Missing Diver incident

[H2Andy]

Interestingly enough, however, it was the victim's voice call for help that the Scout on the boat reported hearing. And then he saw the victim's safety sausage or dive float or something like that.

not at all...

the scout saw something in the water he thougth was
trash, and then used his binoculars for a closer look

the stories i've read make no mention of the scouts "hearing"
the diver first

 

[IndigoBlue]

The victim said he would not sue.

The D/A said they would not prosecute.

But the captain is still in a whole lot of hot water with the Coast Guard.

And PADI is going to need to revise their D/M training.

That means NAUI and SSI and YMCA etc will also need to do so as well. That way things will become a lot more standardized, on both coasts.

 

[CelticRavenVA]

Yep, some helpful soul (now keeping his mouth SHUT) answered the roll call for him. Hard to fault the DM on that one.
Rick

No,
I disagree I can fault the DM esp if there check in/out procedure was not very good. You can take a bloody head count.

 

[IndigoBlue]

not at all...

the scout saw something in the water he thougth was
trash, and then used his binoculars for a closer look

the stories i've read make no mention of the scouts "hearing"
the diver first

After you get a chance to read all the newspaper articles, on this, then you will see too.

 

[IndigoBlue]

No,
I disagree I can fault the DM esp if there check in/out procedure was not very good. You can take a bloody head count.

The interesting thing, though, Raven, is that the USCG is apparently taking the classic approach by holding the captain responsible for everything that happened on his boat, calling it negligence.

I agree, the D/M was negligent, big time. However the USCG is viewing that as a "training issue" and will be taking PADI specifically to task. Wrist tags and written check-ins will become the new standard. Had the D/M done a better job, none of this would have happened.

But it is probably a good thing that it did happen. Because now there are 2 incidents, one from the past in Florida, and one now in California, and therefore the USCG has grounds to ensure procedures are improved on both coasts.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Thanks, Rich, for your post of the article. That brings us all up to speed to the current moment. Thanks again!

Coast Guard urges stricter scuba rules
Instructors accused of negligence after student diver stranded off Newport.

By BRIAN MARTINEZ
The Orange County Register

The Coast Guard on Thursday urged the scuba-diving industry to better account for divers after a man was left behind by instructors seven miles off Newport Beach this week. Dan Carlock of Santa Monica spent nearly five hours drifting in the ocean Sunday while rescue workers searched 11 miles away – at the second location his group had been diving that day. He was found by San Diego Boy Scouts sailing to Newport Beach who had veered off course because of heavy fog. The incident is still under investigation. "We anticipate that we will file a complaint for negligence against the captain" of the recreational diving boat, said Lt. Cmdr. John Fassero, a senior Coast Guard investigator. "There is absolutely no question about that." The Coast Guard wants the Professional Association of Diving Instructors and similar groups to recommend the use of numbered wristbands and written checklists and to discourage the use of verbal roll calls.

There are no standard methods for accounting for divers, said Pat Fousek, risk management director for the Rancho Santa Margarita-based Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Dive masters are expected to ensure all passengers are accounted for, but they must each decide how to best accomplish that task, she said. The group is reviewing Sunday's incident, at the Coast Guard's request, and its own dive-master training manuals, she said. But no decision has been made on whether policies need to be changed, she said.

"We value the safety of every diver and our own reputation, so rest assured we will leave no stone unturned," Fousek said. Capt. Ray Arntz is responsible for the incident Sunday, despite a dive master's verbal roll call of all 20 passengers before leaving the first dive location, Fassero said.

"The buck stops with the captain," he said.

If a federal administrative judge agrees, Arntz's Coast Guard-issued license could be suspended or revoked. Dive Master Zacharias Araneta could face discipline from the diving association.

Capt. Arntz declined to comment Thursday, and Araneta referred questions to Ocean Adventures Dive Co. owner Steve Ladd.

"The entire diving community and this store are reviewing their procedures and we will make changes if needed," Ladd said.

"I'm very happy Dan is OK," he said. Several similar diving accidents have happened near Florida in recent years, including a couple who drifted on a small platform for 26 hours. And in 1998, two American divers were never found after being left by a charter boat off Australia. The owner and skipper of the boat were later charged with manslaughter and subsequently cleared.

 

[MikeFerrara]

And PADI is going to need to revise their D/M training.

They'll probably just increase DM insurance rates.

 

[dazedone]

As always, following an incident of any magnitude, people will immediately begin to apportion blame.

1. The boat was anchored. The diver surfaced early, attempted to contact the boat. He then decided to WAIT, in a CURRENT that was taking him away from the boat.


2. I would love to know from Dazedone if the lost diver was too unfit to make that swim back in safety. Was he noticeably overweight? Being so may have decided him to wait on the surface.

Seadeuce,

The boat was not anchored. You are not allowed to anchor or tie up near that rig. He put the divers in the water and they swam about 100 feet to the rig. The Captain gave firm instructions to stay under the rig after the dive until you made visual contact with the boat and the boat signalled to you that it was OK to apporach (since he would have to position the boat and disengage the props).

The diver was not overweight. Whether he was fit or not, i have no clue. I myself am a bit out of shape and decided not to do that particular dive that day.

 

[H2Andy]

After you get a chance to read all the newspaper articles, on this, then you will see too.

give me a link to a source that says the scouts heard him
first?

 

[CelticRavenVA]

The interesting thing, though, Raven, is that the USCG is apparently taking the classic approach by holding the captain responsible for everything that happened on his boat, calling it negligence.

I agree, the D/M was negligent, big time. However the USCG is viewing that as a "training issue" and will be taking PADI specifically to task. Wrist tags and written check-ins will become the new standard. Had the D/M done a better job, none of this would have happened.

But it is probably a good thing that it did happen. Because now there are 2 incidents, one from the past in Florida, and one now in California, and therefore the USCG has grounds to ensure procedures are improved on both coasts.

Indigo, My thoughts still remain the same as I posted earlier in the thread. If someone responds for me at a role call, and the DM doesn't actually see my smily face on the boat, I would break that persons legs. If the boat actually left me, they would have to get the national guard to protect that dive master from my wrath.

While it may be the clasic approach, and I personally don't think alot of divers pay alot of attention in there trainning, the boat captain is the one who is ultimatly responsible for everyone aboard there boat. While the Coast Guard may view it as a trainning issue, I see it as gross negligience and it is not forgiveable in my book.

If the positions were different and I was the DM/Captain, I would most likely resign my job for the simple fact that nobody could ever trust me again to get them home safe.

After last week, I have made two classifications in my mind, one is dive buddy, the person you are put with on the boat. The second is Dive Team, the 2 people who got me into diving, and I trust with my life underwater.

Please don't get me wrong however, we are all human and we all do make errors. I understand this. However, when your error can easily result in death, you should be doing damn sure that you did everything in your power to prevent it. I also think that some soild check in/out procedures will come out of this, and there will be long term benifits from us learning from these errors.

*gets down off his soap box*