A resurfaced video from 2017 has revealed some disturbing comments by Joe Johnson, owner of Scuba Toys, the dive shop connected to the recent death of 12-year-old Dylan Harrison during a scuba certification class in Terrell, Texas.
In the video obtained by Fox 4 News, Johnson appears to casually admit to a crowd that his company experienced multiple prior deaths connected to his business, stating, “Our insurance company just settles.” Johnson would even claim that they can have 4 to 5 deaths a year and be “fine.”
The video has kicked off another wave of outrage and criticism of the dive shop’s safety practices, as Harrison’s family has questions that remain unanswered.
The video, recorded during a 2017 meeting on scuba instruction standards, captures Johnson responding to concerns about past lawsuits. He can be heard saying, “All I know is we’ve killed… what? 4 people? 5 people? And we’ve never even done a deposition. Our insurance company just settles… We can kill two people a year, ‘we are fine.’”
His wife, Sandy Johnson, quickly interjected in the clip, saying, “We don’t want that to happen,” and Joe responded with, “Just kidding, I’m just kidding.”
However, an instructor who recorded the exchange, disturbed by the remarks, reportedly chose to sever ties with Scuba Toys before Harrison’s recent death.
Alarmed by the remarks about killing without repercussions, the instructor then forwarded the full 45-minute video to John Banks. At that time, Banks served as the regional director for NAUI, the National Association of Underwater Instructors, which oversees things like dive shop certifications.
“I forwarded it to NAUI headquarters in Tampa to a gentleman named Jim Gunderson, who was one of the leads of all training and standards for NAUI,” Banks told reporters. Gunderson then allegedly took it to the then CEO of NAUI.
“NAUI says it is not actionable,” Banks added. “It died at that point.”
Harrison, a 12-year-old from Rockwall, drowned during a standard scuba certification class at Scuba Ranch in Kaufman County. According to Banks and other experts, strict safety protocols clearly state that students under 15 should never be left alone in the water.
Yet, a witness, Rich Thomas, told Fox 4 that the instructor was out of the water before Harrison was found, a claim that has raised serious concerns about oversight during the class.
“They (Harrison’s scuba instructors) should have never left the water. You are the last to leave the water,” Banks emphasized.
Banks also pointed to broader issues within the scuba industry, saying it is largely self-regulated with no oversight. “Did you know scuba is not regulated; it is self-regulated? We have spent years and decades doing it the right way. What I’m seeing is a transition to what has happened. It could become normal if we don’t fix this.”
The Dallas Express reached out to both Scuba Toys and NAUI for comment on the video and Harrison’s death, but has not received a response as of press time. The Texas Rangers are now assisting the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office in investigating the incident, and the 2017 video has allegedly been provided to law enforcement working on Harrison’s tragic case.
For perspective, each year, roughly 100 divers lose their lives in North America, with an additional 100 fatalities recorded across the globe, per DiverMag. Diving carries inherent risks, as numerous scenarios can lead to injury or even death. However, statistically, it remains a relatively safe pursuit, with only one death per approximately 200,000 dives.
Additionally, throughout the past few years, mortality rates for new divers participating in instruction courses have greatly improved.
A study from the National Library of Medicine found that the mortality rate for uncertified divers participating in PADI’s Discover Scuba Diving program significantly decreased from 2.55 per 100,000 participants in 1992–2005 to 0.87 per 100,000 in 2006–2019, likely due to “improved safety measures.”