Training Scuba Ranch Incident Report

[kinoons]

agree 100%, I am..shall we say a very qualified and experienced instructor, Instructor trainer, rec, tech, and PSD. Sat on the training committee for NAUI, the board of NAUI, the RSTC board and also on the International Training "Training advisory panel".

I have a daughter.

Know what I didn't do? Teach her to dive. For all the reasons you mentioned.

I had a friend I trusted do it with a 1 to 1 ratio in what can only be described in as close to perfect conditions as you can get when she was 13.

I did not go in the water on the dives, as much as it was killing me inside. Because was better for her learning and my friends teaching.

This.

I’m only an ow diver. When my daughter got certified the instructor said I would only be allowed in the water on her final training dive after she had successfully demonstrated all the needed skills.

Simply put a family member is only a distraction.

 

[cruiser]

If I have this right:

The little girl's dive computer is in custody, but as of last week the data hasn't been analyzed.

The DM's computer went missing in the bottom of a 90 foot lake.

So they have the instructor's computer. But on October 1, Danny Howard of the Kaufman County Sheriff's office said that no data is to be recovered."

Why can't the instructor's computer data be recovered? What's the glitch?

 

[divezonescuba]

I would like to know what 90 foot lake there is in Texas, that you would want to dive.

 

[cruiser]

I would like to know what 90 foot lake there is in Texas, that you would want to dive.

Lake Travis comes to mind.

 

[divezonescuba]

We stopped doing any training in Lake Travis because of the visibility issue when the water went down years ago. The conditions that exist now are less than safe, particularly with students. The same thing that happened at Scuba Ranch could easily happen in Lake Travis. Now that Windy Point is closed, it is that much more difficult to dive there.

 

[boulderjohn]

So they have the instructor's computer. But on October 1, Danny Howard of the Kaufman County Sheriff's office said that no data is to be recovered."

Why can't the instructor's computer data be recovered? What's the glitch?

It does not say it can't be recovered. It does not say there is a glitch. It just says "no data is to be recovered." The potential reason for that is a decision not to recover it.

 

[Eric802]

It would suck for the prosecutor to decline to press charges due to lack of evidence (dive logs) and then Armstrong use that to say he was “cleared” in defense of any civil suit.

Generally speaking, what happens in a criminal case isn't admissible in a civil suit arising from the same incident. The lack of criminal charges wouldn't be anything a jury would hear about. However, if the instructor was charged with criminal negligence and pled guilty, that could be an admission that may be used in a civil case. He would have admitted that he was negligent, so the only issue in a civil trial would be damages.

 

[kammel78]

It does not say it can't be recovered. It does not say there is a glitch. It just says "no data is to be recovered." The potential reason for that is a decision not to recover it.

What's interesting is that, for a civilian, failure to preserve evidence could be somewhat rationalized.

For an instructor, that goes away as providing details to liability provider and parent training org is required.

For an instructor who is also law enforcement and on the dive team (which should have their own strict accident documentation training), it would be reasonable to view as intentional and therefore criminal.

Generally speaking, what happens in a criminal case isn't admissible in a civil suit arising from the same incident. The lack of criminal charges wouldn't be anything a jury would hear about. However, if the instructor was charged with criminal negligence and pled guilty, that could be an admission that may be used in a civil case. He would have admitted that he was negligent, so the only issue in a civil trial would be damages.

You are correct. Sorry, my wording was confusing and I meant more of a general public defense of whatever reputation he may still have to show that the civil suit was frivolous. It's the argument that Hegseth made during confirmation. "Hey I was cleared of any wrongdoing and I only settled to make it easier on my family". Publicly equating "declining to prosecute" with "cleared of wrongdoing".

Then he transfers to his local PD or the next county over and becomes a PADI instructor.

 

[bheath]

I don't know if the lack of pulling the data off of her computer is due to the model or not. I know the Cressi Leonardo, contrary to the news report that it only requires a phone app, requires a specific dock/interface to offload the data, because my wife and mines first computers were that model and it took forever to find and buy a dock for it.

If that's the case, I'd be more than willing to loan my dock to whatever group needs it (KCSO?) to retrieve the data.

 

[dmaziuk]

I don't know if the lack of pulling the data off of her computer is due to the model or not. I know the Cressi Leonardo, contrary to the news report that it only requires a phone app, requires a specific dock/interface to offload the data, because my wife and mines first computers were that model and it took forever to find and buy a dock for it.

If that's the case, I'd be more than willing to loan my dock to whatever group needs it (KCSO?) to retrieve the data.

Anything that isn't bluetooth will require an interface: an IR "eye" (e.g. Leo), a wet-contact USB clip, etc., that tend to be proprietary and cost $50-100 if available.