A summer day that was meant to be full of excitement and family bonding turned into heartbreak at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas.
Twelve-year-old Dylan Harrison, ready to earn her scuba certification and join her father and grandfather underwater, tragically lost her life during a training session on August 16.
Now, a lot of questions are swirling and the investigations are ongoing.
The scuba community is reeling after Dylan Harrison’s tragic death earlier this summer. During a training session on August 16, something went terribly wrong, and Dylan’s body was later recovered about 42 feet underwater at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas.
The instructor leading Dylan’s class, Bill Armstrong, has now been permanently suspended by the facility, while Scuba Toys, the dive company holding the certification class, is also suspended pending investigation results.
“We are heartbroken by the recent tragic loss of a young life at our lake. Our deepest sympathy and prayers are with her family and friends, during this unimaginably difficult time,” The Scuba Ranch said in a statement.
“Immediately after this event occurred, out of an abundance of caution, we permanently suspended the instructor (Bill Armstrong) from teaching at our facility. Scuba Toys was also suspended from training pending the results of this investigation. This step was taken solely to ensure that safety remains the top priority for divers while at The Scuba Ranch.”
Witness describes chaos
Richard Thomas, owner of International Scuba in Carrollton, was on site that morning to train other scuba instructors.
His account paints a scene of confusion and delayed action.
“When we finally realized it was a girl in water lost from her class, all my instructors had gear already. I had them get in,” Thomas told Fox4.
He ran over to the other shop’s pavilion and, upon arriving, saw that no one was taking action; everyone stood there, seemingly shell-shocked.
Thomas tried to locate Dylan’s instructor and was frustrated by his lack of cooperation.
“I asked, ‘Who is the instructor here? Is there a professional here?’ No one answered. A lady walked down. I said, ‘Is there an instructor here?’ She said, ‘Yes, my husband.’ I said, ‘Where is he?’ She said, ‘He’s standing right in front of you.’”
“At that point, I asked, ‘What is going on? Where did you see her last? I have people in the water, help me out.’ He started telling me, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ I said, ‘Divers get separated frequently, it could have happened to me. Tell me where you saw her last so we can begin a search.’ It was very difficult to get information out of him,” Thomas added.
