DandyDon, what caused the 6 folks injuries? Do you see any common links to the injuries? Did they all happen at the same place? (even different times)
Actually some were somewhat related...
The first three were on one group trip. I was put off by the heavy drinking & party atmosphere encouraged by the leader in order to make sure the group was happy and certainly objected, to no avail.
The first guy passed out on a shore dive the first day, was revived, then later admitted that he'd not been taking his seizure meds. :shocked2: He said he was going to sell his gear but last I heard, he still dives with that group - supposedly with a doctor's approval.
Couple days later, a guy took a hit and a couple of chamber rides. I was in charge of that boat that day, the O2 tank was empty, so I had him drink a quart of kool-aid I was carrying. He felt much better by the time we got him to shore, but if you have DAN insurance and call for O2 on a boat in Cozumel - well, the doctors called it so who am I to doubt.
At the end of that week, a diabetic alcoholic passed out on the boat dock before boarding so not really a diving injury. He's since nearly died, amputated a foot, but rebounded and now dives on trips with his daughter and a hired DM on every dive.
There were some other stunts that week, mostly booze related, but no other injuries. I quit traveling with that group for a few years.
The next was on a group I organized to the Florida Keys, but not a part of my group - a regular customer of the Op who was on the same boat. He solo dived the wreck we were on, the Duane I think, apparently ran out of air, bobbed to the surface unconscious down current. We couldn't move as we had divers down but another boat picked him up and ran him to shore. We were scheduled to go out again on that boat after lunch, which probly would have canceled if he'd croaked but we heard he was arguing with the nurses on whether he had to stay the night so we did another trip.
After some years, I tried the above referenced group again on the assurances that they had calmed down, and on a liveaboard known to run a safe & tight trip - only to see the epileptic diver mentioned above show up.
I had swore I wouldn't ever dive around him at all again, but it was a liveaboard so I was stuck. He was the only air diver scheduled, and the captain didn't know, so they did a discover Nitrox course on him so he could dive Enhanced Air.
I just avoided it all, and nothing went bad. I thot I'd include that in the reply tho since it was the same group for most of the accidents.
I went to Coz with them, got assigned a former diver/Inst getting back into diving as a buddy first day - and she was better on air that I, so waved me off when I ran low. Once back at the dock, I refused to buddy with her again, went to lunch and a nap. She went out again and passed out in the water, but was saved. The group started breaking up the next morning tho as hurricane Dean hadn't veered off like we'd hoped, so the leader left another lady to tend to the injured diver in the hospital and most left. A medevac had to skirt the storm to fly in from Florida for her but she got to Miami, spent weeks in ICU with a few more chamber rides, never did get a diagnosis, then DAN provided nurses to escort her by train home. I got out the day after most others left. Never did get all the answers I wanted as that group avoids such discussions but I heard she was traveling with them again just to snorkel.
I did one more trip with that group, mostly to get the money they owed me on the canceled trip - an Exuma liveaboard, and a diver had a cardiac event on the first dive, altho I didn't hear about it until supper. I guess he'd been hiding in his room until his roomie found him? A nearby yacht sent over a speed boat to take him back to the island along with the group leader. Somehow the medevac got fumbled, they flew to Nassau, spent the night in a hospital there, finally got to Ft.Lauderdale the next day and surgery. Last I heard he was still among the living.
Well, that's the summary; make of it what you will. I don't travel with groups anymore, as I've seen some things on the others I tried too.
This thread had been hijacked anyway...