Yes, Don, you are taught to dive with a buddy. However, there is debate in the dive community as to whether it is for everyone.
Yup, the Captain can make the call as to whether a diver should go or not. But the ultimate decision is the divers and his alone. You don't know what, if any, BS was told to the Captain about his ability. Or, whether Chris decided that due to the calm conditions he thought he could do the dive.
Should he have a buddy? In hindsight, probably. But if he felt comfortable diving without one, it is not the Captain's responsibility to stop him.
What if he had a buddy and his buddy could not do anything for him? Would you now be blaming the buddy for failure to save his life? After all the buddy is an experienced diver and should have been able to handle the emergency, right? Would the body still be missing? Who knows? Mother Nature can be a fierce opponent.
No more BS, nor more ranting and pointing fingers. Support the family.
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