I wonder how this happened.

[jmohns]

I will bite in on this one.......
Speaking from the emergency responce side of things........ We get called for all kinds of things, some are very valid and needed.. and some not so much. To put it simply, Darwin is good and alive and it is up to the Emergency services to pick up the pieces from Mr Darwin. Look at it this way, is there any real difference financially between looking for a lost person or taking grandma to the hospital because her Dr told her to call EMS to transport her to the hospital? We as a whole pay taxes for this service and yes some of us seem to need it more than others. Most EMS services do charge for their services now, this covers the added expenses invoked during the specific call they were billed for. You tax dollars cover the day to day costs of personnel, equipment upkeep, and training. If someone calls in a bogus report just to see the trucks come, then yes I agree, this is a mismanagement of resources and that party should hold some responsability for the bill. As far as diving goes..... It is my opinion as a new diver, less than 10 years, that we manage the risk everytime we enter the water. What I feel is a manageable risk, by buddy might not wish it to be. It seems that after reading this particular article a few times that the two in question really did most of it as safely as they could....... now let me finish before you take my head off...... They did perform a safe dive as far as I could tell, and they were not fresh green divers nor were they uber experienced as well. The issues seemed to happen on the surface, and really didn't involve the dive at all. I do believe in a tender in the boat in any water, however they must have felt that it wouldn't matter to them. They did have contact with a friend on land, and he did call for help after they did not call back like they planned. I agree, my fins do not leave me unless I am on land. I do put them on my arm, it works great. So, after all of that chatter, I personally am glad they were safe, and for the most part I feel that they did most of it right. I feel they will most likely change their dive plans to include a 3rd or just charter. However, I do not think they should foot the bill for a search and rescue. Look at it like this, The coast guard will respond and bring you home, dead or alive. You can chase around a live person and hope they pay, but dead is dead and the cost will be the same no matter which way it goes. This is what we the Emergency Services are here for and what we train for. Most of the time we bring back bodies, it is nice to have a live one every now and then! I will crawl back to my corner now and avoid the mud that is about to fly!!!!
James