The first story is what they told people in the hours after being rescued...
The second story is two days later AFTER they sold their story to newspapers and got an agent.
I had read the story when it originally came out and thought there was a few fishy facts in there. Two diving instructors swept out to sea? Yet a boat load of less certified divers made it back? But here are some interesting things....
From the first story..
"As the crew and the four other divers on the charter vessel began to search for the pair, Ms Dalton and Mr Neely battled a strong current which quickly dragged them further away from the boat and eventually off the shallow coral outcrop and into deeper water.
As they watched the Pacific Star begin sweeping the area, the pair realised any chance of staying alive depended on themselves. They linked their belts in a "survival embrace" and stopped waving at the boat to conserve energy.
As the light faded, they activated the orange buoyancy control devices that were part of their diving gear."
Any instructor worth a lick would give you a good laugh at that. You Marker Buoy (a brightly colored inflatable balloon that looks like a giant orange sausage and used to signal your whereabouts to dive boats) should be inflated before you even surface so that no boats drive OVER you. Something fishy here....
Why would you stop waving? If you had a fear of Open Water and sharks and drifting in a ocean current, wouldn't you actually wave even harder? Something fishy here...
Why was it the current didn't get anyone else? Did they not listen to the briefing and dive in the same area as the others?
The point of a briefing, and of diving with companies that know the area is so that you limit the risks. Our job as a dive operator is to tell you the risks and how to enjoy the dives, and what to do in case of an accident.
Seems like something fishy is going on...
There is also a very weird line in the story here...
"...By then it was three hours after Ms Dalton and Mr Neely had failed to meet with their group. The time delay would be part of an investigation by Whitsunday CIB, Water Police and Workplace Health and Safety, police said."
As well they should be. A missing diver and current. The delay should be minutes...not hours. The dive shop really screwed up there.
BUT the final line of the first story...
The couple last night had "accepted a paid offer" for an exclusive media interview, Ms Scott-Flanders said.
The second story has some pretty interesting details...
The dive operator has this to say...
"Allyson and Richard did not remain on the dive site," the statement claims.
"Allyson and Richard did not follow the clear instructions of the dive instructor.
"Allyson and Richard did not surface immediately upon leaving Garys Lagoon.
"Visibility for a safety sausage is approximately 1 nautical mile."
It also said emergency services were alerted within 1 hour of Allyson and Richard's scheduled surface time, refuting earlier reports of a three-hour delay."
Also two further details...
In an interview aired last night as the couple were on their way to New York with celebrity agent Max Markson, they said they could clearly see the dive boat when they surfaced, but drifted away in the current.
Markson flew to north Queensland yesterday to seal a deal amid reports the couple is negotiating to sell their story to a magazine, a current affairs show and the United States version of 60 Minutes.
The going rate for the story is believed to be about $250,000.
That is very interesting indeed.
And the real kicker is here....
Fellow diver Rebecca Sharkey, 24, a British backpacker, said Mr Neely and Ms Dalton were at the back of the boat during the final briefing but were discussing a plan to find a manta ray and other exotic marine life.
"The strict instruction was to stay inside the lagoon, don't go outside the lagoon," said Ms Sharkey, who had also been stuck in the current but was plucked to safety in a dinghy.
"The lagoon floor is 12m deep, so obviously you have diving equipment to tell you how deep you've gone. So if you've gone below 12m, you've gone outside the lagoon," Ms Sharkey said.
"If you feel the current you've gone outside the lagoon. Come straight back, and if you can't come back for whatever reason, surface straight away and there's people on deck ready in a little small boat to come and get you.
"That was the strict instruction. He said it was a really really safe dive spot in this lagoon, just don't go outside it."
and
Fraser Yule, manager of diver operator OzSail, which operates the Pacific Star, said the crew did everything possible to locate them and questioned why four lookouts with high-powered binoculars on the deck could not spot them.
"We are simply deeply relieved they were found alive, safe and well," he said.
"We believe we did everything right by the book.
"The detail of what happened will come out in time."
It has emerged the rescued divers took a water bottle and shark repellent device with them on the underwater dive and wore full-length thick wetsuits with hoods in the tropical 23C waters of the Great Barrier Reef.
Okay, there are some great big insurance issues here for both sides and but is sure smells like crap to me. I am sure over the next few weeks, more details will arise. and in Australia they take this kind of accident VERY seriously.
The lessons for all of us?
Thorough dive briefings - on every dive site, including any potential hazards - no matter a persons experience level or training
Appropriate safety equipment (whistles, sausages, appropriate thermal wear)
Well documented and rehearsed emergency procedures
Well trained staff, aware of all potential hazards and how to avoid them
Use dive guides who are familiar with the area
And just to be snotty - Wicked Diving HAS all that and more!
With 2 Dive Medics on staff, we are already responsible for dive accident evacuations for the SSS Network in the entire region. All staff are trained by Diver Safety in diving accidents - and more importantly - how to prevent them. All equipment comes with Marker Buoys, our experienced staff not only do thorough briefings, but make them humorous and educational. We don't use any staff that have not lived and dived here on the Similans for at least one year. We also offer dive guides for every group - Master Instructor or Open Water diver - there is a guide for you.
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