Either the media is more focused on it, or too many people are doin' fings
wot they ought not to be doing, but there seem to be an awful lot of diving
deaths lately.

Apart from the ones in Florida, the UK, Canada and Asia, there was an
incident on the GBR this week in which a tourist doing an 'intro' dive died.

In this particular instance - from what I understand - the victim was doing
an introductory dive; one in which, by Queensland Standards, only requires
the completion of a self-assessment medical form!  (Whereas people
contemplating an Open Water Diving course require a full diving medical
before being allowed into the water!!!!)

The usual procedure, after the 'first' dip below the surface, is for the
Instructor to take 4 novices on an underwater excursion for the second dive.
A number that, to my way of thinking, is too large to control should one of
them (at least one!) run into difficulties.

In this particular instance it would seem that three of the four divers
reached the, 'let's-surface-now' point in their gas supply.  All four,
together with the Instructor surfaced.  (I don't know how far from the boat)
and signalled 'OK'. The boat lookouts acknowledged their presence on the
surface.

While the three low-on-air divers were apparently left to make their way
back to the boat on the surface, the Instructor and the othe diver again
descended .  The victim was apparently seen in difficulty and 'rescued'.  It
has been reported that he suffered a 'heart attack'.

Now I do have to stress that I don't know what happened - or even if this is
a strictly factual account of what took place (it was reported to me by a
person there).  But it does seem to me that the whole concept of 'intro'
dives needs to be re-thought.  Not least from the idea that a
self-assessment medical form may be OK, but that Instructors should be
motivated by what is good for the student.  And where it seems to be
apparent that a person 'may' not be adequately fit for diving then they
should be discouraged from the activity.  (I know that that's not within
most dive Instructor's purview, but it should be!)

At a personal level, I question the whole ethos of 'Introductory/Resort'
dives - particularly the student to instructor ratios; and the fact that
this type of dive sometimes works against  the concept of attracting people
into diving.

How are 'Intro/Resort' dives conducted in other parts of the world?  What's
the ratio of students to Instructor? And what do people feel about their
worth? :-)

Strike