Canada’s Number

One

Suburban Newspaper -

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Classified 986-6

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Circulation 886-1337> 64 pages 25¢

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PORTS. POLICE divers continued to battle tides.
and murky water conditions: Thursday as’ they
searched for the body of a: North Shore man

presumed to have drowne

Uy JOAN

Thirty-year-old Peter
Devoe was scuba diving with
hisbrother Joe: during a

_ family outing at Cates Park

in North Vancouver Tuesday

: afternoon when the accident
-accurred, . .

Linda Fricke, Peter's fi-

ancee, said | Thursday | that,

she had been advised by div-
ing instructor Jim Shaw,
who taught) both of the
Devoe brothers, that the
water conditions were
responsible for the accident.

“The visibility was. poor
and the ctrrents were very

strong. ‘That's. what we =

believe “created the | situit-
tion,’ said Fricke, ‘*From
my understanding, Peter was
out of air and. signaled to
Joe. They started) to bud-
dy-breathe on Joe's equip-
ent and either Peter black-
ed out or Joc ran outlof aire
Jee doesn’t remember undo-
ing his weight belt anc com-
ing up to the surface" :

Fricke, whois not a diver,

aid she owas (told Peter
probably experienced
‘shallow-water blackout,
“where you get 100 much
carbon dioxide building up
and it causes: you to black
out,” ;

Peter probably, did not
have time to undo his weight
belt, which would have
enabled hind to float te the
surfaces she said.

The ‘North Vancouver res+
ident was a paraplegic. who
was left paralyzed fromthe
waist dawn by an auimobile
‘accident in 1978. Me fale
‘beck from the injuries to

corepdin partial use ot firs legty
and is said Co have lowed Che
freedom he experinced when
diving. ,

The brothers were at Chates
Park ona outing with family

d.

members visiting ‘from Ot-
tawa. Fricke. was not at the
park at the time of the acci-
dent. ‘

Kathy Newman, the
technical administrator with
the ~Canadian Wheelchair
Sports | Association, _ B.C.
Division, . said... Devoe
took up diving three: years
ago.. She ‘said Devoe, the
founder and president of the
scuba diving club of:
Wheelchair Sports, was close
to being certified as an in-
structor. ;

“Peter was a tremendous
person ‘and was willing to,
give up his time and equip-
ment: for any one.’ He's go-
ing to be sadly missed by ail
of us," said Newman,

Ports Canada Police had
three divers ‘working | the
waters off Cates Park
‘Phursday, Cpl. Gary Fotia
aiid divers) were — fighting
“lots of ddal movement’
during their » th, which
began Tuesday night and
continued throughout the
day Wednesday.

He osaid the divers were
working in 75 to 80 feet of
water Wednesday and were -
expected to. explore” deeper
winter Thursday, The poor "
visibility combined with the
depth and the strong tidal
movement meant that divers
were” “going through an
awful tor of air’ and char
the search was physcially
exhausting, he said.

Fricke is adamant that
those same conditions caus-
edo the drowning and ‘she
wants the public ta know
that Devoe’s uecident was
not teketed to his disability,”

“His instructor said: when

“Peter was im the water, he
edidim't have a disabilins He
loved his disimg. Che had to

fo, maybe it was best to vo

“while he was in the water

diving, said Pricke.