[Clare Gledhill]

I read Bi Si's post and the responses to with the same reaction Howard but felt it was all too likely to turn into a slanging match if I posted at the time. Kudos to you Howard for having the balls to post but then subtlety is not one of your traits - whilst honesty is.

We can all fcuk up. If we are truly to learn from others mistakes then we should not readily dismiss them. In an effort to avoid blame or accusation on the fcuk up threads there can be a tendency to post in an almost opposite manner - finding reasons to praise.

Odin posts of training with any agency being able to kick in when problems occur. He is absolutely right and whilst GUE divers may be slightly more notorious for their training programs we hold no monopoly on divers who practice skills for coping with problems or failures underwater. However, this was no problem, navigation error or equipment failure.

This was a tale of total failure to check gas on the bottom phase of a dive like we were all taught at open water. I suspect a healthy dose of narcosis was involved - especially as Big Si repeatedly suggests that he didn't see much of the wreck. This was followed by buddy seperation, buoyancy issues and entanglements and further potential OOAs on ascent due to different deco gases and plans. This was no navigation error or equipment failure. No bad luck involved. In short, they and their buddy who was unintentionally left alone are LUCKY to have got back to tell the tale.

To some extent we make our own luck. ScubaJay is a relatively experienced diver and obviously was able to assist and Mark also noticed not all was well and stopped to assist. Quite why others were permitted to go past when two divers were sharing a long hose and were facing running out of gaw I cannot imagine but I don't, like the original poster, use this as an indication that all was under control. It's neither big nor clever to wave gas supplies past when low on shared gas. Chasey clearly realised this and hung about to help. Others passing earlier could have been asked to stay even if they did not spot the problem. Never be too proud to ask for help.

Every diver fatality is a waste. Rarely do we find, when we get to the bottom of what happened, that it was a major failing - a critical equipment failure so to speak. Sadly, all too often it is poor basic skills. Simple mistakes which we would all read shaking our heads and wonder how the family le t behind will cope.

Thank god (whichever flavour ODIN) that in this case they all came back. But on another day luck may not have been on their side. Make your own luck - train, practice, dive within your capabilities, dive the right gas with the right equipment. I don't think that has to be an Agency argument - but nor do I think Howard was trying to start one. He just spoke for all of us who don't want to lose any more friends to a sport we love.