US Expat fatality in Vanuatu

[Griffo]

From what I have read, it is very possible that the guide did not have a dive computer as it seems the owner was not fixing old computers as well as dive gear and guides were regularly diving without any computer or even timing device. In any case, as I have mentioned, Vanuatu is not a first world country and their police are not experienced in investigating things like this, so of course they did not seize the guide's computer (if he had one). By the time the NZ police investigated it would have served no purpose to find and download the computer (as well as neigh on impossible).

I have now finished updating my web site article with all the information. You can also download the NZ police report and the Coroner's Findings from the page. Click here to access.Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site

Thanks for your report Michael. It makes me angry though, as it seems that Rehan has not changed his ways since I dove with Aquamarine last. I swore i'd never dive with them again and finished my trip with Alan Power. I'll avoid saying anything else that may get me in trouble.

 

[Patoux01]

seems that Rehan has not changed his ways since I dove with Aquamarine last.

When was that? From what I've heard when I was in Vanuatu (december 2014), Aquamarine had completely changed their staff. Is that wrong?

 

[Peter69_56]

When was that? From what I've heard when I was in Vanuatu (december 2014), Aquamarine had completely changed their staff. Is that wrong?

Regardless, I think staff is not the whole issue here. I think its more attitude and leadership, which perhaps staff react to, rather than just bad staff (an easy way to deflect blame).

If you have the right attitude to running a business it has a better chance to succeed, and staff need leadership and good guidance. Even if money is tight, good direction and checking how staff are actually going rather than assuming makes a big difference. In the small world (due to the internet) if you don't perform how customers expect, the whole world knows within a day and there is no avoiding it.

Remember "When you are busy pissing off a customer just remember; "Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster"

 

[infieldg]

Just reading the NZ Police Dive squad report and it looks like Aquamarine at least learnt to carry oxygen, so that's good.

How they went about it, on the other hand... not so good unless you want to build a bomb or murder a diver ;

I visited the Aquamarine dive site at the SS President Coolidge on Saturday 8 March 2014 and observed seven dive cylinders being used by Aquamarine. On close inspection, one of the unlabelled dive cylinders was being used as the oxygen cylinder in the event of a diving emergency. This is unsafe practice".

 

[Griffo]

When was that? From what I've heard when I was in Vanuatu (december 2014), Aquamarine had completely changed their staff. Is that wrong?

Mine was before your trip, a couple of years ago. At the time they also had.. a brand new staff. All the previous instructors and guides had left. To call the state of the equipment dire would be an understatement. We had to choose BCD's with the smallest leaks, and the regs were a hodge podge of different 1st and 2nd stages (in retrospect, probably the only ones that worked).

Their organisational skills were even worse, and we got "bumped" one day when other cash paying divers arrived, even though we had pre-paid and pre-booked. Rehan had basically taken them and "our" gear diving, which meant that we were unable to dive until gear could be borrowed from another dive shop. Rehan was always there when upfront payment was requested, never to be seen when things went wrong.

When I was there, I also noticed that every single tank was in the process of being visual inspected, and every tank valve rebuilt. I was told by the (new, just landed) instructor that he had insisted they all be done due to the state he had found them in when he arrived a few weeks earlier, full of oxide and well overdue. He told me over a later dinner a number of other horror stories about the state of the place was when he arrived, but as that's hearsay I won't repeat them.

What I can also say is that Rehan was not paying his agency fees - the agency told me this directly when I was back home. I know this as I did a course while there and had to chase the agency when my cert never arrived, and they explained to me why it wasn't issued. I had paid him, but the cash never made it to the agency.

The instructor I trained with (the only one they had who had recently been parachuted in when the previous instructors bailed) also left a month or two later. He seemed a great guy in a bad situation, and was very understanding when I bailed from AM and went to Alan Power.

 

[ZephyrNYC]

...

The night dive to view flashlight fish is something that could end badly, they hand-guided us one-by-one deep into the wreck with our torches off so we had no idea where we were and there were no lines or light to follow out, placed our hands on something to hold then left us there to go back outside and escort the next guy in. Couldn't see our spgs, couldn't find our way out without a guide, and most of them carried one borrowed torch.

Wow. Where was this? Which dive operation?

---------- Post added January 6th, 2016 at 12:56 PM ----------

* How you would lose a wristwatch type dive computer is a mystery to me.
There are huge numbers of complaints about Suunto dive computer wrist straps breaking even when nearly new. For some reason typically the more expensive models like D9, Hel02. Happened to mine too.

...

FinnMom,

Are you referring to Suunto wrist computers with metal bands? Or with elastomer bands? Thanks.

 

[infieldg]

Wow. Where was this? Which dive operation?

Santo Island Dive and Fish, very good outfit overall though - Vanuatu is just a bit less regulated than I'm used to!

 

[Peter69_56]

Mine was before your trip, a couple of years ago. At the time they also had.. a brand new staff. All the previous instructors and guides had left. To call the state of the equipment dire would be an understatement. We had to choose BCD's with the smallest leaks, and the regs were a hodge podge of different 1st and 2nd stages (in retrospect, probably the only ones that worked).

Their organisational skills were even worse, and we got "bumped" one day when other cash paying divers arrived, even though we had pre-paid and pre-booked. Rehan had basically taken them and "our" gear diving, which meant that we were unable to dive until gear could be borrowed from another dive shop. Rehan was always there when upfront payment was requested, never to be seen when things went wrong.

When I was there, I also noticed that every single tank was in the process of being visual inspected, and every tank valve rebuilt. I was told by the (new, just landed) instructor that he had insisted they all be done due to the state he had found them in when he arrived a few weeks earlier, full of oxide and well overdue. He told me over a later dinner a number of other horror stories about the state of the place was when he arrived, but as that's hearsay I won't repeat them.

What I can also say is that Rehan was not paying his agency fees - the agency told me this directly when I was back home. I know this as I did a course while there and had to chase the agency when my cert never arrived, and they explained to me why it wasn't issued. I had paid him, but the cash never made it to the agency.

The instructor I trained with (the only one they had who had recently been parachuted in when the previous instructors bailed) also left a month or two later. He seemed a great guy in a bad situation, and was very understanding when I bailed from AM and went to Alan Power.

I think I know either the instructor who bailed or the next to come in, that you refer to in your post. In any event, the discussion he and I had was a sad tale indeed. I would dearly love to repeat the conversation however lets just say, I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use Aquamarine in my lifetime.

I am going back over this year and will be using Alan Power. He was the one I used last time I went and I had no issues with his operation.

 

[Patoux01]

Santo Island Dive and Fish

What is "deep into the wreck"? The day I did that dive, I got screwed over by the guide so I can't say mine is representative of what it should be, but we didn't get more than 5m in the wreck. The "newbs" with us thought they went very deep both in terms of depth and into the wreck, while we just had to turn around to see the exit and the entrance isn't deep at all (compared to the rest of the wreck).
I'm not saying it's the same for you, but I'm surprised they'd lead you that deep into the wreck. OTOH, except for the engine room, I didn't feel like it was complicated to get out of the wreck at any time...

 

[Peter69_56]

What is "deep into the wreck"? The day I did that dive, I got screwed over by the guide so I can't say mine is representative of what it should be, but we didn't get more than 5m in the wreck. The "newbs" with us thought they went very deep both in terms of depth and into the wreck, while we just had to turn around to see the exit and the entrance isn't deep at all (compared to the rest of the wreck).
I'm not saying it's the same for you, but I'm surprised they'd lead you that deep into the wreck. OTOH, except for the engine room, I didn't feel like it was complicated to get out of the wreck at any time...

I suspect it depends on your qualifications as well as your experience (and which dive company you are with). We went all the way into the wreck at around 42m for some 15 min before exiting on one dive, and although we could see light in a number of areas, one should not be fooled by this. Often its an illusion, you can see light, but non of the light entry points are big enough to allow a diver to exit, sometimes the only way out is the way in and if you have inexperienced divers stirring up the silt, when you turn to go out, a wall of murk rolls in on you and you cannot even see your fingers in front of your face. I tested the depth of silt in one area on the Coolidge and pushed my 200mm long torch all the way in and also up to my wrist so maybe some 300mm or more (12") of fine silt. Stirring this up would have created a wall of blackness.

Many of the most dangerous wrecks actually look quite innocuous when you enter. Full of light and crystal clear water, however with only one entry/exit point and knee deep silt and a top covering full of loose rust/silt ready to rain upon you when you exhale.

I was smiling with amusement when in one of the previous posts, someone asked if the dive computer was found on the victim. Had it come off her wrist, there would have been more than a fair chance you would never find it as it could have fallen into the silt or down a crack etc never to be found again. Often what looks like a nice hard metal bottom is a thick layer of fine soft silt.

Never be surprised in where dive guides will lead you. I have seen a number of OW divers taken to 55m (with the guide beside them) and then on the way back, had to be held at depth for deco as they didn’t understand why they couldn’t just go straight to the surface. Good guides evaluate you on a number of dives first before being more adventurous although this does not excuse exceeding your certification (a personal choice I know, but a risk with trust me dives). What I see in the "night dive" post, smacks of a trust me dive taken to the limit. One I would certainly not be at all happy with. No torch and backup, no dive.