Posted by Chris on April 28, 2004 at 14:12:13:
In Reply to: "GOD, I DON'T WANT TO DIE" posted by . on April 28, 2004 at 10:44:56:
First off I would like to say that I'm glad Dan Carlock is fine. I’m sure it was very disheartening to drift away and watch the Sundiver leave without him. I hope he continues to enjoy diving.
It is obvious the various accounts that the Ocean Adventures Dive Company divemaster Zacharias Araneta screwed up big time by not properly accounting for all of the divers before telling the Captain that it was okay to proceed to the next dive site. I’m sure he is now doing some serious introspection. However I am also curious why his dive buddies did not speak up to the dive master or crew that he had not returned when the boat departed without him.
Although Captain Ray Arntz cannot do everything onboard his vessel and must rely upon others, he is the one who must answer to the Coast Guard. He is the one that must fill out the incident report and whose license is on the line. The Coast Guard licenses the Captain and boat; the Coast Guard has no regulatory authority over the DM or shop.
This is the difficult position all captains are put in and is a quandary for all of them. They must rely upon others, and have to answer when something goes wrong. I believe this is one of the many reasons some dive boats refuse to use shop-supplied divemasters and only use their own. It is unfortunate this happened to Ray, it could have easily been almost any other Captain who relies on his (or her) DM and crew.
I am glad Dan is fine and I feel for everyone involved in this incident.
