The Third Dive: The Death of Rob Stewart

[MarkFlory]

There is a new article in Oct Undercurrent on this.
Page 13, titled "Was There a Cover-Up in This Diver’s Death?"

 

[kelemvor]

There is a new article in Oct Undercurrent on this.
Page 13, titled "Was There a Cover-Up in This Diver’s Death?"

I thought the concern raised in undercurrent had already been "put to bed" by other rebreather divers. If I remember right, they explained that after he passed out on the surface, he would have dropped the rebreather mouthpiece. Then the rebreather counterlung would have flooded making him very negative and that would cause him to sink to the bottom despite initially having been buoyant.

 

[Wookie]

I thought the concern raised in undercurrent had already been "put to bed" by other rebreather divers. If I remember right, they explained that after he passed out on the surface, he would have dropped the rebreather mouthpiece. Then the rebreather counterlung would have flooded making him very negative and that would cause him to sink to the bottom despite initially having been buoyant.

Which brings up the point. Had ANYONE been paying the least attention to Rob, they would have seen him sink and could maybe have done something about it. Instead we searched for 2 more days.

 

[kelemvor]

Which brings up the point. Had ANYONE been paying the least attention to Rob, they would have seen him sink and could maybe have done something about it. Instead we searched for 2 more days.

Yep. I think the excuse was that sotis was on deck passed out and "everyone" was dealing with that. That doesn't sound like something that would hold up in court to me, but I'm not a lawyer.

There is this statement in the undercurrent article. Maybe it's based on this new and unreleased information?

While the Coast Guard and Stewart’s family were out searching an area the size of Connecticut because they though Stewart was alive and drifting on the surface, the people who actually saw him sink were at the site, ready to do a search and recovery, after being forbidden to do so .

From what I heard, nobody actually saw him sink. It's got to either be poor reporting by the author, or new information, or maybe I just missed it.

 

[Wookie]

I think poor reporting. We know he sank, but I've been on the back of a lot of dive boats. I can easily see how no one saw him sink. It takes a tremendous amount of training and a strong will to have someone make sure someone is watching the other divers and ready to take action when there is already one casualty situation unfolding.

 

[Diving Dubai]

I thought the concern raised in undercurrent had already been "put to bed" by other rebreather divers. If I remember right, they explained that after he passed out on the surface, he would have dropped the rebreather mouthpiece. Then the rebreather counterlung would have flooded making him very negative and that would cause him to sink to the bottom despite initially having been buoyant.

I was sure I saw a link to the ROV video on SB that clearly showed his mouthpiece still in situ (ie still in his mouth)

I could of course be mistaken @Wookie can maybe confirm

 

[Wookie]

I was sure I saw a link to the ROV video on SB that clearly showed his mouthpiece still in situ (ie still in his mouth)

I could of course be mistaken @Wookie can maybe confirm

The official report said the BOV was not in his mouth when found. I have seen the raw video. I had a hard time telling.

 

[coolwave3]

What official report? This article suggests their may have been tampering of evidence. So who knows if the mouthpiece was in or out of his mouth.

Beaver emailed Bleser, “There was no communication


with my office, and no approval was

requested or given. I consider your actions and

the actions of those involved in the recovery a

flagrant violation . . . and a complete disregard


In its court filings,


the legal team representing rEvo states that

Horizon Dive Adventures created a criminal

conspiracy by tampering with evidence in order

to misdirect authorities’ suspicions away from it,

and to frame rEvo and Sotis for causing Stewart’s

death.

 

[kelemvor]

I believe the "official report" is available from the clerk's office via a website. At one point I was attempting to read all the documents they'd posted about the case, but I quickly gave up.

If you dig up the original thread on the incident, buried deep inside it are links to the case files. It might be easier to just search for the clerk's office information directly than pouring through that lengthy thread.

Note that some of the documents will be listed, but require you to "request" they be made available online. I made an attempt at doing that myself. I'm not sure if the availability online was temporary or permanent.

Edit: You don't have to file a FOIA act request to get the files, all you have to do is click a request button on the website. Someone will process it, it takes a few days if I remember right.

 

[Wookie]

I believe the "official report" is available from the clerk's office via a website. At one point I was attempting to read all the documents they'd posted about the case, but I quickly gave up.

If you dig up the original thread on the incident, buried deep inside it are links to the case files. It might be easier to just search for the clerk's office information directly than pouring through that lengthy thread.

Note that some of the documents will be listed, but require you to "request" they be made available online. I made an attempt at doing that myself. I'm not sure if the availability online was temporary or permanent.

Edit: You don't have to file a FOIA act request to get the files, all you have to do is click a request button on the website. Someone will process it, it takes a few days if I remember right.

I have most of the filings, and access to all of them.