News archive

News archive for February of 2009

• 5 Feb 2009: Probe after death on tragic dive

  A STOCKTON man has died after failing to resurface during a dive at Britain’s National Diving Centre. James Askew, 35, from Fairfield, died on January 24 after failing to resurface from Stoney Cove, a flooded Leicestershire quarry. It is believed Mr Askew, who lived at Muker Grove, had been diving with his dad on the day of the accident. Mr Askew was diving under the supervision of the Olympic Scuba Dive School from Seaham, Co Durham, when the incident took place shortly after 1pm. …Source

• 4 Feb 2009: Divers jailed for NHS bends fraud

  A diving school boss has been jailed for swindling £250,000 from the NHS for treating bogus cases of the bends. Both were found guilty last year of conspiracy to defraud the NHS and perverting the course of justice. The court heard how the pair ran the Fort Hyperbaric diving treatment centre at Fort Bovisand in Plymouth. They billed health trusts for treating 37 fake victims at cost of £6,500 per person. …Source

• 4 Feb 2009: Scuba Diving Pioneers Honoured

  Two well known Caymanian dive pioneers: Stuart Freeman, owner of Eden Rock; and Ollen Miller, owner of Sundivers were honoured for their achievements and outstanding contributions to the sport of scuba diving. They were honoured at the annual International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony held at Pedro Castle St James on Thursday, 29 January. …Source

• 4 Feb 2009: Maryville diver helps bring closure to shipwreck families in Michigan

  On November 18, 1958, the Carl D. Bradley, a Great Lakes freighter, was heading home after her last run of the season. In 2005, with the 50th anniversary approaching, Williams, an expert diver and instructor, was called in to help bring closure. The mission: dive to the depths of Lake Michigan and retrieve Bradley's bell, the soul of the ship. "It's inherently very dangerous," says Williams, describing the dive. "With normal diving, if you have any problem, you can always go to the surface, and with this type of diving you can't. We're over nearly 300 to 400 feet deep." …Source

• 4 Feb 2009: Resort rewarded for sustaining environment

  MATAVA Eco-Adventure Resort in Kadavu was awarded the PADI Project Environmental Achievement Award for its policies on environmental sustainability. Project AWARE Foundation Chairman, Dr Drew Richardson said the award recognises the importance of the scuba diving community taking its part in protection of global ecosystems. …Source

• 3 Feb 2009: Diver dies at Ward Beach

  A well-known Blenheim antique-store owner is dead after an afternoon of snorkelling went tragically wrong. Police said the cause of death was unknown, and the matter had been referred to the coroner. …Source

• 3 Feb 2009: US firm seeks 'immediate' access to British warship treasure

  LONDON (AFP) — The US firm which claims to have discovered one of the greatest British warships ever lost at sea said Monday it was seeking "immediate" permission to begin recovering artefacts from the wreck. …Source

• 3 Feb 2009: Reef murder accused fails to front court

  The case against an American man accused of murdering his wife on their honeymoon in north Queensland has been adjourned. It is alleged David Gabriel Watson killed Tina Mae Watson on a scuba diving holiday on the Great Barrier Reef in 2003. …Source

• 3 Feb 2009: Why did 2 divers perish in underwater cave?

  HUDSON, Florida - Divers call north and central Florida "cave country" — for the dozens of springs and sinkholes that lead to networks of caverns and twisting tunnels, some hundreds of feet (meters) deep and miles (kilometers) long. The caves can be beautiful. But each year, divers get lost in the tunnels. In all, nearly 400 people have died in Florida's caves. …Source

• 2 Feb 2009: Dive into the new Google Earth

  As you read this, I am at the beautiful California Academy of Sciences, announcing the launch of the newest version of Google Earth. This launch is particularly special to me because it marks the moment when Google Earth becomes much more complete — it now has an ocean. …Source

• 2 Feb 2009: Honeymoon diver-murder accused Gabe Watson may snub court

  MOVES to extradite accused honeymoon killer Gabe Watson are likely to begin today, with the American expected to snub an order to appear in a Townsville court. …Source

• 1 Feb 2009: Guest speaks on exploring sunken ships

  FALLBROOK — Ron Fonstad, IDC staff instructor at Temecula’s Scuba Diving Center, addressed the Fallbrook Village Rotary meeting on February 20. A scuba diving instructor since the early 1990s, Fonstad is a member of a worldwide all-volunteer group dedicated to creating artificial reefs, thereby helping to save the ocean’s marine life by sinking obsolete ships the correct way. …Source

• 1 Feb 2009: Dive company 'abandoned' British tourist in shark-infested waters

  An Australian dive boat operator has been charged with breaching safety rules after one of its boats abandoned a British tourist and his American girlfriend in shark-infested waters on the Great Barrier Reef. Last May, British scuba diving instructor Richard Neely and his girlfriend Allyson Dalton were left stranded in the open ocean for 19 hours when the Pacific Star returned to land without them. The pair floated helpless in the sea overnight before they were eventually rescued. …Source