over weighting death

[willembad]

The PADI Jr. OW is valid for 10 yr. olds to 40fsw with a pro, parent or gaurdian. The operator had no responsibility as to whether the kids could dive or not, other than check their cards.

I was spearfishing (freedive) with my 10 yr. old south of Pickles reef while this all happened (he is in the process of Jr. OW). It was close to new moon and we had some big tides but where we were current was not a concern of mine. We also dove north of Pickles and at Conch the same day and it was not a bad day to dive at all.

My wife was on our boat and was listening to 16 during this whole thing. She was also watching the weather (XM on chartplotter) and the nearest storm was 16 nm NE of us - maybe 10 to 12 nm off of Molasses.

As far as the divers left in the water goes, it was well co-ordinated over the radio between numerous operators, and there was no problem in my mind with the procedures. After me and my son got back on board and my wife explained what was going on, we continued to listen on our way in. In my mind it took the CG a LOOOONG time to get going, and I guess they never did get the lady off of the dive boat. They were talking as if that was the plan though.

The lesson I take from this at the moment is that every dive, even a 25 ft dive at Molasses, is a real dive with real dangers and we all need to be as preparred as possible to be safe while enjoying our time under water.

Willem

 

[Missdirected]

At this stage, I don't believe there is a soul stating there may have been negligence on the part of the operator/charter. Again, their DAN 02 kit was said to have not been in working order but as was also stated to me by her friend, who is a doc, it probably would not have helped in this situation.

Most are actually close to being on the same page on all fronts.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Diving is like driving, you learn to do it well after you get your license/C-card. A responsible parent will not put their child at risk. I do think ten is a little young to certify divers, we waited until our son was twelve. He sat his OW at the same time as his mother and after 30 dives he is very competent. When he started I was his safety diver but now I am lucky he is good enough to save me.

Diving is very different from driving but note that to get a drivers licence you must demonstrate that you can control the movement of the car down the road.

Additionally, most parents have a fair amount of experience driving before they ever make decisions related to the driving of their children.

Niether is true in diving. Parents who are complete novices are encouraged to take their children diving. It's almost the perfect example of the blind leading the blind. They don't know if they are putting their children at risk or not. They just trust those who are supposed to be the experts...the agencies. However, as can be seen by the skill level of certified divers, the agencies are demonstrably expert in nothing but marketing.

 

[Missdirected]

My issues with this whole thing is the kids. If the current was strong, what mother, DM or boat captain would let a 10 and a 13 year old dive.

Without knowing this woman's certification, this also goes along with my dislike for the way we allow parents with any training level, or expeience dive with their children who have Jr Certs.

Polly, I am not sure who gave those ages but they were more like 14 and 17. Also I met them and they really didn't look that young.

 

[scubapolly]

Polly, I am not sure who gave those ages but they were more like 14 and 17. Also I met them and they really didn't look that young.

Original post for this thread and the news article:

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BY ANN HENSON​

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Citizen Staff​

A 36-year-old Pennsylvania woman died Sunday while diving in 25 feet of water at Molasses Reef.


Monroe County Medical Examiner Michael Hunter said he will conduct an autopsy today to determine why AAA died.


AAA was on a dive trip aboard an Ocean Divers vessel with her two children, ages 10 and 13, and a dive club buddy, BBB, he said Monday.


BBB told deputies that after they all entered the water, AAA told him she had on too much weight and he helper her drop some of the weights, reports say.


"Suddenly she began to panic. She began fighting him in the water, at one point climbing on top of him and pushing him under the water," reports quoted BBB.


BBB told deputies he tried to inflate his buoyancy compensator to help keep her head above water, then he and the children began to call for help. By the time she was pulled aboard the dive boat, AAA was not breathing, reports say.


A doctor aboard the boat began CPR, but paramedics who met the boat at a Port Largo park pronounced AAA dead at 2:45 p.m., reports say.


Ocean Divers manager Joe Angelo declined to comment on the incident.


AAA was an office and marketing manager at Renaissance Psychological and Counseling Corp. in Kingston, Pa., according to Dr. John Reinhardt, who is affiliated with the corporation. BBB also works there.


AAA was the eighth person to die in a diving incident in the Florida Keys this year, according to the Sheriff's Office.


ahenson@keysnews.com​

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My heart goes out to the family and to all involved.​

trtldvr
www.divealive.org​

 

[Missdirected]

Hrmmm, okay then. They are some big kids then

 

[TheRedHead]

Niether is true in diving. Parents who are complete novices are encouraged to take their children diving. It's almost the perfect example of the blind leading the blind. They don't know if they are putting their children at risk or not. They just trust those who are supposed to be the experts...the agencies. However, as can be seen by the skill level of certified divers, the agencies are demonstrably expert in nothing but marketing.

If the parents read their OW manual, how can they NOT know diving is risky?

People would wake up if the charter releases were more like tech diving release with DIE in capital letters and initial here with the understanding that you could die.

 

[scubapolly]

Diving is very different from driving but note that to get a drivers licence you must demonstrate that you can control the movement of the car down the road.

Additionally, most parents have a fair amount of experience driving before they ever make decisions related to the driving of their children.

Niether is true in diving. Parents who are complete novices are encouraged to take their children diving. It's almost the perfect example of the blind leading the blind. They don't know if they are putting their children at risk or not. They just trust those who are supposed to be the experts...the agencies. However, as can be seen by the skill level of certified divers, the agencies are demonstrably expert in nothing but marketing.

Agreed. I'd be better with the system if they said that parents had to have experience diving before their kids could come along, including rescue certs.

One girl comes to mind who passed through my shop. The 14 year old daughter is far and a way a more supperior diver than her father. The father is uncomfortable in the water, which makes him worry about his daughter, who is doing just fine. I can see the situation getting very ugly if the father ever had an issue in the water.

*** no relation to the events here**** the 40 something males are in a risk group for heart attacks, you tell me what 10 or even 14 year old kid has a chance of dealing with a parent having an in water heart attack mentally, physically, or emotionally. ***

I don't have any kids, but my niece is 7 and chomping at the bit to get her scuba certification... has been that way since she was 4 (even has her own subscription to dive training magazine..... this kid is hooked on diving the way most kids are infatuated with a cartoon character). When I do certify her, she will be strong enough to handle the resposibilities of diving physically, mentally, and emotionally, even if that means she has to wait until she is 18 to dive anywhere other than the pool.

 

[scubapolly]

I just received a PM from a reliable source that the newspapers are wrong, and the kids are in fact 14 and 17.

That doesn't change my stance on Jr certs, but makes it less relevant in this case.

 

[Missdirected]

I just received a PM from a reliable source that the newspapers are wrong, and the kids are in fact 14 and 17.

That doesn't change my stance on Jr certs, but makes it less relevant in this case.

Thanks, I thought I had remembered that correctly. They were/are also a bit more trained/experienced.