Troubling incident in San Pedro

[Downing]

Speaking of which, whatever happened to BITA's proposed promulgation of Blue Hole rules for dive ops that were supposed to released by the end of Marchl?

 

[davidbaraff]

Well, I ended up diving with ADM not 2 weeks ago. I did my local reef diving with them for a few days, and also used them for the trip to the Blue Hole. While I can't speak for how their instruction or PADI standards are, I can say that the local reef diving was conducted well, and safely. (In fact, my first dive with them, there was a near incident, no fault of ADM's, which was dealt with in what sure seemed to me to be a reasonable manner. I saw a women in the water face down, not moving and appearing to be in distrees. DM on the boat frantically trying to reach her, but she was drifting too close to the propellors and the swell was a bit high and the had to go into neutral and she started drifting out of the DM's reach. I had just rolled into the water and was able to grab her, flip her upright and offer her an octo. The DM was next to her shortly thereafter and got her sorted out. Totally her fault, not the DM's, and he task-loaded well making sure she was OK and that I was OK.) Funniest line:

DM (to me, as he's pulling her back to the boat): "Sir, please just drop down to get out of the way!"

Me: "I will---as soon as my breathing returns to normal!"

Him: "Oh. Ok." (proceeds to ignore me since he'd figured out I knew what I was doing.)

On another day, the DM on my boat took extra care with a newer diver, after checking that the other divers were competent on their own so that he could pay more attention to the newer diver (i.e. skipping the back role, having the diver put on the BC in the water, etc.)

The Blue Hole trip was also done well. I'd have no concerns diving with ADM again, but then again, other than getting me to and from the site, I don't really need much hand holding. I was concerned given the allegations, but I'm a lot happier to hear it wasn't an ADM employee that was in trouble. Shame about the PADI loss though, for ADM's sake. I'm sure there are bad apple's in every bunch, but everyone I dealt with was professional, courteous, and did their job well. About all I want from a dive op.

 

[Mike]

The issue isn't that they are incompetent, sending divers into the water with empty tanks, making divers take rocks from the beach with them instead of lead weights, tanks turned off or can't find the dive sites and driving around in circles for hours, forgetting equipment and having to return to the dock, not getting in the water with clients or playing grab ass under water mooning each other....

... the issue is ignoring basic divers safety protocols. PADI doesn't care if they did any hand holding with you or not being that you're qualified for your dives, PADI does care about dive operations violating their code of conduct in regard to divers qualifications and experience levels and the dives they are taken on. Was everyone qualified by certification and experience to dive to the depth they went on the blue hole dive? That's the issue.

 

[davidbaraff]

Was everyone qualified by certification and experience to dive to the depth they went on the blue hole dive? That's the issue.

I would say no; one diver had only one dive, if I got his story correct. (He couldn't have had more than 5, and I doubt he'd done a deep dive before.)

 

[AWMIII]

Speaking of which, whatever happened to BITA's proposed promulgation of Blue Hole rules for dive ops that were supposed to released by the end of Marchl?

The shops that go to the Blue Hole will do nothing. The BTIA has more control over the industry within Belize than the certifying agencies. As long as it is harder to get a Tour Guide License than a Dive Master credential, and a Tour Guide License is needed to teach and guide scuba, they will control the scuba industry in the country. How many members of the leadership of the BTIA are highly credentialed scuba professionals? It is a union whose sole purpose is to protect jobs for Belizeans. There are enough other agencies that can be shopped, that PADI has very little leverage. Money talks.

 

[Downing]

I seem to recall in February or March there was a meeting of the dive shops on AC called by the BTIA in response to a letter from PADI warning them that their memberships were in jeopardy if they didn't clean up their act at the Blue Hole. I know the BTIA said it would have rules out by the end of March because I've been waiting patiently (less and less so as time marches on) for them to publish. Leverage or not, either the BTIA should follow through or PADI should start kicking out members every time there's a violation of the PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding referenced below.

Just went digging for the letter. Here it is:

I am writing to all PADI Members in your area regarding the use of the local Blue Hole dive site for dive tours with newly certified or novice divers.
Some dive operations and dive guides have been taking newly certified or novice divers without deep diving training or experience on dive tours to depths exceeding the limits of those divers’ training and experience. Specifically, PADI Americas has been informed that PADI Members are taking newly certified PADI Open Water Divers (or other such novice divers) without deep dive training or experience to depths of 40 metres/130 feet in the Blue Hole. Though PADI Standards define the maximum depth limit for recreational divers with deep dive training or experience as 40 metres/130 feet, even the Deep Adventure Dive in the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is limited to a maximum depth of 30 metres/100 feet. Therefore dives in excess of these limits for inexperienced or untrained divers violate the Code of Practice outlined on pages 144 to 146 of the PADI Instructor Manual (2013 English language version), specifically points one, two and ten which state:

1. Put the safety of diving clients and students as your first priority and responsibility. In doing so, abide by the requirements and intent of PADI Standards and Procedures in the PADI Instructor Manual, PADI’s Guide to Teaching, Training Bulletin and other updates while applying your best judgment during the PADI courses and programs you conduct.
2. Although scuba diving is a reasonably safe activity when safety rules are followed, the risk/consequence of scuba diving can lead to very serious injuries. Be safety minded, safety conscious and practice instructing and dive mastering professionally.
10. Comply with the intent of the PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding while teaching and supervising.

Although these dive tours may not be course training dives, they may still violate the intent of the PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding and may place insufficiently trained or inadequately equipped divers in harm’s way. If your intent is to provide a guided experience for someone without previous deep diving experience or training, consider the level of supervision provided as well as the ratio and the overall depth and whether taking these divers to a depth of 40 metres/130 feet is really necessary to introduce divers to the thrill and excitement of the Blue Hole.
Should an incident occur, your actions while acting in the capacity of a dive professional and PADI Member will be scrutinized. Violating the PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding, especially while supervising divers, may increase your liability. Further, depending upon the specific circumstances, this could also jeopardize your PADI membership.*

The vast majority of PADI Professionals follow safe diving practices and have the safety and wellbeing of customers as the top priority. However, for the few that may be taking such risks, we ask that you immediately cease taking divers without the appropriate experience or training and equipment to excessive depths.
Sincerely,
Johnny Wetzstein
Director, Training
PADI Americas
cc: Belize Tourism Board


Shame on BTIA for dragging their feet on this, apparently, and shame on PADI if they've decided they'll just wait for an accident before taking further action.

*Emphasis added.

 

[Mossman]

Was everyone qualified by certification and experience to dive to the depth they went on the blue hole dive? That's the issue.

Meaningless arbitrary standards. PADI limits the depth of its certified OW divers to 60'. So all the PADI dive ops, just about anywhere, who take an OW diver past 60' are violating standards by taking PADI OW divers unqualified by certification past 60'? Completely and utterly ridiculous.

And it's not just a third-world issue. For example, I have personally gone to 130' and beyond along with divers not even AOW trained with Ed Robinson's in Maui, USA. It's a very reputable shop, subject to all the liability concerns of our litigious country, yet it's OK because they don't bear the PADI "seal of approval".

 

[Mike]

Meaningless arbitrary standards. PADI limits the depth of its certified OW divers to 60'. So all the PADI dive ops, just about anywhere, who take an OW diver past 60' are violating standards by taking PADI OW divers unqualified by certification past 60'? Completely and utterly ridiculous.

And it's not just a third-world issue. For example, I have personally gone to 130' and beyond along with divers not even AOW trained with Ed Robinson's in Maui, USA. It's a very reputable shop, subject to all the liability concerns of our litigious country, yet it's OK because they don't bear the PADI "seal of approval".

Might have some relevance if certification was the only issue, but you already knew that.

 

[AWMIII]

Trial delayed until 7/30.

 

[Mossman]

Might have some relevance if certification was the only issue, but you already knew that.

You said "certification and experience". Did you mean "certification OR experience" ?

If certification isn't the issue, why is PADI getting involved? And how can one possibly get the experience without the certification if one strictly adheres to PADI's "rules"?