recounts tragic
Whzyteciiff dive

A deadly descent into darkness

By tan Noble
News Reporter

THE sole survivor of a
scuba diving accident that
killed three off West
Vancouver's Whytecliff Park
recounted a chilling tale of

having to let go of his diving

buddy — or continue to
descend into the dark depths

In front of about 40 onlookers,
many of them family and friends of
. three men who died in the tragic

mishap, Stefan Shubin said he

grabbed his diving buddy David
ikkel when Nikkel began having
“trouble at about 90 feet (27.4
. metres) below the surface on April

28, 1996.

’ By 133 feet (40 metres), the two
were dropping like rocks with the
powerful six-foot, two-inch Nikkel
panicking and flailing, the stocky
Shubin told members of a coroners
inquest in Burnaby Wednesday.

Speaking calmly and occasionally
asking for water, Shubin, a veteran of
more than 200 dives, said Nikkel let
go of him at some point. As the pair’s

- descent quickened, Shubin said he

“had te make a choice.

_ “At some point I had to decide
how many people were going to the
bottom — one or two,” he said.

At approximately 217 feet (66
metres), a depth recorded by
Shubin’s . wrist-mounted computer,
Shubin let go of Nikkel, whose body
has not been found. He is presumed
to have drowned.

“I realized instinctively the end
:- had come for both of us if 1 didn’t let

go,” he said.

- Unknown to Shubin while he was
underwater, both of the other divers
‘on the trip were also having trouble.
Andrew Todd Peters, 23, and Dale
Lionel Benjamin, 44, would also dic.

’ Tt marked a tragic end te a recre-
ational dive at a spot popular with

’ focal divers. :

Shubin said none of the divers
were having difficulty at 42 feet (13
metres) or 80 feet (24.4 metres),
where the bottom disappears and a
canyon wall continues down.

. The idea, said Shubin, was to fol-
low the wal! at that depth. When less
than half the air supply was used, the
group would turn around and head

ick.

On April 28, there was no current,
the water was cold and the visibility
with the artificial lights was good,
. |. said Shubin.

_

Kinsella refuses

From page 1

thought was inappropriate. He’s
“made it quite clear that he’s not
“going to do the same thing.”
During his press conference,
Kinsella also challenged White to a
‘debate: “If he’s (White) such a
believer in free speech and free
debate, why don’t we have a debate
about his involvement in a party
that refers to people from the
Third World as ‘degenerates’.

Nikkei, a novice diver who was
well below his recommended depth
limit of 60 feer, swam shoulder-to-
shoulder with Shubin.

The other two divers were direct-
ly behind and slightly above Shubin
and Nikkel.

Shubin said Nikkel and Peters,
also a novice diver, began having
buoyancy problems at about 90 feet.

Nikkel started kicking furiously,
indicating that was the only thing
keeping him afloat, said Shubin.

At the same time, he saw
Benjamin and Peters pass overhead,
with Peters also kicking and having
trouble maintaining neutral buoyan-
cy. Benjamin seemed te be fine, said
Shubin.

“I have no knowledge of what
happened to them after that,” he said.
Police tests showed fall their recovered
equipment was working properly.

9 Shubin said he indicated 10 Nikkel
to pump up his buoyancy compen-
sator, which he appeared to do. But
that didn’t stabilize him enough,
Shubin said.

Nikkel was still kicking, beginning
to panic and not responding to sig-
nals. Shubin said he gave Nikkel the
let’s-go-up signal and Nikkel moved
toward him. But Nikkel, said Shubin,
was not reacting the way he should
have. In an effort to keep them both
buoyant, Shubin inflated the buoyan-
cy device in his drysuit.

While the pair continued sinking,
Shubin said he continued to try to re-
establish positive buoyancy for both
of them between 90 and 133 feet.
Then, complete panic ensued.

The two plunged to 217 fect (66
metres), when Shubin let go of
Nikkel and rapidly ascended.

After letting go of Nikkel, Shubin
said he then went into an immediate,
uncontrolled ascent — the fastest,
most dangerous ascent a scuba diver
can endure.

Shubin said he popped to the sur-
face and considered going down to
help the other divers. But he said
going down would serve no purpose
and would be dangerous.

He waited at the top for his diving
buddies to surface. Only one did.
Benjamin popped to the surface with-
in a few swimming strokes of Shubin
in his ballooning dry suit after also
undergoing a rapid ascent.

At the inquest, Mary and Vic
Peters, Andrew’s parents, said they
want to see recommendations arising
from the inquest so a similar situation
does not occur again.

Or, as Mary put it, “to save a few
lives.” Her son, she said, was a fun-
loving guy, but not reckless.

to issue apology

Reached at his campaign head-

quarters and told of Kinsella’s
debate challenge, White said that
his involvement in the WCC was
known to North Vancouver voters
prior to the last federal election.

“The people of North
Vancouver have already heard the
debate and they’ve made it quite
clear which side they’re on,” White
said.

“I'd see a debate as a complete
waste of time.”

Photo subenitied ~

ANDREW Peters (standing) died In a scuba diving accident off Whyteciiff Park a year ago. His pa
ents hope recommendations stemming from a coroners’ inquest can prevent similar tragedies.

Rookie divers were in too deep

From page
dead diver L'avid Wesley Nikkel.

“Once we were certified. We were restricted to the
60-foot level until we took more courses ... It was clear.
1 know that we both were aware of it,” said Friesen on
the second day of a Burnaby inquest.

Friesen and Nikkel took a diving course for PADI
(Professional A:-iociation of Diving Instructors) certifi-
cation in the sutnmer of 1995 in Burnaby. The certifica-
tion indicates the young men were qualified fur open *
sea dives. Nikkcl and Friesen did two more open-sea

dives in Decemicr 1995,

Nikkel, 24, was on his seventh open-sea dive when

he drowned,

The cousin of a second scuba diver to drown in that
Whytecliff plunge testified that he was invited to go on
the dive but “didn’t like cold water.”

Cory Peters testified that his cousin Andy Peters, 23,
of Langley, kad not gone diving for three years before
the tragic plunge in West Vancouver. .

The cousins both received PADI Australia certifica-
tion in January 1993. The cousins dove to a maximum
of 70 feet (21.5 metres) after a total of cight dives each.

“We talked about going again, but never got around

to it,” said Cory Peters.

Both Cory Peters and Friesen saw their close friends
for the last time at church the day of the dive.

“I was kind of disappointed,” said Friesen.

“I was going to go as well, but I couldn’t get any

gear the day before,” he said.

Dale Lionel Benjamin, 44, of Surrey, was the third
scuba diver who died. Benjainin died of embolisms asso-

West Van council fails”
in courthouse reprieve

By Anna Marie D’Angelo courthouse and the move to North

News Reporter
dangelo@nsnews.com

THE West Vancouver
provincial courthouse will
cease to be in sessicn after
June 30.

Despite vigorous opposition from
Mayor Pat Boname and council
members, the two-courtroom buiid-
ing is slated to close its doors forever.

But Boname said on Wednesday
that she was not giving up.

“I hope there is a chance one way
or another,” said Boname.

People newly charged with
offences in West Vancouver have had
their court dates held in North
Vancouver provincial court for more

ciated with a rapid ascent to the surface.
Coroner’s counsel Robert Kennedy a
the surviving diver, Stefan Shubin, 49, about the PADI --_. -
its. : ,
In the manual in large bold print, was “Derth
Limits: 60 feet Novice, 100 feet Recommended and

manual’s depth lim

130 feet Absolute.”

The manual stated that divers with greater training
and experience should generally limit themse!ves toa
maximum depth of 100 feet (31 metres). An open water ©.

- diver should go to a maximum of 60 fect (18 metres).
Shubin testified that the PADI manual was ambiguous,

confusing and misleading.

dangerous depth.

they had done.

there too.”

than a month, according to West’
Vancouver Police Sgt. Steve Watt.

Last November, the provincial
government announced it would
close courthouses as part of centraliz-
ing resources. According to the
Ministry of Attorney General, court-
house closures were also part of a
plan to save $4.7 million for the
provincial government through jus-
tice reforms.

The West Vancouver courthouse’s
death penalty was originally sched-
uled for August.

Richmond, Maple Ridge and
Chilliwack municipalities managed to
have their announced courthouse
closures “delayed” for two years.

Wesr Vancouver’s lobbying efforts
for the same thing have not been suc-
cessful.

Boname said the closure of the

ecliff fess than four

Replied Shubin, “That was almost the case.”

Vancouver. of all West Vancouver

cases. will. cost. the municipality ::
between $200,000 and $300,000 ©

annually in police overtime. .
The West Vancouver courthouse
is located at the corner of Marine

Drive and 13th Street near the main:

entrance to Ambleside Park.
The courthouse building is owned

by the municipality. Boname said that .: :

the municipality will look at uses for
the building, but gave no specifics.

The West Vancouver Police, locat-

ed next docr, are interested in the
extra space.
A spokesman for the Attorney

General’s ministry had no statistics /-.~

available detailing West Vancouver
courthouse use or the date that court
cases began being transferred. to
North Vancouver. .

repeatedly asked .

i

“What does recommended mean? What does novice -
mean?” said Shubin, a self-employed architect.

Shubin started diving cight years ago. He was on his
206th dive when his three diving companions diced. -
Shubin had taken no official training beyond his basic. .

PADI certification but the majority of his last 100 dives ~
were done with a master diver, The two men “generally” -
went down about 100 fect (30 m) but not usually below
130 feer (40 m). Shubin relied heavily. on his wrist-|
mounted computer, not PADI tables, as to what was a

According to Shubin’s dive log, he went with a West
Vancouver man with only six open-sea dives under. his
belt to a depth of 130 feet at f
months before the tragic plunge. Shubin testified he did
not ask his diving companions about how many dives ~~

Said the Coroner’s counsel, “That was your life down -