Times of Malta reports that a man whose negligence was found to have caused the death of his long-time diving buddy was handed a suspended sentence over the tragic incident which occurred at Mġarr ix-Xini in January 2020.
You may read more about the case on the Times of Malta
Divinginfo.mt wishes our late buddy Christine to rest in peace, and we should be mindful that there is always the possibility of the judgement reported by the Times of Malta today to be appealed – hence one should be wary of commenting directly on the case, whose conclusions may be repealed on appeal.
If you understand Maltese (and a bit of Italian too), the full 44 page judgement which has much more details than the Times of Malta could reproduce is available online and gives us a much more detailed view of the witness’ testimony and an indication of the experts’ and the court’s train of thought – which not everyone might agree with. To respect many persons’ privacy, we are not sharing the direct link.
However, the information and statements from this case should remind us of a few cardinal rules in diving for ALL of us, without exception, as many of us we might have relaxed too much on a rule or more…. and have just been lucky enough – so far:
- Dive only when you are 100% fit both physically and mentally
- Ensure all your equipment is 100% functional and in good service
- Only dive with equipment that you are comfortable in
- Ensure you are well trained in the use of your equipment;
- “Plan the dive and dive the plan” – Discuss and agree on dive plan, including when things don’t go along with the original plan; check and familiarise with each others’ equipment prior to touching the water and agree beforehand on separation protocols;
- Never assume things will be ok if there are even the slightest indications that things are not 100% fine or there is any discomfort;
- Abort a dive as soon as safely practical if any of the buddy team uncomfortable so you ensure you will dive another day, or save grief for your buddies. Don’t give in to peer pressure;
- Dive as conservative as possible during training or familiarisation;
Our actions may potentially have deep consequences, both if we are the victim, the buddy and in the widest term, friends, families and the whole diving community.
Let’s keep each other safe!
