Police charge Canary Island dive lacked key safety measures.
Police charge Canary Island dive lacked key safety measures.
GRAN CANARIA, Spain — James King
Spanish authorities arrested a diving instructor for allegedly leading an unsafe dive that led to the death of a scientist who got trapped inside a shipwreck.
The incident claimed the life of investigative oceanographer Maria Casanova, 27, during a dive off the coast of Gran Canaria in the Spanish Canary Islands on Oct. 10.
The young scientist died within the wreckage of Soo Yang, one of several ships sunk in an area of the North Atlantic Ocean near Gran Canaria. The Soo Yang went down in 1990 for unknown reasons, according to local reports.
The results of an investigation released Nov. 29 by the Spanish Civil Guard revealed several irregularities during the dive, which led to the arrest of a diving instructor whose name not disclosed.
The suspect has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter as the investigation continues.
One notable problem cited in the report was the lack of a mandatory dive plan, which includes a risk evaluation that takes into account several critical factors, including the place, depth, time, air consumption and experience level of the divers involved.
Two other factors led to the man’s arrest: The depth of the dive — the wreckage is reported to be at 41 meters (134 feet), deeper than allowed by law. Also, the ship’s remains posed a variety of risks, such as rusty and sharp metal structures, that only well-trained divers should negotiate.
Officers also confirmed the dive’s evacuation plan was not properly carried out, as the divers did not conduct security stops on their way back to the surface.
The Spanish Civil Guard’s Group of Underwater Activities Specialists carried out several rescue operations before retrieving the victim’s body. She had become trapped within a room in the wreck.
Such deaths are relatively rare. Worldwide, the Divers Alert Network received notification of 228 deaths in 2017, the most recent year for which it has statistics.
(Edited by Matthew B Hall and Fern Siegel)
