A Tragedy That Still Demands Answers
On 16 August 2025, 12-year-old Dylan Harrison lost her life during a certification dive at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas. The training was conducted under the NAUI system by ScubaToys, a well-known Dallas-area dive shop.
As previously reported by The Scuba News, Dylan’s family continues to seek answers about how a routine open-water certification dive could end so tragically. Earlier features have examined questions around evidence handling and highlighted a resurfaced 2017 video of ScubaToys’ owner, in which comments about diver safety sparked widespread outrage.
Now, a new eyewitness account from a fellow trainee, Ted Sickels, offers the most detailed first-hand perspective yet on what may have gone wrong underwater.
The Dive According to a Fellow Student
Sickels was part of the same training group as Dylan that morning. He describes the dive beginning in typical fashion, with students descending along a buoy line to a platform around five metres below the surface. During that descent, he noticed Dylan struggling with buoyancy, gripping the platform railing instead of hovering neutrally.
After surfacing from the first dive due to what Sickels says was a misunderstood signal, the class was instructed to descend again to simulate a three-minute safety stop. This second descent, however, was different. Instead of following one by one down the line, the group dropped all at once. In the confusion, Sickels recalls that organisation broke down almost immediately.
Once everyone reached the platform, a headcount revealed Dylan was missing. The instructor, William Armstrong, began a brief search, then surfaced and called for help. Sickels recalls hearing the instructor reassure Dylan’s mother on the surface, saying Dylan had “plenty of air” and would “be okay as long as she keeps her regulator in.” Moments later, the instructor reportedly left the water to seek assistance by car.
Gaps and Unanswered Questions
Sickels’ account reinforces several themes that have emerged since the tragedy: early signs of buoyancy difficulty, a breakdown in structure during the second descent, and uncertainty over how quickly an underwater search began.
It also raises further questions. If Dylan’s buoyancy problems were visible, why was she not paired with a more experienced diver or given additional assistance? Why did the instructor surface rather than lead a direct underwater search? And what protocols were in place to account for all students before the group descended again?
Compounding these questions is the absence of publicly available dive computer data from Dylan, the instructor, or the divemaster. Those records would provide crucial details such as depth, descent rate, and timing, yet reports indicate that at least one device remains missing and others were not immediately analysed.
Broader Concerns About Safety Culture
The tragedy cannot be viewed in isolation. As The Scuba News previously revealed, a resurfaced video of ScubaToys’ owner making flippant remarks about diver fatalities prompted outrage across the diving community. While that video dates back several years, it has renewed scrutiny of the safety culture surrounding the shop and its training practices.
When a young diver dies under supervision, accountability extends beyond the water’s surface. It encompasses instructor fatigue, student-to-instructor ratios, buddy assignments, and the overall ethos of a training centre.
For many divers and instructors following the case, the question is not only what went wrong on that day, but whether a pattern of complacency had been allowed to develop long before it.
The Investigation Continues
The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the case remains under active investigation, with the Texas Rangers reported to be assisting. ScubaToys and the instructor involved have both been suspended from operations at The Scuba Ranch while inquiries continue.
Formal analysis of dive computer data, witness statements, and procedural conduct is expected to play a key role in determining what happened beneath the surface that morning. Until then, much of what is known relies on accounts like Sickels’, whose detailed observations have become a central part of the public record.
Lessons for the Diving Community
For the wider scuba community, the loss of a 12-year-old trainee serves as a solemn reminder that even in controlled training environments, risks remain real. Proper supervision, situational awareness, and decisive emergency response are the foundation of diver safety particularly when minors are involved.
The hope now is that the ongoing investigation leads to full transparency, improved safety protocols, and a deeper commitment across the industry to ensure such tragedies are never repeated.
Comments
2 Comments
There are those certified for emergency situations like this. I think, especially with children learning or diving in group’s, one or two doing all the watching being ready to react should be required. There’s no room for mistakes in Scuba Diving.
Godspeed to this child.
12 years old is too young to be learning to dive. I was an instructor with BSAC club. We had a minimum age rule of 16 with written parental permission required up to 8 years.