Scuba Instructor Misconduct Reported by Tourist in Egypt
An online controversy has brewed over allegations made by a solo female traveler against a diving instructor for questionable behaviour during their submerged training courses in Egypt. Such interactions have now developed into ongoing conversations online and are considered trending at this time as forum members discuss their safety levels and limits regarding adventurous tourism.
Woman’s Account of Underwater Incident
Mediene (the woman making these allegations), posted a video recording of her experience on Instagram and alleged that she was the subject of inappropriate touching by her diving instructor.
Mediene claimed that the incident occurred while she was taking a diving course in Hurghada – an internationally renowned scuba little island destination. The video appears to show her scuba instructor touching several parts of her body while conducting underwater diving training.
Furthermore, Mediene stated that the contact was not part of standard safety procedures or techniques honed through typical scuba training programs. She also indicated that she had to physically remove his hand from her person to prevent any further contact while underwater.
Accusations Against Instructor
In her post, Mediene identifies the instructor by name (Haithem M. Abd El Hamied) and states that she posted her account and video solely with regard towards other similar female travellers.
“Completely unacceptable” was her opinion of everything that happened. According to her, having your head underwater creates a block to the exchange of power between the instructor and the student. She also shared that being underwater inhibits the instructor from having an ability to prompt the student to provide a response or express any concern if they are uncomfortable in the environment.
Mediene goes on to say that anyone who is diving should trust their instincts and take action if they feel uncomfortable while engaging in diving-related activities.
How the Video was Received by Social Media
Social media users reacted very quickly and very strongly to the video, with many people encouraging the vacationer to report the incident to diving organizations and local law enforcement.
Several professional diving instructors provided their comments on this situation, noting that while some degree of physical contact may be necessary for safety or training purposes, the actions depicted in this video did not seem normal to them.
One diving instructor explains that instructors always inform their students before any physical assistance may occur during training. Normal interaction would involve adjusting straps on a diver’s equipment or assisting a diver in maintaining a proper ascent rate.
Many of the instructors agreed that actions depicted in the video were not consistent with the typical standards for teaching scuba diving.
Adventure tourism has been an area of increasing interest with regards to safety, professional standards, and an individual’s limits when participating in such activities. Experts suggest that you can protect yourself by ensuring your instructor holds proper certifications, and extensively researching the dive centre before participating in any underwater activity.
Secondly, experts recommend that everyone establish their own limits for participation in adventure tourism activities (such as scuba diving) and that you should cease any and all activity immediately if at any point you feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
The discussion about these important safety issues has been trending news today; therefore, creating awareness about how important is is for travelers/sports enthusiasts to practice safety while partaking in water sport or training throughout the world.
