Teen diver dead - Catalina Island, California

[SeaHorse81]

Obviously we can not call these facts because facts require Proof so I shall call it a summary of information provided in this thread...

Really helpful summary of the most relevant information currently available. Oh, but to have one of these on every A&I thread...

 

[bowlofpetunias]

*sigh* yes it would be nice but it did take quite a bit of time. Perhaps other kind members will do something similar when they see the need and have the time The most important part would be that it is done by someone who can be objective.

I just did it as a regular member not a MOD that is why there was no MOD message indicator with it. Unfortunately Mods already have a lot on their plates without asking them to do this too :doh:


Anyway thanks for the feedback

 

[Steelyeyes]

I feel for the parents and family of the young man lost. Now that I have my own two young boys.. I vow to Never push them into diving, nor to permit them to dive until they demonstate to me the critical thinking skills that are required. I personally learned to dive in teh mid 70s at age 15. I was fortunate to have been very serious about the sport, studied it hard, and had rigorous instructors at that time. That said. I still am "lucky" to be alive due to the stupid acts that I did as a young man. I got in over my head many times, but I was lucky and I was able to deal with it at the moment. I don't blame the divers that were diving with the youth.. one enters the ocean and is responsible for their own actions. Us with experience know that it can be overwhelming mentally underwater in a stressful situation, often too much for an adult to deal with, let alone a youth. I feel that the certification agencies as a whole over the years have "dumbed down" the requirements to become a diver and blame that fact as a contributing factor. IMHO.

I feel the same. My first certification was in 1975 and I've seen the requirements to get a card slide downhill since. One breath of fresh air was a trip to Grenada. Some potential students came in to the shop I was diving with to inquire about a course. They were from the local college, St. George's University. Part of the conversation was the question, "How well can you swim?" He got a funny look from the young lady in the group. The instructor pointed out past the beach and said, "See that buoy out there? To pass the course you have to start off by swimming to it, tread water for ten minutes, and swim back." The instructor had been a military diver and had a bit higher standards than were required by the certifying agency. He told me he had quite a few people start and never finish the course and that was fine with him. It's better than sending someone off barely prepared and agonizing over their death should it happen.

 

[MtnPlayVA]

Of course it's 'shrouded in mystery.' The authorities will take awhile to investigate, and will be in no rush to disclose their findings as they go.

It took 3 years for the investigations to be complete after my daughter's scuba diving death. It is a time consuming process to prove negligence.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Or to disprove negligence as the case may be....

 

[solodiver71]

My condolences to his family and friends. I've taken this charter out of San Pedro and really enjoyed my first experience at Catalina Island in 2007.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Alli]

As this boys mom I will give some info to clarify but am not interested in getting into debates or discussions or answering questions. This is what I understand from the police reports.

There were 4 divers together on this dive. 3 in a group and one with a camera following. All had different levels of training ranging from brand new to about 150 dives. All 4 ran out or were really low on air at at about 90 ft. 15 year old and another were were spear fishing. Only one had training to be at that level. 2 of the group needed to ascend quickly, thought the 15 year old had seen them. 4th guy (camera guy) got the 15 year old and started to ascend. Both ran out of air. First 2 got to the top and tried to alert others that help was needed. Camera guy and 15 both passed out. Camera guy at some point dropped weights and surfaced (while unconscious) 15 year old did not and ultimately drowned. There is video of what happened. Only one of 4 (possibly none) were watching their air. There was multiple medics/emt/emergency response that tried their best. This was a complete accident. By telling this I hope that it will help something like this to not happen again with someone else.

 

[Steve_C]

Thank you for posting. As a parent and grandparent I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you.

 

[Alli]

Thank you for posting. As a parent and grandparent I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you.

Thank you.

 

[vladodessit]

As this boys mom I will give some info to clarify but am not interested in getting into debates or discussions or answering questions. This is what I understand from the police reports.

There were 4 divers together on this dive. 3 in a group and one with a camera following. All had different levels of training ranging from brand new to about 150 dives. All 4 ran out or were really low on air at at about 90 ft. 15 year old and another were were spear fishing. Only one had training to be at that level. 2 of the group needed to ascend quickly, thought the 15 year old had seen them. 4th guy (camera guy) got the 15 year old and started to ascend. Both ran out of air. First 2 got to the top and tried to alert others that help was needed. Camera guy and 15 both passed out. Camera guy at some point dropped weights and surfaced (while unconscious) 15 year old did not and ultimately drowned. There is video of what happened. Only one of 4 (possibly none) were watching their air. There was multiple medics/emt/emergency response that tried their best. This was a complete accident. By telling this I hope that it will help something like this to not happen again with someone else.

Thank you so much for all the information. I cannot even begin to understand how you feel, of course. Yes, accident reports are very important for the diving community. Thank you.