New Zealand: One student dead, one missing at Lake Pupuke

[Mako Mark]

Lake Pupuke is 10 minutes from where I presently live. I have spent many hours both on and underneath it's waters. On Tuesday I went down to the jetty just to get a feel of the place again. I stumbled upon a group of 250 people who were friends and family having a ceremony. Eventually as I was one of only about three people there that was not of Polynesia decent, someone approached me and asked me who I was and what I was doing there.

I played down who I was and what my experience is, but I did tell them that I had been to 55m at the bottom of the lake. They revealed that they were there at the lake and had in fact become dive masters on the day of the fatality's. They asked me what it was like down there and I told them that it was not a very nice place to die.

That said, I don't believe in accidents, just a chain of events that should have been cut short sooner!

 

[sydney-diver]

The inquest into this accident is/has been held over the last couple of days - Daniel Waata Stoneham, Tyron North | Dive Student... | Stuff.co.nz, media is apparently making a lot of the fact that they didn't have torches or cutting devices and that there needs to be more regulation of dive training (I got that from my parents who live in NZ and don't dive). Not sure that the lack of either contributed to the deaths as it doesn't appear they were entangled but I presume it's an agency requirement to carry on a deep dive (also not clear if the guy who did get tangled had either a cutting device or light - if he didn't it was probably only by chance he survived).

 

[DandyDon]

I can't find it now, but I did see a news story saying they were overweighted, as well as first time on steel tanks.

 

[Frosty]

Heres another report on the subject. The diver making the comment is a very experienced professional Police diver.
Lake Pupuke Deahts: Failures 'Contributed To Diver... | Stuff.co.nz