Tulum area fatality, June 2018

[boulderjohn]

Note: The following account is based on a report submitted to the National Speleological Society by members of the recovery team. It does not have complete information, including the name of the victim. I was unable to find news accounts, possibly because I was unable to search by the victim's name. I was unable to find the incident reported in any of the scuba forums I checked. Anyone having further information is invited to provide it.

On June 16, 2018, 10 non-divers contracted with a local independent instructor and dive guide to conduct a Discover Scuba course. That local instructor found 3 individuals, supposedly an instructor and 2 DMs, to conduct the class for the 10 students. He was present but did not participate in the class himself. The chosen site was Cenote Manati, north of Tulum. This is a long cenote formed by the collapse of a cave that is part of the outflow of the huge Sac Actun cave system. The cenote ends near the bay, with the water exiting through a cave that empties out into the bay. This forms what is called a siphon, a cave that has water flowing in through the cave entrance. Siphons are only dived with great care because of the potential difficulty of returning to the entrance against the water flow.

Because of recent heavy rains, conditions were not good in the cenote. Horizontal visibility was about one meter. The water flow was particularly strong, and a whirlpool was noted on the surface near the entrance to the cave. Soon after the students submerged for the dive, several returned to the surface and quit the dive because of the conditions. The rest completed the dive.

When the dive was over, two students were missing, and the DMs looked for them. They were found struggling in the current near the cave. One of them managed to hold onto the BCD of a DM, but the other could not maintain the grip and was pulled into the cave by the current. The DM took that one student to the surface, but there was no attempt to enter the cave to find the student, which would have been very dangerous. It would have been possible for the student to swim through the cave with the current and get to the bay, but he would not likely have known that, and that exit is not visible until near the end.

Local cave divers were summoned, but they arrived too late for a rescue and were not able to locate the body. The next day a larger group of cave divers was able to locate the body wedged in a crack in the ceiling of the cave and recover it.

The instructor and two DMs who conducted the class left the scene quickly, and the reporting divers did not know their names or if they were even fully certified professionals. The instructor who had arranged the dive was expelled by PADI a few weeks later. There are no other expulsions from that area and time listed on the PADI list of expelled members, suggesting that either PADI did not know who they were or they were not PADI members.

 

[rjack321]

good lord that is horrifying

ps I would not be surprised at all if ex-PADI or never PADI "instructors" were using PADI materials to fraudulently market themselves as legitimate instructors in Mexico (or some other places).

 

[ChuckP]

Interesting that these incidents aren’t publicized - any event could and should be learned from. I think I remember somewhere on PADI site you could see disenplanary actions against pros and you might be able to pin point a name. I wonder how known this was within the community.

 

[Nirvana]

Thanks for reporting this, John.

It seems appalling, given the conditions reported, that any certified diver, not to say an instructor, would lead a group of non divers underwater that day in that place.

Also, it is amazing (and unfortunate) that some of the so-called students agreed to enter the water and proceed with the dive.

 

[boulderjohn]

Interesting that these incidents aren’t publicized - any event could and should be learned from. I think I remember somewhere on PADI site you could see disenplanary actions against pros and you might be able to pin point a name. I wonder how known this was within the community.

If you go do a search for the name of the expelled instructor, you will find a linked-in profile that says he is an active instructor, although it does not name an agency.

There is some conjecture that they sought out an independent instructor because at least one local dive operation refused to do the class.

 

[elgoog]

That's terrifying and beyond awful. I can't even ...

The instructor who had arranged the dive was expelled by PADI a few weeks later. There are no other expulsions from that area and time listed on the PADI list of expelled members, suggesting that either PADI did not know who they were or they were not PADI members.

Did that PADI instructor refuse to name the folks he hired? I'm curious why they're still unknown. I can't think of a great reason why the expelled instructor would protect the others. Maybe just in the hope that it would end with the PADI expulsion and keeping quiet would mean no further punishment? I mean, if losing your dive pro status is the worst thing that happened to you for causing this travesty, I'd understand keeping your yap shut.

Also, it is amazing (and unfortunate) that some of the so-called students agreed to enter the water and proceed with the dive.

Is it amazing? They specifically hired a professional to try out an activity they've never done themselves. How would they even know if it was safe or not? For all we know, the person they hired could have told them the visibility and conditions will improve once they submerged.
From what @boulderjohn wrote, some of them actually did call the dive pretty quickly once they realized it. The ones who didn't could have just blindly followed the instructor in. I remember my DSD, which was in far more benign conditions, and I could focus on nothing but the dive leader and staying as close to him as I could once my head was underwater.

There is some conjecture that they sought out an independent instructor because at least one local dive operation refused to do the class.

Interesting. And makes me question my response to @Nirvana one sentence before this. I wonder what the reason was for the refusal? I can think of a few but that's conjecture on top of conjecture.

 

[Nirvana]

Is it amazing? They specifically hired a professional to try out an activity they've never done themselves. How would they even know if it was safe or not? For all we know, the person they hired could have told them the visibility and conditions will improve once they submerged.
From what @boulderjohn wrote, some of them actually did call the dive pretty quickly once they realized it. The ones who didn't could have just blindly followed the instructor in. I remember my DSD, which was in far more benign conditions, and I could focus on nothing but the dive leader and staying as close to him as I could once my head was underwater.

I didn't mean to blame or criticise the victims. I do find it surprising, though, that they would find the conditions attractive enough to go through with the dive.

I have been under the impression that, at least for non-cave divers, the appeal of the cenotes is the clear, calm water and interesting rock formations. The report describes a very turbulent, dark water, right next to a cave entrance.

 

[ibj40]

I didn't mean to blame or criticise the victims. I do find it surprising, though, that they would find the conditions attractive enough to go through with the dive.

I have been under the impression that, at least for non-cave divers, the appeal of the cenotes is the clear, calm water and interesting rock formations. The report describes a very turbulent, dark water, right next to a cave entrance.

We have dived this site twice, both times under very different conditions. As pointed out in the original post, recent rains had swollen the upstream water course and compromised the water quality.

Both times we were there, while you could feel a current, it was not such that you couldn't swim against it to see the rock overhangs and Mangrove root systems, and the visibility was crystal clear.

It is evident that the conditions under which the subject event occurred were inappropriate, even for experienced divers.

 

[Dogbowl]

I am very disturbed by this report because we had a similar experience there. My sister, husband and I went to Playa and I convinced my sister to do a Discover Scuba Dive. My husband and I had about 40 dives at the time IIRC. It was suggested that we could do it at Manati because it was an open cenote. That morning, we were hit with torrential rains on the highway there, so bad we had to stop by the side of the road to wait it out. The rain slowed and we continued on our way. When we got there the rain was light and the instructor showed us around, indicating that because of the rain, there would be current and did we see the fish being sucked into the hole? I didn’t see it and didn’t think much of it. It was also explained to us that there was an opening into the ocean. I didn’t think much of that either.

We geared up and did our dives into the current. The water was murky green. Current was ok at the beginning but mid-dive, my husband and I couldn’t keep up. The instructor had my sister’s hand and just kept going and going. Eventually, he came back looking for us and got upset, asking what happened to us? I said we couldn’t keep up. We then continued and swam back to exit.

It was one of the least enjoyable dives we ever did. It scared my sister enough that she won’t dive again. However, I did not know until today that the consequences could’ve been this horrible. I dare not tell my sister about this incident.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Thank you @boulderjohn for sharing that. It sounds pretty messed up. I rarely wish I'll will on others, I'd hope criminal charges were brought in a situation like this.