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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,976
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As I have just seen about the info and the plugs by everyone on this board, that it has been lost in space!!! I agree with some of you all but some I don't, and if I offend someone or somebodies here I am sincerely sorry about that... But only a few people know this...

Our last trip down to Belize, we were on a boat for a tour of the island, and we were coming thru a cut by Basil Jones and we were overturned by a unforseeen wave... (Which a might add happens from time to time there).. It was kinda ruff out there the day we took this tour, BUT we sincerely TRUSTED OUR TOUR GUIDE !!!! (which is a very good friend of ours).. (and hold no responsibility too)( It was our choice to go).. On the way in from the outside we were riding a 10' wave, and got caught by a freak wave, which overturned the boat.. I was thrown over the boat and my wife was caught up underneath the boat.. when I noticed she didn't surface I went under and pulled her out.. The guide was telling us to get the life jackets and put them on.. I did but my wife could only hang on to one, because of the fear she felt of dying... When she was under the boat, she was disorriented and couldn't see light, she was going to accept this and take her last breath which would have been water... until she felt something pulling her leg. she thought it was someone trying to get up from the bottom.. but it was me trying to get her from under the boat... after that we were pounded by 10-12 ft. swells until we reach the reef, then we were cut up by the reef coming over.. after that, workers from basil jones saw what had happened and came to our rescue... God bless them... I chaulk this up to a good experience.. for God has something better in mind for us instead of leaving us there to die on the reef...

The only reason I'm posting this is due to the conversations, that has been conducted on this message board about the diving accident..

God and Mother nature have their course, at least with us, and you have to respect them, you never know when you time is to go..

We all make our choices on what we do in life...

At any point in life, especially here in the states you can be gone.. ie: shot, car accident, health, random stuff, etc...

All I have to say is that we are well and we Thank the Lord for taken care of us, God bless..

Some of you out there in syberspace have some reason to down Belize.. but I'm sure where you live would be downed alot more if it had its owned message board..

We should feel very lucky that there is this forum and board that gives us info on a place some of us have never been or have been alot of times...

I feel very lucky to have this forum to talk in, and read.. I agree everyone has there own opinion, but where can you go and find out about a world most of us don't even know about!!!!!!

I'm writing this not to scare anyone off from going to Belize, but to inform them that things do happen, and it seems that if one thing goes wrong in Belize its the world, but if you look on what is going on here in states and the world of more populated areas, it dosen't even make the news...????????????

OK enough-- I just wanted to say after all of this, Our prayers go out to the Delgado family and friends, and also to the staff at Ramon's.....and to the people of the island...

No one is at fault, God has a plan for us, most of us don't know what it is yet....

God Bless,

Thanks, Rick

[This message has been edited by rickcheri (edited 08-17-2001).]

[This message has been edited by rickcheri (edited 08-17-2001).]

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,733
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Great points, Rick, coming from a very real and personal experience that forturatly had a good ending. Thanks for sharing that. You bring home in a very chilling way that there can be acts of God that we have no control over. My concerns that I expressed in the edited forums, were that there are acts of God and there are accidents. Accidents are most often caused by the actions of individuals and we must be held accountalbe for our actions if they hurt others. I accept the primise that we are the ones that choose to dive and are ultimatly the ones responsible. But, we must carry that premise to the next step, that being if our actions hurt someone else, their must be accountability. I too care very much about Belize and hope that thru experience, even if it is a bad experience, good things can come.

Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,976
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this is Cheri, and i, for one, do not believe in accidents/coincidences....God gave us "free will" to do as we choose. But it MUST be understood that our choices=certain results/consequences. Bad things do happen to good people. And when they do, a Higher Power is there to help give us strength and courage. Being caught underneath that boat was a result of a bad choice....choosing to go thru a channel (a tricky one, as i understand) in VERY rough waters. We indeed are very blessed people, our conseqeunces could have been much different. Sometimes it's just so that OTHERS learn from our "results of decisions". I know I learned....I'll NEVER EVER EVER go back thru that particular cut again!!!! LOL C BELIZE BOUND FOR HALLOWEEN!!!!!

[This message has been edited by rickcheri (edited 08-17-2001).]

Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 431
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Rick and Cheri...
So glad that things turned out the way they did for you guys. A scary experience no doubt. God's way of reminding us how small we are!

I had a near-drowning experience in the summer of 1999 in Pensacola, Fl. before I moved to Belize.

I had lived in Pensacola all my life and spent time at the beach every summer. I worked the emergency rooms in Pensacola for many years and near-drowning cases were frequent every summer. I used to say...."These tourist tourist come down here every year and don't understand about our undertow....get out too far and then get in trouble."

Well.....after all the years of being in the water.....I got in an undertow situation.
I can honestly say now...that it can happen to anyone. Certain areas are washouts where the waves run into sandbars. If you get into one of these and your feet don't touch bottom...you are in trouble. Problem is.....it all happens so fast...that by the time you realize you are in trouble....it's already too late unless you are a good swimmer and physically fit.

I knew how to get out of it....it had been drilled into my head for years..."Swim parallel to the shore until you are out of it and then come in"....like a broken record.
That's great advice unless you're too tired to swim.

I was about 2 seconds from going under....and scared as hell....I couldn't breath b/c I was so scared and had hyperventilated....air was trapped in my lungs. I finally got the attention of someone with me and we just locked fingertips.....a big wave came in and he pulled me in far enough for my tiptoes to reach bottom.

I got into shore....but it took a good hour and some controlled breathing techniques for me to recover.

In hind sight, what stuck in my mind the most....is how fast it all happened...and how small I felt.
Water is a powerful thing...and I have a whole new respect for it. I felt an inch tall out there in that big ocean...and knew there was no way I would win on my own account. It obviously was not my time to go.
Call it fate, Divine intervention...whatever. Some survive and some don't. I figured my number wasn't up.
Thank God!

I now know without a doubt what my limitations are and I never put myself in a situation where that would ever happen again. Safety in the water is my first thought....and if I don't feel safe...I get my ass out! No matter who I'm with. I have the knowledge to know what I am supposed to do...and that is what I do.

My first dive in Belize was very scary. I made arrangements to go by myself with Tulu from Coral Beach Dive Shop. Didn't want to go with a group...was afraid I would panic and ruin their trip. He took me...and we did a very slow controlled dive. Plan was to enter the water...go straight to the rope.....and chill. Get my gear situated....control my breathing..and just relax....with the safety of the rope.
In about 3 minutes...I was fine.....and we had a wonderful dive. Seventy-five ft. for 58 minutes.....and still had 600psi left when I came up....not bad for a nervous old woman...LOL [Linked Image]

After that...I was fine....but I will never look at water the same again....it is THE BOSS!

Cheers!

[This message has been edited by Sandshaker (edited 08-17-2001).]

Joined: May 2001
Posts: 179
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I'm happy for you all that you feel that way, as I suspect that your views will never 'need' deleting.

I will no longer bother to give my opinion. It has become obvious to me that my views concerning diving safety, no matter how honestly held, are not welcome.

I'll still post when I think I can help answer someone's questions, like how to set up banking or what to bring to AC.

[This message has been edited by Florian (edited 08-17-2001).]

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,657
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GEEZE.........

Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 6,251
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Florian....I have enjoyed reading all of your posts. As you will notice, I generally read and not post.

Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 173
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My fear of the water is the only thing that has prevented me from learning to dive or do other water sports (Sanshaker, your story gives em knots in my stomach!). I come from a family with a long line of surfers and water lovers....you should have seen me snorkeling the reef and shark ray alley and realizing that my feet could not touch bottom in most places....yikes!! Go figure my love for islands though?

I'm glad to hear that you folks survived that scary experience....it's so weird to think that when you wake up in the morning you simply have no idea what God's plan is for you that day.

Florian, please do not take things so personally. Your contribution is always welcomed. I belive that this dive safety discussion is really valuable, but perhaps some sensitivity to the diver who lost his life there must still be given. I know that these discussions are meant to foster awareness and promote safe diving practices but allowing a person's death to provide a platform for a safety discussion is somewhat in poor taste so soon after his death. THis opinion is probably not shared by many, but I feel kind of bad when I see all this discussion going on about accountability and DM responsibiltiy and regard for personal safety.....it just makes me feel sad. Maybe the topic just needs a break for awhile.

Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 8,880
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Florian, don't give up!! Say what you have to say and we'll enjoy the convos for as long as they last. You aren't a quitter, I know you aren't!


A fish and a bird can fall in love, but where will they build their nest?

Joined: May 2001
Posts: 179
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Well, I was talking about safety well before the receints accidents. I have, I think rather tactfully, refrained from saying "I told you so".

I've tried, with one notable exception, to keep my comments by and large of a general nature. I think I've made it appearent that I'm not so much interested in talking about any one specific accident, but rather diving safety in general, with the notion that discussion of such a nature could have some small effect in the positive to the same.

But here is the thing. I saw things in AC I thought were not good diving practices. Others have seen the same thing.

AC gets a 'poor' rating from me, in general, concerning the safety of the operations there. Largely because, as I preceive it, some rather remote and semi-extreme diving is being treated like it's McDonalds.

It would be ironic if the recent accidents were used as a reason to discontinue a previous discussion of safe diving practices.

I am, all the same, tired of having my posts deleted. I'll give it a break for now. I'll come back to it later or something.

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