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-----Original Message----- From: mwithers [mailto:mwithers@hi*.co*] Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 4:10 PM To: 'Alton J. Hall, Jr.'; 'Paul Braunbehrens' Cc: 'MHK'; 'Udo Rotmistrenko'; 'Quest List'; 'Jarrod Jablonski' Subject: RE: Survey of NE DiveBoats re: GUE acceptance. Speaking of the Seeker - they lost another diver on Sunday, and left at least 2 in the water while they went to meet the chopper in seas "snottier than expected." Go figure. Details below. Martha *************************** From: jess Zellers [kaffphine@ho*.co*] Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 12:49 PM To: mwithers@hi*.co* Subject: Seeker- Sunday This report is more sober than our normal "muck" but well worth reading. It's a good reminder that you need to be prepared for anything... From Rick Huck -----Original Message----- It's taken me awhile to collect my thoughts for this dive report. That's because it's not just a summary of a dive. Diving brings with it many challenges as we all know. Since I began diving I have faced many of these. Now and then new ones present themselves. Sunday was that kind of day. Aboard the Seeker, I dove on the Algol, a Navy cargo ship 460' long sitting in 130' of water. One of the "Thursday Night Crazies", Terry Martzall, was one of the mates. Considering that I drove to Jersey by myself and didn't really know anyone, he was a welcome relief. He was also a great help in helping me plan my dive. A close friend of his, Brian, was on board and we struck up an immediate buddy-ship (no pun intended). We were going to go check out the lobsters not far from the wreck. The seas were a bit "snottier" than was expected. The Seeker was filled with a wide variety of divers in all shapes and sizes. Brian and I waited a bit to let some of these people get in ahead of us. We planned on meeting at the wheelhouse where we were tied in. Since a few divers got in between us upon entry, when I got down he was nowhere to be found. I had figured he was off to the lobster condos. I found out later that he had some reg problems and never made it down. I decided to stay on the superstructure and check out photo ops, which were plentiful, for dive #2. Tons of fish and other marine life were all over this huge artificial reef. I was in and out of the wreck as I headed toward the bow. I couldn't wait to take pictures. Soon it was time for my ascent. There was a bit of a current going up the anchor line so I was glad that I had my Jon line. I passed Terry on the way up as he had set the hook and then did one long dive. I was about 15' above him when another diver came down the line with a slate reading "Have to medovac diver will return to get you". Little did I know of the drama that had unfolded on the surface as I enjoyed the 25' vis and 50 degree temperatures below. Then the anchor line became limp. I still had 5 minutes to go. The dark shape that was above me was no longer there. When I surfaced the Seeker was some 40 yards away from me heading in the opposite direction. I signaled "ok" as they disappeared into the waves. I looked around and I was in an open ocean hanging on the mooring ball all alone. I told myself to relax and just breathe, they will be back. Terry soon popped up from his stops and joined me. At least I had company. But my thoughts were of the divers onboard the boat. What had happened? As we clung together water and sky were the only things visible, a very unsettling feeling. Then came the sound of a chopper off in the distance. We could hardly see it that far away. We waited and waited. The chopper passed overhead to check on us as it headed to the medical facilities. Again we signaled our "ok". He waved and continued on. We waited even longer. Then, finally, the Seeker came back into our sights. She never looked so good. Safely onboard we learned that a diver had had a heart attack shortly after getting into the water. Capt. Dan Crowell and crew had administered CPR and he was stable with good color when airlifted off the boat. News came in later, sadly, that he didn't make it. My heart went out to his family and to his friends that were onboard. I couldn't imagine the anguish of collecting his gear at the end of the trip. I realize that bad things can happen. As divers we must keep ourselves in good physical and mental condition especially for the stresses that our sport has upon us. Be prepared and dive safely. I was very glad when I arrived home to be back in the arms of my wife. _____ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: Click Here -----Original Message----- From: Alton J. Hall, Jr. [mailto:ahall@da*.co*] Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 1:36 PM To: Paul Braunbehrens; techdiver@aquanaut.com Cc: MHK; Udo Rotmistrenko; Quest List; Jarrod Jablonski Subject: Re: Survey of NE DiveBoats re: GUE acceptance. You are absolutely correct. The only defense to slander such as that disseminated by the Seeker crowd is truth. In this case I know for a FACT that GUE though it's instructors is insured. I, personally hope that GUE decides to pursue the matter. In response to another query regarding how the Seeker stays out of trouble, it appears to me that they spend more time on the releases they have divers sign than on running a competent service. I only wish I could purchase some advertising on the vessel. "Could you die today...call 1-800-diver55". Alton http://www.divelawyer.com/ Paul Braunbehrens wrote: > MHK wrote: > ~ > >> >> Furthermore, the notion that GUE is lacking in insurance is a deceptive >> tactic used by the competitors to gain advantage. > > > > I think you guys should take legal action. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm > pretty sure that's slander. In any case, even if you don't go through > with a legal action, by initiating contact through a lawyer and > threatening a lawsuit based on slander you'd probably shut them up > once and for all on this issue. > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: quest-unsubscribe@gu*.co* > For additional commands, e-mail: quest-help@gu*.co* > > -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: quest-unsubscribe@gu*.co* For additional commands, e-mail: quest-help@gu*.co* -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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