Bill recently mentioned the dive accident in Belize that left one diver dead and three others injured. According to CDNN, Advanced Diving’s single engine vessel did not have (a) a working radio; (b) emergency signaling equipment; or (c) any drinking water for a trip to a destination located 20 miles offshore. Further, reports are circulating that neither the owner nor the divemaster had valid tour guide licenses. Ay caramba! Somebody’s in deep sh*t.
The only blessing for Advanced Diving is that the surviving divers admitted that they swam away from the boat despite warnings from the divemaster, thereby releasing Advanced Diving of any criminal liability. However, police indicated that the family of the diver who did not make it, Abigail Brinkman, does have the option to pursue the case as a civil matter, as do the other divers (Nancy Masters, John Bain, and Yutaka Maeda) who incurred “substantial medical expenses” during their recovery from dehydration, salt water intake, and severe sunburn.
Lo, and more bad news for Advanced Diving: according to the Belize Tourism Board, the Tour Operating Licensing Committee met recently and not only voted to shut down Advanced Diving, it also recommended that guides Vance Cabral and Mark Tucker be banned from guiding for the rest of their lives, since this is the second dive-related accident they’ve caused in under a year! The report does not indicate if this ruling is in effect ONLY for
