Posted by John Doe on January 28, 2005 at 08:56:59:
In Reply to: Drifting Dan sues shop, Captain Ray, and boat for $4,000,000 posted by Chris on January 27, 2005 at 17:41:32:
In my opinion, the blame can be put on many individuals on the boat. I don't know what happened on board, I wasn't there nor ever on that boat, but here's what I always look for as a DM:
1 - The diver = this is an advanced dive (or on ANY dive) each diver must be ready to take the reposibility to safely do the dive, stay with their buddy or be capable of going solo and carry appropriate safety gear (pony bottle, whistle and other signaling devices, etc.). Unless the DM knows the diver personally, there's no way to tell if the diver can handle it or not - no matter how many dives or certs they have. It's NEVER wrong to sit a dive out if you're not ready or uncomfortable. What's worst, sitting out a dive or risking your life?
2 - The buddy = even if you were just "forced" to buddy up with someone you don't know on the boat that day, if you get separated and get back to the boat alone, you are still (at least morally) responsible to notify the DM or captain that you don't know where your buddy is.
3 - The DM = to make sure each diver has returned BEFORE moving the boat (roll call only). Some boats count the cylinders - I always call roll and look at their faces. Someone could have reboarded and then went snorkeling - so counting a cylinder would not be appropriate and the DM(s) cannot keep watch over the whole boat at every second.
4 - The captain = ensures what the DM(s) report is correct (kind of a double or triple checking). Of course over time of working with certain captains and DM's, you know who does their job competently and learn to trust their skills. But the captain is ALWAYS the person ultimately responsible. He's the one who moves the boat...
As I said this is just my opinion. As a DM I feel strongly about this.