Unbelievable story. IMHO all divers are individually responsible for their OWN actions and well-being. Expecting a fully professional rescue from an insta-buddy spending his holidays is outrageous, it's like if I am hiking with someone in the mountains, he goes to the edge of a cliff, falls and I am held responsible. Even if charges dropped half a year later, defense costs an insane amount of money, restriction of movement will easily cost my job.
BTW, proving that someone was innocent underwater is futile, unless there is a video footage. However, I don't travel to 5-10k$ heavy diving trips for shooting criminal evidence - unless the "crime" is committed by a coral crab or clownfish against another colorful sea ceature...
Yes, thanks. This does nothing to make me feel any better about it either. As the article says, the Maltese government needs to clarify their position. Simply dropping a case without comment gives no reassurance that this will not happen again.
Don't they have precedence law?
Malta is not high on my diving list (it is there though), question: in which countries are buddies held accountable, sued, arrested for "bypassing" a dive accident (not acting absolutely professionally AND documenting innocence at the same time)? Not that I don't want to help, but definitely don't want to stuck in a case like this:
Send Lawyers Guns & Money
A report and synopsis of this sad case appeared in X-Ray magazine no. 71
X-Ray Mag #71 | X-Ray Mag
- Valid, and still open question here:
British divers ask: “Why should I be locked up because I am the most experienced diver or dive professional on an unguided dive, when another diver has a fatal medical issue underwater, and despite doing everything possible to rescue them, they die?”
