I have done many shark dives, including one in Australia, and every shark dive we had two dive guides with us at all times. I have done shark dives in Australia, Turks & Caicos, with the Aquacat, and many shark dives in Grand Bahamas. Also, all the times I have encountered sharks while diving. In Australia, we had to be in cages when they fed the sharks and there was no dive guide associated with the feeding of sharks . . . it was handle by ropes. Having said that, I have never dove on Abernethy's Scuba Adventure (JASA) but I know plenty of divers who have. I did not know John Petty personally but he was my friend on Facebook and I followed his photography. He was a member of a scuba club that I belong to. Many of my friends and members knew John personally and had dived with him on many trips. He was an experienced diver who could handle himself in strong currents. He ran marathons so I don't think (however I do not know for sure) that he had any "medical" condition. Since I was not there nor do I have privy to any undisclosed information, I will reserve judgment on JASA's operations. However, in my opinion, there are many unanswered questions . . . if there was current, then why weren't others in the dive group swept away as well? Was the dive operator the last man to surface? Was there two dive guides watching the divers and the sharks looking for aggressive behavior? If dive guides were with the divers, did they count heads before surfacing? Were they the last to surface? This is a terrible tragedy, as was the lost of the Austrian diver a few years ago. I only hope there will be a serious and thorough investigation by US officials as well as Bahamian officials.
kandfoto says...
I have done many shark dives, including one in Australia, and every shark dive we had two dive guides with us at all times. I have done shark dives in Australia, Turks & Caicos, with the Aquacat, and many shark dives in Grand Bahamas. Also, all the times I have encountered sharks while diving. In Australia, we had to be in cages when they fed the sharks and there was no dive guide associated with the feeding of sharks . . . it was handle by ropes. Having said that, I have never dove on Abernethy's Scuba Adventure (JASA) but I know plenty of divers who have. I did not know John Petty personally but he was my friend on Facebook and I followed his photography. He was a member of a scuba club that I belong to. Many of my friends and members knew John personally and had dived with him on many trips. He was an experienced diver who could handle himself in strong currents. He ran marathons so I don't think (however I do not know for sure) that he had any "medical" condition. Since I was not there nor do I have privy to any undisclosed information, I will reserve judgment on JASA's operations. However, in my opinion, there are many unanswered questions . . . if there was current, then why weren't others in the dive group swept away as well? Was the dive operator the last man to surface? Was there two dive guides watching the divers and the sharks looking for aggressive behavior? If dive guides were with the divers, did they count heads before surfacing? Were they the last to surface? This is a terrible tragedy, as was the lost of the Austrian diver a few years ago. I only hope there will be a serious and thorough investigation by US officials as well as Bahamian officials.
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2014…
On Expert calls for shark dive ban after fatality
Posted 20 July 2014, 10:25 a.m. Suggest removal