At around 10:15 am on Sunday, 15 April, staff from Reef Divers notified police that the American visitor, who was an experienced diver, had failed to return to the dive boat.

According to a statement issued by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS), it would appear that, at around 20 feet underwater, the man indicated to his buddy that he was having pain in his ear and would re-surface to join the boat, rather than continue with the dive.

When the rest of the group returned to the boat some time later, he was not there and a search commenced.

A sea, air and land search was conducted with a number of local boats assisting, as well as Cayman Airways, but the man was not located.

He had been vacationing at the Little Cayman Beach Resort with his wife. At the time the statement was released, police and staff at the resort were currently looking after her.

The RCIPS say that an investigation is underway, but at this time there are no obvious indications of suspicious circumstances or negligence on the part of the divers who were with him.

The police also say they would like to commend the Reef Divers staff and other local boat operators for their professionalism and actions in assisting with the search.

In an earlier incident, on 11 February, 43-year-old Heidi Theresa Carson disappeared while diving on Bloody Bay Wall during a trip from Little Cayman Beach Resort.

An extensive search also failed to find any trace of her. Police say that their investigations have now been concluded and that they have found nothing to indicate foul play or negligence was involved in Heidi’s disappearance and the case was being passed to the coroner.

In other incidents this year, three scuba divers, all over the age of 50, died in Cayman waters in just over two months.

On Sunday, 11 March a 57-year-old man from Texas died while on a dive off Smith’s Cove on South Church Street, Grand Cayman.

The week before the incident, on 4 March, a 71-year-old man died while scuba diving off East End.
The first reported diving fatality of 2007 occurred on 24 January and involved a 54-year-old man scuba diving near Sunset House.

In 2006, ten people died in watersports incidents, seven while swimming or snorkelling and three while scuba diving. The majority of the victims were over 50-years-old.

In January, reviewing last year’s fatalities, dive operators said they were generally satisfied with the safety standards in the Islands.

At the time, Hon Charles Clifford, Minister for Tourism, said the Cayman Islands had a much better safety record than other destinations in the region.

After the previous fatality, one source within the dive industry said they felt that it was unfair to single out specific activities. “We should be looking at the overall picture and the causes of these deaths,” they said, adding that the majority of the deaths seemed to be due to pre-existing conditions rather than the activity itself.

However, it may be some time before an official verdict is given on the incidents. All the deaths must be the subject of an inquest but, as there is no on-island Coroner, delays of up to two years can occur before the cause of death is finally decided.

john@caymannetnews.com

lyndon@caymannetnews.com