Maltese court convicts dive buddy

[BoltSnap]

Because if you did, by your standard, you should be prosecuted for attempted manslaughter.

I'd say, off with his fins!!!

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Is the current going in two different directions why would that be a reason to lose sight of your buddy.

Because they are both dealing with entanglement issues. Again, these are T2/C2 divers. They didn't just get their open water cert the previous day after spending 4 days on their knees.

 

[Celt]

You are a very high maintenance buddy, I will never buddy up with somebody like you. I am not going to watch you, or anyone else, 100% of the time. That is just not what I dive for or want to do with buddies.

Not in a lifetime would I abandon a diver in the water and I'd expect the exact same from them.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Not in a lifetime would I abandon a diver in the water and I'd expect the exact same from them.

Abandoning and losing track of are two different things.
This is an incredibly serious issue, but you are placing an unrealistic expectation.

For commercial diving, you are working as a team where the situation is (supposed to at least) be continuously monitored. You are not moving around a huge area, correct?

Non-commercial divers (i.e., recreational/technical, ones doing it for fun) don't have the support crew. They travel in a variety of distances from their entry point. The same hard, fast rules simply cannot be applied.

 

[L13]

Abandoning and losing track of are two different things.

This!

 

[Wibble]

Not in a lifetime would I abandon a diver in the water and I'd expect the exact same from them.

Buddying is a learned skill which requires commitment, techniques and obligations upon both (or more) divers. Shout-out to GUE here for their passive signalling and positioning techniques.

Have dived with too many Fokkers who swim behind and above without using proper lighting signals. In crap visibility it becomes even more difficult.

Reminds me of those signs for cyclists you see on the left-hand of a truck (RHS for you lot driving on the wrong side of the road) -- "If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you".

 

[boulderjohn]

I was diving with my grandson and his mother, and we were in a delta formation with me in front. We were on a typical south Florida reef. When it came time to end the dive, I turned to them and gave the signal. They were side by side, about 5 feet apart. When I signaled, my grandson rose about 5-6 feet as he prepared for the ascent, then looked back for his mother. At the same time, his mother reached for her console and took a look at it. She put it back and then looked around. There was no one to be seen. Her son had been there a few seconds ago, and then he was gone! She was in immediate terror. I know that because her son and I were both only a few feet away, about 5-6 feet higher than her in the water column. She did violent turns looking for us, and I dropped down so she could see me. We had a good laugh about it later.

What if one of us had suddenly lost buoyancy control in those few seconds? She would have had no idea where we were, and I cannot begin to believe it would have been her fault.

That is roughly what happened in this case. The guy looked away for a few seconds, and the victim had an uncontrolled ascent. He did manage to see her go up, but it was too late for him to do anything.

This sort of thing can happen on any dive.

 

[admikar]

Are you serious, that's how people drown. If you take on the job of stand-by or buddy the safety of the diver in the water or buddy is your responsibility. If you don't wish to do that dive solo and tell your mates you won't be there to help if they get in trouble.

You claim over 5000 dives. Are you also claiming that never in any of those dives did you fail to monitor your buddy 100% of the time? Never looked away to check anything else? Because if you did, by your standard, you should be prosecuted for attempted manslaughter.

L13, I wanted to ask exactly the same question.

mac64, I'll repeat what Boltsnap said, I would never dive with you. If I am going to look at you 100% of the time, we might as well stay in pub chugging beer. Get off your high horse.

 

[Celt]

You claim over 5000 dives. Are you also claiming that never in any of those dives did you fail to monitor your buddy 100% of the time? Never looked away to check anything else? Because if you did, by your standard, you should be prosecuted for attempted manslaughter.

That's exactly what I'm claiming, I have never in 50 years and thousands of dives lost a buddy.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That's exactly what I'm claiming, I have never in 50 years and thousands of dives lost a buddy.

And how many non-commercial dives? Ones for fun, looking at pretty fish, etc..