FRIDAY HARBOR, Washington (6 Mar 2006) -- Authorities are trying to determine if an equipment failure caused the drowning death of a Bellevue man while he was scuba diving in the San Juan Islands. Gary C. Guy, 39, was found unconscious shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday while diving off Broken Point on Shaw Island. Attempt to resuscitate Members of the diving group, including one who is an emergency medical technician, and an Orcas Island Emergency Services team worked to resuscitate Guy, but he was later pronounced dead. The San Juan County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death and examining Guy's diving gear. The accident occurred while he was on a diving tour with Island Dive & Water Sports of Friday Harbor. A few weeks earlier, Guy was on one of the company's tours, but was unable to dive after finding some problems with his scuba equipment, said Dawn Hilliard, a co-owner of the company and a diving instructor. Guy was by himself when he returned Saturday, saying his equipment had been repaired and he was ready to join another tour, Hilliard said Sunday. A `diving buddy' The Bellevue man paid about $70 to join a group on a boat that took them to an area between Shaw and Orcas islands for ``a diving tour,'' Hilliard said. Everyone has ``a diving buddy'' and Guy's partner for the day was a certified diving instructor, she added. | | ``About 22 minutes into the dive and at 64 feet down, his diving buddy said everything was fine,'' Hilliard said. Then moments later, Guy disappeared. His partner looked around and then surfaced to call for help. Hilliard said Guy's death was the first for the company since she and her partners purchased Island Dive & Water Sports about three years ago. The company has been operating about 18 years under several different owners. The last drowning death was about five years ago, she said. Record of safety ``We're proud of our safety record. We take out between 1,200 and 1,500 divers each year,'' Hilliard said. Anybody signing up for a diving tour must have their card showing they are certified for scuba diving, Hilliard said, and there are certified diving instructors on each tour. SOURCE - King County JournalSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
