Tiger Beach Diver Missing

KC, some people have hundreds of dives on an OWD ticket. Some places require certain levels to ensure the diver has been "trained" to dive to a certain depth, but most likely if anything happens, PADI will help defend them if the diver qualifications are met.

Operators sometimes require specific certifications, and presumably have various reasons for doing so... insurance perhaps, or just wanting to be assured of their divers meeting a minimum standard of some sort.

In these parts, "solo diving" is widely practiced (with full redundancy etc.) but I only obtained a solo card as I approached my 5000th logged dive... and it was strictly to meet the requirements of a liveaboard operator. I didn't expect Mrs. Stoo to want to do five dives a day. So "technically", had I had perished, I would have correctly been referred to as a "newly certified Solo Diver", when in fact I had logged 2500 solo dives many of which were multi-stage decompression dives, in freezing cold water.

Certifications often mean "squat". It's the logbook that matters...

Regardless, this is a very sad situation and my condolences go out to his family and friends...

I find it quite surprising that there could be a chummed dive at night? Is this true?

I read that the dive was at dusk. Shear Water still, as far as I know, puts out a scent trail from bagged chum that is protected from being eaten in a crate. The sharks aren't fed. Both Shear Water and Dolphin Dream have years of experience with doing this: Jim Abernethy's briefings and organisation are precise, and the crew will pull out divers who are not putting shark awareness ahead of their camera: I know, that was me on my first trip.

... I would encourage the moderator to keep condolences and wishes separate from people seeking to comment on the circumstances of the event...

I agree, even though I've done both. I'm sorry.

Agree with prior post.

Two trips on ShearWater.

I was on the Shearwater in December and all the bait was contained.

As tdpriest said Jims briefings are very precise and will remove divers that do not adhere to the instruction.

I think the media are going overboard as usual and although it is very sad, we will probably never know what happened it could have been a heart attack. There is no point in jumping to conclusions just because he was diving with sharks.