Dive school Perth Diving Academy is facing condemnation for graphic accusations. In March, divers Ian Kensington and Ryan Chaudhry were left allegedly marooned at sea on a diving expedition off Hillarys. Further, the charter company’s operational practices as well as its diver safety and diver brief procedures have come under scrutiny since the incident. Kensington and Chaudhry paddled farther from their chartered skiff. When the ship came back into dock, they had disappeared and gone AWOL. After more than 50 minutes in the water, they were picked up by a passing ferry.
That horrifying incident highlights more than just one failure in safety procedures. It raises troubling questions about the company’s history of misbehavior. Eight years ago, a White woman diver, Anthea, went through the same nightmare. During a dive with the Perth Diving Academy, she and her dive buddy were suddenly swept away by a powerful current, leaving her buddy’s safety team behind. After nearly a half hour in the full grip of the storm, they were finally pulled from the ocean by local fishermen.
Details of the Recent Incident
Kensington and Chaudhry’s incident was on a tour run by Perth Diving Academy. According to news reports, although they floated well offshore from the chartered boat, the boat had already turned and come back to land without them. Kensington and Chaudhry had remained in the ocean for almost an hour. They were eventually saved by the timely arrival of a ferry service running from Rottnest Island.
Following the incident, Troy Lane, the director of Perth Diving Academy, emphasized that diver safety is the company’s highest priority. In a statement, he remarked, “We are proud of our long-standing commitment to best practice in recreational diving, community education, and marine conservation.” The corporate response hasn’t been enough to stave off criticism as an investigation into the incident continues to unfold.
Anthea’s experience is just one more look under the hood at the story behind Perth Diving Academy. Here’s why… In February 2017, she signed up for a scuba diving course. On the dive, her instructor and the other divers went down without them, leaving her and her buddy at a great risk with no other options.
“I was trying to convince her that we just need to catch up, basically, with the others and she just did not want to go down at all,” – Anthea
Anthea recounted the fear she experienced during that ordeal, saying, “She was saying we’re going to get eaten by sharks and stuff. I just thought, I hope we get rescued.”
Past Incidents Raise Concerns
Anthea’s experience is not an isolated case. Noel Ferguson is the fisherman who rescued a stranded scuba diver off the coast of Rottnest Island nearly a decade ago. He has now corroborated what was previously reported, continuing safety issues at Perth Diving Academy. He shared the story of how his team had accidentally discovered a drowning person.
“When we rocked up there, I said … have you lost something? And we like pointed at her and he’s like, ‘oh f**k’.” – Noel Ferguson
Ferguson shared that the diver he rescued appeared exhausted and frightened, highlighting the potential dangers divers face when abandoned at sea.
“She started crying. She was just out of energy. She was done. And yeah, we were just sort of saying, what’s going on?” – Noel Ferguson
The commonalties among these accidents have led to an ongoing investigation into Perth Diving Academy’s procedures and operations. Although the company has put out statements claiming its commitment to safety, it has to answer these deeply concerning allegations.
Investigation and Responses
Perth Diving Academy is now being investigated for allegedly abandoning Kensington and Chaudhry during their diving excursion. To avoid accidents and injuries, the company is committed to providing a safe diving environment. Yet, it has come under fire for its warm embrace to foster similar occurrences in the past.
When I inquired about other past incidents, the academy’s representatives answered immediately and directly. So they did an internal review and found no confirmed records that fit Anthea’s description or any comparable accounts. In this context, they further emphasized that their operational procedures are geared towards putting safety first.
“With regard to the historical incidents raised, our internal review has not identified any verified records matching the descriptions provided, nor do they align with our operational procedures.” – Source not specified
This inquiry—not just for what happened recently but what has happened in the past—will be important. It will assist in determining whether Perth Diving Academy requires to make any changes to operations.
