Missing diver’s wife wants thorough probe

SHANE SUPERVILLE

Since scuba diver and underwater repair specialist Chevonne Bartholomew disappeared near Gasparee Island during a routine dive, seven days ago, officials at the TT Coast Guard have extended their search area along the southern coast in an attempt to locate him, according to public relations officer, Lt Sherron Manswell yesterday.

As officials continue their efforts to locate him, wife Pete-Ann Bartholomew is calling for a thorough investigation, as she is convinced more could have been done to ensure her husband’s safety.

Bartholomew, 37, and his partner went on, what was considered, a routine dive near Gasparee Island on Monday, but Bartholomew disappeared.

Bartholomew told Newsday yesterday, after speaking with experienced divers about her husband’s disappearance, they told her the dive was dangerous and should not have been approved without proper equipment to assist her husband and the colleague who dived with him.

“I’m not a diver myself,” she said, “so I spoke to some very experienced divers, who told me they were surprised the company went ahead with the dive, knowing the dangers associated at such depths.

What he (Chevonne) did was called a commercial scuba dive, where he and his partner went 60 feet deep to examine and repair a very large ship hull.

“At depths like that, scuba gear isn’t adequate. What you need is an air hose connecting back to the ship. But that kind of equipment wasn’t issued for whatever reason.”

She added that since the incident on Monday, neither she nor her husband’s parents had received an official incident report from TrinDive, and is calling on authorities to treat with the matter urgently to prevent similar accidents in the future. Asked about their children, Zoe, seven, and Zion, 12, Bartholomew said while they remain certain he is still alive, the family is deeply concerned.