Crocodile attack on divers - a lesson in safety first

Good reminder to us all..... being honest, if I had been there I would have jumped in even though the risks were higher if I hadn't seen this! This is a good reality check!

and Who did Anderson Cooper do his first dive with in the Okvango?

Mark, without knowing too much detail about how that dive went, I won't comment on it except on what I was told about the dive. I was using it as an example of how easy it is to be oblivious (or maybe he had a higher tolerance for the unknown factor) to the risks.

That does bring up another point, that "safe" is sometimes subjective. Risk aversion is definitely subjective. There are people who are highly adept to high risk situations that they don't see it as risky.

Drew throughout your posts on this topic you have criticised the operator involved in the attack. Now you reveal the so called professionals with some of the most experience with diving with crocodiles also allowed Anderson Cooper to dive in very similar conditions....?

Your correct that there are no regulations stopping an individual from jumping into the water with Saltwater Crocodiles here in Australia but I can tell you that there is a list of regulations a mile long stopping anyone from operating a business which involves diving with Crocodiles as you see in this story. But it looks like there isnt any regulations governing the operators in Africa and issue of liability would non existant when something does go wrong.

Honestly I think for those who decide to dive in high risk conditions such as you see here also accept the responibility of those risks. Having the stance that it hasnt happened yet makes it safe is simply burying ones head in the sand and even the experts in Anderson Cooper story stated that there is always a risk involved especially when entering and exiting the water and that there be always different factors to factoring in regarding conditions and even the customers/divers in the water.

Be responible for your own actions would be my moto regarding this story.

Regards Mark

Well, it wasn't my fault. I wasn't anywhere near. (Please use this as and when needed.)

Mark,

There is such a thing as details, which I am not privy to, to make a judgement. I happen to know the principals in the croc attack case and there's even a video on what happened. So I can say with an amount of certainty what went wrong.

With Anderson's dive, I don't know the details. Did the conditions turn and when the operator cancelled the dive? Or did they dive through bad conditions, despite the risks? All I know is that Anderson had no idea he was in danger, even in those bad conditions. That is why I won't comment on the operator in question.

I'll agree we do have to be responsible for our own actions. However, if an operator opens up the dive deck, it's pretty much certain it's because they think it's safe. Whether through incompetence, negligence etc is something that is worth examining.

Drew throughout your posts on this topic you have criticised the operator involved in the attack. Now you reveal the so called professionals with some of the most experience with diving with crocodiles also allowed Anderson Cooper to dive in very similar conditions....?

 

Your correct that there are no regulations stopping an individual from jumping into the water with Saltwater Crocodiles here in Australia but I can tell you that there is a list of regulations a mile long stopping anyone from operating a business which involves diving with Crocodiles as you see in this story. But it looks like there isnt any regulations governing the operators in Africa and issue of liability would non existant when something does go wrong.

 

Honestly I think for those who decide to dive in high risk conditions such as you see here also accept the responibility of those risks. Having the stance that it hasnt happened yet makes it safe is simply burying ones head in the sand and even the experts in Anderson Cooper story stated that there is always a risk involved especially when entering and exiting the water and that there be always different factors to factoring in regarding conditions and even the customers/divers in the water.