Training Scuba Ranch Incident Report

[cruiser]

I agree the vis wasnt great at ASP in the summer months but that's just due to rainfall amount they had. Vis was 30 feet in April, and it was 15 feet yesterday when my wife and I went. So if you just plan your dives accordingly instead of just showing up out of the blue and check their posted conditions on their site, you'll have a better experience. Yeah they don't have fish but they do have lots of turtles through the tire graveyard. We saw at least 10 back in April. Crawfish only really come out at night there but there are hundreds. New owners are great too. Not trying to glaze them or the park but new walk in shore diving area is nice and the new bright ropes with wreck tag info is a nice touch. We also go to SR at least once a year for a deeper dive and we haven't had much luck with finding a good day of vis. Last time I called SR about conditions they said it was 15 ft then we get out there and it's less than 5. Kinda salty on the misleading conditions we were told but probably won't go back until the vis gets better if it ever does.. Not a bad facility by any means just my personal opinion Athens has more to offer and is safer for newer divers or anyone in general. Hope this accident hasn't hurt SR too much because the owners are very friendly and would like to go back at some point when it's clearer

I'd like to try out Athens' walk-in shore dive area.

Have they gotten rid of the Playschool plastic docks? Those were a pain.

Vis can vary quite a bit at Athens, especially when it's crowded and during warmer months.

 

[kammel78]

Well, it turns out the victim wasn’t a nine year old…
Beginning with that misinformation makes me doubt that the guy and his partner swam over there and joined in on the rescue effort. There is some more specific information I’ll be keeping to myself out of respect for the parents who may be reading these threads.

If the police were smart enough to download the dive computers then we'd know for sure. The girl's was listed in the inventory but not sure if that was actually hers or a rental and went back to the shop, but between the instructor's, other DM's, and the recovery divers' computers we should be able to know exactly what happened without relying solely on eyewitnesses and memory.

If I'm not mistaken, in Linnea's case they gave the victim's computer to the instructor which is just mind numbingly asinine.

I'd also be interested in knowing how much weight it was they recovered and of the 3 items recovered later (mask, fins, weight belt) which, if any, were removed by the recovery divers.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Anyone here a fan of Sheck Exley?

I am. He trained me as an NACD cave instructor in 1975. This was before the NSS-CDS existed. During my cave instructor training he was very happy to take us to 140 feet deep in a cave with limited visibility and expected us to deal with it nonchalantly, which we did.

 

[Diver566]

I'd like to try out Athens' walk-in shore dive area.

Have they gotten rid of the Playschool plastic docks? Those were a pain.

Vis can vary quite a bit at Athens, especially when it's crowded and during warmer months.

I'd like to try out Athens' walk-in shore dive area.

Have they gotten rid of the Playschool plastic docks? Those were a pain.

Vis can vary quite a bit at Athens, especially when it's crowded and during warmer months.

The only plastic dock is the private dock area that's not used for scuba. All the docks are metal piers that extend out on the water. There is one floating dock but that's a wood dock not plastic. The walk in area isnt a huge beach or anything. They have just put gravel down on the clay where the kayak area is and they allow you to go in and out there for airfills are a quick exit to get to the shop so you don't have to load everything in your vehicle then come back around for air fills, service, etc. The bright orange ropes are my favorite addition this year.

 

[cruiser]

They've made changes since I was there last. May have to give them another try for something different.

 

[Subfiend]

If the police were smart enough to download the dive computers then we'd know for sure. The girl's was listed in the inventory but not sure if that was actually hers or a rental and went back to the shop, but between the instructor's, other DM's, and the recovery divers' computers we should be able to know exactly what happened without relying solely on eyewitnesses and memory.

If I'm not mistaken, in Linnea's case they gave the victim's computer to the instructor which is just mind numbingly asinine.

In Linnea's case, the dive computer was removed from the body before the coroner arrived on scene. It found its way back to the Instructor's home, where it was later shown to the NPS Investigative Services Branch investigators, much to their surprise. When the Instructor told the investigators you could not download data from Linnea's computer, they believed her and let her keep the computer. From there, it went to the dive shop's attorney and he gave it to Christian McDonald, Chief Diving Officer/Director of Diving, Small Boating, & Marine Field Research Safety Programs at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. McDonald downloaded three dive computers for the defense lawyers: (1) Linnea's, (2) the Instructor's, and (3) the "Divemaster in Training" assisting the Instructor. Linnea's dive computer was never produced to Linnea's family or their attorneys during the litigation, although the downloads were eventually produced approximately 1 3/4 years after Linnea died.

Here is the portion of the transcript of the NPS investigators' interview with the Instructor concerning the dive computers. The numbers at the beginning of each sentence are the line numbers in the transcript:

2059 Q1: Do you have a way - do you have a way your way of getting me the data from
2060 your dive computer for that dive?
2061
2062 A: Let me see.
2063
2064 Q1: Um, and I - we’ve got thumb drives if you - if you’ve got that ability.
2065
2066 A: [The Instructor speaking to her male partner, who was present in her home during the interview] Just bring me my computer and her computer and her computer and my iPad.
2067
2068 Q: Her computer?
2069
2070 A: Yeah. I have her computer.
2071 Q: Oh, you have Linnea’s
2072 computer? Awesome.
2073
2074 Q1: Yeah, if you - if - if I can get that diagram that day, I don’t need anything else.
2075
2076 A: What I did is I took pictures of it.
2077
2078 Q1: Did you?
2079
2080 A: So, I can send the pictures to you.
2081
2082 Q: Oh cool.
2083
2084 Q1: Oh excellent, yes. That’ll work great.

2220 Q1: Which - those are wrist computers. Is that how it works?
2221
2222 A: Yes
2223
2224 Q1: Which one’s yours and which one’s hers?
2225
2226 A: This one is mine, and this one’s hers.
2227
2228 Q1: And they just work the same?
2229
2230 A: Yes. The only difference is that mine is air integrated so that I can tell how much
2231 air I have.
2232
2233 Q1: Oh, that’s cool.
2234
2235 A: Yeah, these do not.
2236
2237 Q1: And do you mind if we take a picture of hers and just the prep bag and - and
2238 I’ll have - I’ll give you - you can either text me the pictures or email them to
2239 me what - whatever’ s best for you.

2655 Q: Do you have the data- or do you have like the stuff to download hers too or do
2656 you just look...
2657
2658 A: No you just look..

 

[kammel78]

Finally something. They aired a segment live at 5:00 CST. Assuming after the broadcast they'll post the video. Warning: there are lots of photos of her...it was difficult to watch.

Here's the written version Crucial evidence "lost" in scuba death investigation of 12-year-old girl

Possibly more tomorrow night on the 6:30.

 

[alv0065]

Wait... as someone in the area. This whole thing seems fishy, and even if it's not fishy, everyone involved is acting fishy.

1. First there is a big media black out on this. Every comment or post about it on local dive pages are deleted. Sure. Before much information comes out that's reasonable and people had gone through a traumatic event. But there still seems to be a local black out weeks later.
2. Within 12 hours Scuba Ranch posts that they've updated their waivers. Well, I'm glad that's resolved.
3. There were no news reports or anything on this... rather unusual accident. Even in a small Texas town, where it's pretty unusual for a child to die from scuba diving, there was nothing. As far as I can tell there was never even an obituary.
4. Clearly from the news report and comments on the news report, family and friends of the poor kid want answers. So they feel they are being stonewalled, and also if that's the case I am not sure why there is still a black out on this.
5. With just a tad bit of research that the Divemaster (or Instructor) on duty is a policeman himself. Appears to be for Collin Country but perhaps has strong ties to Kaufman County?
6. While I am not entirely sure what a dive computer can really reveal that we can't already ascertain, why did the dive computer that appears to have been recovered at the site suddenly disappear in 90ft of water (which... nearest place that is 90ft is Lake Travis).

Edit: Actually the article says he works for the police. So doesn't take any research. I was going off the PDF>

 

[kammel78]

Wait... as someone in the area. This whole thing seems fishy, and even if it's not fishy, everyone involved is acting fishy.

1. First there is a big media black out on this. Every comment or post about it on local dive pages are deleted. Sure. Before much information comes out that's reasonable and people had gone through a traumatic event. But there still seems to be a local black out weeks later.

I can show you the receipts of the emails I sent to at least 8 news agencies. Lori was the only one to respond and her initial response was that she was not getting any details from the Kaufman Sheriff until after the autopsy.

2. Within 12 hours Scuba Ranch posts that they've updated their waivers. Well, I'm glad that's resolved.

They also scrubbed Scuba Toys from their Learn to Dive page.

3. There were no news reports or anything on this... rather unusual accident. Even in a small Texas town, where it's pretty unusual for a child to die from scuba diving, there was nothing. As far as I can tell there was never even an obituary.

Same as above. I had AI running new queries every few days to try to pick up anything and not even a peep. I found a news story on a girl falling from a tree near Dallas and breaking her arm...nothing on a girl's death.

4. Clearly from the news report and comments on the news report, family and friends of the poor kid want answers. So they feel they are being stonewalled, and also if that's the case I am not sure why there is still a black out on this.

They have been stonewalled from the beginning.

5. With just a tad bit of research that the Divemaster (or Instructor) on duty is a policeman himself. Appears to be for Collin Country but perhaps has strong ties to Kaufman County?

Edit: Actually the article says he works for the police. So doesn't take any research. I was going off the PDF>

Assistant Chief in Collin County. I think you have your answer to 1, 3, and 4.

6. While I am not entirely sure what a dive computer can really reveal that we can't already ascertain, why did the dive computer that appears to have been recovered at the site suddenly disappear in 90ft of water (which... nearest place that is 90ft is Lake Travis).

The importance of the dive computers can NOT be understated.

There are multiple conflicting reports of what happened, such as if the instructor even realized Dylan was gone, and did he actually search for her? It makes ZERO sense to me that the recovery divers found her in 6 min on their initial sweep off the platform but the instructor who's on the dive team and has photos showing PSD equipment wouldn't be able to locate her. The initial word of mouth accounts were that nobody put out a call for help until quite a while after she went missing.

The computers of the instructor, Dylan, and recover divers will show the times they were in and out of the water. If, let's suppose that the instructor surfaced at 9:15 and the recovery diver didn't start his dive until 9:45...then there's a big problem. If, let's suppose the instructor's dive times exactly match the other students, then either he didn't look for her or looked for her with 8 students? In other words, there are so many conflicting reports - and to be fair, evidence shows that humans have sh***y memories especially when flooded with adrenaline - that the only way to piece together an objective narrative is with a base timeline of who went in the water, at what time, and for how long.

To clarify, I believe the dive computer that was lost was from one of the instructors, DMs, or recovery divers. They had Dylan's.

I can't decide if this is just pure law enforcement incompetence or classic southern good ol' boy system at work or a combination of both but it reeks to high heaven.

 

[kammel78]

If anyone's curious about the media blackout, here's a non-exhaustive list of some local/regional media outlets

inforney.com | Serving Forney and Kaufman County, Texas

Contact Us

The Kaufman Herald

Contact | Forney Messenger

Contact

https://www.wfaa.com/contact-us

https://www.nbcdfw.com/contact-us/

https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/cbs11-txa21/

https://dallasnews.zendesk.com/hc/e...-submit-a-news-tip-to-The-Dallas-Morning-News