Rob Murphy's Day in Court

[The Chairman]

The ones that get me is the 'tampering with evidence' when he scrubbed his GPS clean and having his lawyer meet him at the dock. This is NOT the 'good doctor's' first rodeo...

The two things that have the diving world in general so upset at this man are twofold.

• He didn't stop and render aid.
• He contacted his lawyer instead.

Most people that I have talked to feel that it was a horrible, unfortunate accident, up until those two things happened.

While the ocean seems empty, it's not. You simply can't use auto pilot that close to the Florida shore with impunity. There should be a law about that.

 

[Airleron]

I'm out in the water off Palm Beach nearly every weekend. The dive op I usually dive with has had to fend off boaters in our close vicinity almost every dive I'v done this year. I always deploy my SMB from the bottom so I have a slim chance to make it back to the dive boat in one piece. Sad state of affairs here in the Sunshine State.

 

[Cave Diver]

You simply can't use auto pilot that close to the Florida shore with impunity. There should be a law about that.

These two things are not in agreement IMO. What's the point of a new law when there is hardly any consequence to the existing laws? Another paltry fine and probation? Put some bite into the existing laws and streamline the process if you really want to make a difference.

 

[Tortuga68]

Can anyone comment on why Rob didn't submerge to avoid the boat?

 

[Cave Diver]

Can anyone comment on why Rob didn't submerge to avoid the boat?

One statement I read was that he had originally seen the boat and swam out of it's path by about 20'. The boat made a last minute turn taking it directly over him.

 

[Tortuga68]

Yeah I read that too... I was just thinking that down would have been better than sideways, since boats don't tend to submerge. Easy to say in hindsight of course, but maybe something to remember if anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation. Was just wondering if there was something that ruled out that option for him

 

[Cave Diver]

Yeah I read that too... I was just thinking that down would have been better than sideways, since boats don't tend to submerge. Easy to say in hindsight of course, but maybe something to remember if anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation. Was just wondering if there was something that ruled out that option for him

Hard to second guess, but if he was buoyant on the surface and if they had been spear fishing with catch bags, etc. he might have felt it would have taken longer to dump and descend than to just swim out of the way.

 

[Abidon]

Boater found guilty in 2009 boating accident that cost diver his legs TCPalm.com

Boater found guilty in 2009 boating accident that cost diver his legs

* By Melissa E. Holsman
* TCPalm
* Posted August 18, 2010 at 1:50 p.m., updated August 18, 2010 at 1:50 p.m.

...

As Murphy saw the Dykoke coming toward him, he also saw the Master Plan “bearing down” about 1,000 feet away, he said. He couldn’t see anyone on the boat looking at him, so he decided he had to take evasive action to avoid being hit.

“I had a 55-inch spear gun that I had gripped from the very bottom . . . and my other arm, waving like this,” Murphy said, his arms above his head. “But it was clear that . . . nobody acknowledged my signals.”

He screamed, yelled and waved his arms. But the boat headed for him at about 25 knots, Murphy said. He saw the Dykoke turn to get between him and Nicosia’s boat.

“I kicked as hard as I could . . . and covered about 20 feet,” he said, “which would have brought me out of the path of the Master Plan.”

He kept kicking, but then the Master Plan made a correction to the right, Murphy said, which brought the boat “basically right on top of me.”

“I saw the giant brass propellers coming straight at my head from less than five feet away and all I could do was just try to roll away and get away from it,” recalled Murphy, “and at that point the propeller hit my tank and my legs.”

...

Can anyone comment on why Rob didn't submerge to avoid the boat?

It sounds like he was submerged just below the surface and tried to manuever to keep the props from striking his head. Unfortunately, this put his tank and legs in harm's way. :depressed:

 

[The Chairman]

I believe that Rob is a Freediver, and so he didn't have tanks on. You have to recover from the previous breath hold dive before you can do the next one.

 

[Cave Diver]

I believe that Rob is a Freediver, an so he didn't have tanks on. You have to recover from the previous breath hold dive before you can do the next one.

Didnt his statement say the prop his his tanks?