and here I heard that she was a divemaster and her boyfriend and buddy for the dive is an instructor, but in the news article they talk about her being novice. Also, since I can't confirm this at the moment I didn't open a new topic but my diveguide told me there was another fatality at Crystal Bay today apparently a UK citizen...

According to the Jakarta Post, this was not a DM, but a new diver. It simply underlies the advice I have so often given in the Indonesia forum about new divers attempting dives at Crystal Bay. We have some members who absolutely insist that a chance to see mola-molas at this time of year (when there are aggregations) is such a thrill that everybody should definitely give it a go, as long as they do so with a "reputable" op. Just makes me shake my head. TWD is a very well-regarded op, so there goes that argument!
Missing Japanese diver found dead | The Jakarta Post

---------- Post Merged at 08:21 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:20 AM ----------

Confirmed.

The owner of a local resort here in Nusa Lembongan (Nusa Penida small sister island) died this morning @ Crystal Bay.

Apparently he rushed to the surface and was inconscious after surfacing.

No further details at the moment ...

Now with the Danish diver death, also at Crystal Bay, that makes three in one week?

 

[supergaijin]

Exactly my point Quero. 'Reputable Ops' are not to blame for diver accidents when those accidents happen because of divers purposely diving beyond their abilities.

However Ops do have a duty of care to ascertain that divers are more than likely to survive a given dive site.

I believe that Ops should vet divers' abilities, hence my recommendations for informative logbook entries (beyond "I saw a red fish and blue fish") and to make 'check dives' for all guests regardless of self-proclaimed experience.

 

[zivva]

Exactly my point Quero. 'Reputable Ops' are not to blame for diver accidents when those accidents happen because of divers purposely diving beyond their abilities.

However Ops do have a duty of care to ascertain that divers are more than likely to survive a given dive site.

So ultimately dive ops (reputable or not) are responsible : they should assess divers abilities before the dive and at the beginning of the dive. At CB it's quite easy to assess diver's abilities : just use the buoy line to descend and look at what your divers are doing before getting to the drop-off.

Unfortunately most of the guides just rush to the drop-off whatever their guests are doing underwater ...

 

[pilz]

So many dodgy dive shops, and I've seen so much bad behaviour... What can you do about it? Molas are so important for Bali/diving/locals, that it is hard to tell ppl not to visit Crystal Bay anymore...

However, if we want to reduce fatalities, I think we should do (a combination of) this:

- Only allow divers with 100+ dives, proved experiences in deep/current diving
- Reduce ratios to maximum 4:1
- Set limit for max. amount of divers/boats in bay.
- Maybe most important: think of a licence system where only licensed operators can do Crystal. You'll get a license by showing: having experienced boat crew, safety equipment on board, emergency action plans, skilled dive guides (who don't freak out when seeing Molas), and where everybody obeys to Mola mola Code of conduct . http://www.oceansunfish.org/CodeofConduct.pdf

I know this will restrict the number of operators, this will costs money so realistically this will never be implemented. And that means, more fatalities...

 

[zivva]

I know this will restrict the number of operators, this will costs money so realistically this will never be implemented. And that means, more fatalities...

There is a project to do so (+ same for the Manta dive sites : less dangerous but still a total mess in season) ... and people already working on it with national agencies & government ... Hopefully should be in place next year.

But as you say it will be tricky to implement as CB and the Manta dive sites are one of the main attraction for divers and source of income for diving ops around Bali & locals in Nusa Lembongan ...

I would be even more conservative than you and just forbid the use of cameras @ CB & Manta dive sites ...

 

[Internet_Pawn]

So many dodgy dive shops, and I've seen so much bad behaviour... What can you do about it? Molas are so important for Bali/diving/locals, that it is hard to tell ppl not to visit Crystal Bay anymore...

However, if we want to reduce fatalities, I think we should do (a combination of) this:

- Only allow divers with 100+ dives, proved experiences in deep/current diving
- Reduce ratios to maximum 4:1
- Set limit for max. amount of divers/boats in bay.
- Maybe most important: think of a licence system where only licensed operators can do Crystal. You'll get a license by showing: having experienced boat crew, safety equipment on board, emergency action plans, skilled dive guides (who don't freak out when seeing Molas), and where everybody obeys to Mola mola Code of conduct . http://www.oceansunfish.org/CodeofConduct.pdf

I know this will restrict the number of operators, this will costs money so realistically this will never be implemented. And that means, more fatalities...

I agree, but can I add transparency and accountability to the list? It's of no use having responsible dive operators who do all they can to manage risk and protect the environment if visiting divers are not given enough information to sort the wheat from the chaff. The press reports I saw of my daughter's incident (8 missing divers) were so inaccurate as to be useless. The reports of the Japanese and Danish divers also contained lots of inconsistencies and we can expect the police reports to similarly conclude that all of them were unfortunate accidents caused by bad weather.

Licensing by the state wouldn't work, as no-one would have any confidence that holding a licence was an indicator of competency. What is needed is for the responsible dive operators to get together, as you have suggested, and work on a code of practice that they will all adhere to, with feedback mechanisms so divers can rate the operator's performance against that standard. If you were to identify participating operators in your marketing materials, the flow of customers choosing you over the other centres would bring an economic benefit that would cover any costs of implementation.

While you are at it, you might also agree standards for co-operation on search and rescue operations, as the state SAR only seems to operate when the sea is dead calm.