So I am reading along about this unfortunate woman, Tina Baxter, and all of the sudden the story turns towards the safety regulations on the Cayman Islands. As anybody who knows me would agree, I tend not to like taking too many senseless risks. I do not live life in fear of anything however I would rather not dive with Steve Broadbelt (owner and operator of a liquor store, a condo development and a dive shop (Ocean Frontiers)….because I want all my dive shop people affiliated with a liquor store!!) thanks to some of his stupid comments and scary outlooks.

I will be the first to say, when I am underwater, I am responsible for my safety and if I am unable to correct something, then I turn to my buddy and so on. I am the first person that is responsible for my safety and that I agree with. HOWEVER, I do not support this guys view that …all diving activities should be self-regulated to ensure the profitability of local dive shop owners… This guy really is an idiot. If you take the rules out of diving then what do you have? You have shop owners who do not care if people die in their “care” or not and will take customers anywhere to do anything, safe or not…..just so they can charge an extra dollar.

And let me ask you this. Where you are from, knowing what they write here, would a dive shop owner be able to stay in business? If they could knowingly say this….Broadbelt, who owns……..has repeatedly lied about scuba diving accidents in the Caymans. I am proud to say that in Canada, this guy would be in jail if his company killed people and he was found to be negligent (which is apparently how he runs his companies), and/or his butt would have been sued to heaven if there was ANY accident where he was found to be negligent. I usually do not think about suing somebody, but a bonehead like this? I would reconsider for sure.

It is true what they say…CAVEAT EMPTOR…..Buyer Beware. If something about the dive shop you have chartered seems dangerous, tell them and get yourself out of the situation. Rely on yourself first and everyone else second. If your “spidey senses” are tingling and telling you that you are not comfortable…RUN! Make sure the operator knows why you are removing yourself though.

This is just my 2 PSI