CAYMAN ISLANDS (4 Mar 2009) — An American tourist died while diving off Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. Police identified the diving accident victim as Robert Stueben of Pennsylvania. At about 1:10 pm on February 23, an employee of London House where Stueben was staying called for help after noticing that the victim and another diver were in trouble. When police and paramedics arrived at Seven Mile Beach, Stueben had been pulled from the water but was unconscious. Paramedics took him to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Stueben's death was the first diving-related fatality in the Caymans this year. There were nine diving-related deaths in 2008. Unsustainable tourism Once considered the best scuba diving holiday destination in the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands have steadily declined in popularity over the past decade due to overpricing, overdevelopment, eco-unfriendly cruise ship tourism, marine wildlife harassment (Stingray City), coral reef degradation and increasing concerns that diving-related fatalities are linked to the failure of dive boat operators to comply with commonly accepted dive safety procedures. Hoping to lure divers back to the Caymans, local tourism promoters announced last October that the government would adopt Florida's scheme to replace dying coral reefs with value-added scuba diving product comprised of scuttled U.S. Navy warships. Promoters said they hope to sink the 77-meter, 2,290 tonne USS Kittiwake later this year. | 
