View Full Version : Looking for stories of bad dives
Sean Newsom
02-09-2004, 07:38
I'm putting together a feature about dive safety for the Sunday Times, and I was wondering if anyone had any stories about bad diving moments which they felt had resulted from the incompetence or laziness of a dive centre abroad. The piece has been prompted by the imminent release of Open Water - a movie which follows the fate of two divers left behind by their dive boat.
I'd be very interested to interview anyone who has felt they weren't in safe hands...
Mike Halligan
02-09-2004, 11:45
I'm putting together a feature about dive safety for the Sunday Times, and I was wondering if anyone had any stories about bad diving moments which they felt had resulted from the incompetence or laziness of a dive centre abroad. The piece has been prompted by the imminent release of Open Water - a movie which follows the fate of two divers left behind by their dive boat.
I'd be very interested to interview anyone who has felt they weren't in safe hands...
Sean,
Why does the Sunday Times maintain its xenophobic obsession with incompetence beyond the shores of little England?
Also why does it promote a presumption of danger in scuba?
I should be surprised if any responsible diver is willing to assist your gutter-press activities and your touting of your intentions in our forum is thoroughly reprehensible (IMHO, of course)
Mike
Why does the Sunday Times maintain its xenophobic obsession with incompetence beyond the shores of little England?
Also why does it promote a presumption of danger in scuba?
I should be surprised if any responsible diver is willing to assist your gutter-press activities and your touting of your intentions in our forum is thoroughly reprehensible (IMHO, of course)
Mike
Totally agree with you Mike, no diver should be contributing to this sort of thing. What ever anyone says they will just write about shark attacks and how dangerous it is to dive with oxygen tanks. They certainly won't be printing that most of us dive oversea just to sea sharks in their natural environement.
Alex Coomes
03-09-2004, 08:28
I would second that ! He probably thinks we all use oxygen cylinders, carry spear guns and remove all life we find on every dive!!!!
Bill Bird
03-09-2004, 09:48
And thirded! The press rarely seem to present a balanced view, and will overtly sensationalise anything that has happened. Whatever they are told there will be the old chestnut of whatever the incident being in "shark-infested waters"! I also hope that no diver will contribute!
Tommy Gore
04-09-2004, 07:21
I'm putting together a feature about dive safety for the Sunday Times, and I was wondering if anyone had any stories about bad diving moments which they felt had resulted from the incompetence or laziness of a dive centre abroad. The piece has been prompted by the imminent release of Open Water - a movie which follows the fate of two divers left behind by their dive boat.
I'd be very interested to interview anyone who has felt they weren't in safe hands...
What a load of CODS WALLOP (pun) i agree with all previous post on this very lame subject. tell you what why not write about our lads over in Iraq dying and the publics opion to get them home,but there again--maybe the TIMES does not want to upset Uncle Tony and his bunch of [COUGH!! KL] who run the country.
ooops sorry all nearly went off at the Deep End there !!!!!
dave covey
04-09-2004, 17:47
I'd be very interested to interview anyone who has felt they weren't in safe hands...
...further to replies by others i'll add;
a) Whenever I have contributed to a request of this nature the finished product is usually inaccurate (deliberatly,in order for the author to score points in whatever debate he's written about). I therefore chose to write my own articles (or not at all)
b) Incidents of a safety nature are alarmingly common, hence my firm support of BSAC's strict discipline from the onset...
Stuart Johnstone
07-09-2004, 09:37
Agreed with all the above...
Don't the press just love to quote things inaccurately or totally out of context! Never let the truth get in the way of a good story eh?
As a diving instructor I have to say that over the years diving has become a much safer sport than a lot of others. This guys request is more than likely to coincide with the realease of the "open water" film in the UK about divers getting left behind!
If it's a bad dive he wants, I think that could be arranged, don't you? Could be a 'life changing experience' for him, in that he changes from being alive, to being another dive attraction. IMOHO that is.
Steve Walker
12-09-2004, 11:50
And thirded! The press rarely seem to present a balanced view, and will overtly sensationalise anything that has happened. Whatever they are told there will be the old chestnut of whatever the incident being in "shark-infested waters"! I also hope that no diver will contribute!
As it turns out Mr Newsom works for the Murdoch Press, need we say more... ?
This attitude is endemic even at local press level, I contacted my local newspaper merely to ask how I could add my tuppence of support to their campaign to save a local RAF SAR base and ended being interviewed as "concerned local instructor", sigh...
First question they asked was "How scared are you when you go scuba diving ..." Fortunately this leads you straight into the opportunity to give a pro-BSAC sales pitch on "Why we're so adamant about correct training", but it's soooooooooo predictable isn't it?
Alan Ewart
12-09-2004, 13:39
I'm putting together a feature about dive safety for the Sunday Times, and I was wondering if anyone had any stories about bad diving moments which they felt had resulted from the incompetence or laziness of a dive centre abroad. The piece has been prompted by the imminent release of Open Water - a movie which follows the fate of two divers left behind by their dive boat.
I'd be very interested to interview anyone who has felt they weren't in safe hands...
Well Well Well!! Who saw the travel section of todays Sunday times??
Headline 'Come home Alive! How to survive the worlds most dangerous holidays'. Full page picture of a diver in the water with a shark in the foreground!
Nice balanced reporting Sean! NOT. What a ...... (insert your'e own expletive.
Tommy Gore
12-09-2004, 19:59
:=I'm putting together a feature about dive safety for the Sunday Times, and I was wondering if anyone had any stories about bad diving moments which they felt had resulted from the incompetence or laziness of a dive centre abroad. The piece has been prompted by the imminent release of Open Water - a movie which follows the fate of two divers left behind by their dive boat.
:=
:=I'd be very interested to interview anyone who has felt they weren't in safe hands...
Well Well Well!! Who saw the travel section of todays Sunday times??
Headline 'Come home Alive! How to survive the worlds most dangerous holidays'. Full page picture of a diver in the water with a shark in the foreground!
Nice balanced reporting Sean! NOT. What a ...... (insert your'e own expletive.
Well Well Well there is a surprise !!!!!!!!!!!!! why do these(cannot place it will only be deleted) make up this load of trash!!!!!! it is obivious he knows nothing about diving.
i think i will write a letter to the editor--these peps should be banned from using diving forums.
have fun getting wet.
TG
dave covey
13-09-2004, 10:21
Headline 'Come home Alive! How to survive the worlds most dangerous holidays'. Full page picture of a diver in the water with a shark in the foreground!
....these 2 didn't even get wet!
Well Well Well!! Who saw the travel section of todays Sunday times??
If anyone wants to read how bad it was see here:-
<a href="http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,10292-1259954,00.html" >http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,10292-1259954,00.html</a>
The section on "SCUBA-DIVING: WHAT TO ASK" on page two makes it fairly clear who the article is aimed at
edward haynes
14-09-2004, 19:21
I must be in the minority here, as I don't have a problem with the article.
As for the advice about what to look for, I tend to agree. A scruffy looking operation usually turns out to be just that.
Edward
Mike Halligan
14-09-2004, 21:15
I must be in the minority here, as I don't have a problem with the article.
As for the advice about what to look for, I tend to agree. A scruffy looking operation usually turns out to be just that.
Edward,
In what you say, you're absolutely right. However, only 5 posts were made after the article was published. The majority of comment is posted about the writer's "fishing trip" approach.
He posted "I was wondering if anyone had any stories about bad diving moments which they felt had resulted from the incompetence or laziness of a dive centre abroad." here and elsewhere.
Regards,
Mike
I must be in the minority here, as I don't have a problem with the article.
As for the advice about what to look for, I tend to agree. A scruffy looking operation usually turns out to be just that.
Edward
Err so according to the article we need boat cover at all
times. Seems we cant do shore diving anymore and I bet all
those hotel advertisers will be a bit pi**ed. No more house
reefs!
TerryH
Alan Ewart
15-09-2004, 15:35
I must be in the minority here, as I don't have a problem with the article.
As for the advice about what to look for, I tend to agree. A scruffy looking operation usually turns out to be just that.
Edward
Edward, Some of the advice on what to look for was certainly valid. It's the perception caused by the 'How to survive' headline and the message portrayed by that headline in conjunction with the picture used that I have a problem with. IMHO it mis-represents our sport. I don't think anyone would disagree that there are bad dive operators around, but in my view sensationalising the issue does not tackle the problem.
regards
Alan
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