News
Kansas dive instructor catches thieves trying to sell his student’s gear
It was a scuba lesson like no other. Wichita based dive instructor Marc German was finishing up his last training session when he got a call from one of his students visiting from Idaho, who said his scuba gear had been stolen.
“Someone had cut the straps and netting and stole his scuba gear and quite a bit of other stuff off the back of his trailer,” said German.
The thieves got away with more than $10,000 worth of his belongings so the student filed a police report and still came to class.
“While he was doing his finals and taking his test, we got a phone call at the shop.”
It was an unexpected sales offer.
The voice on the other end told German, “Hey, I have one of those harness things that you know those divers wear as well as a hose with the adapter so that you can breathe out of it.”
That was German’s first clue that this person had no idea what they were talking about.
“So, he’s telling me different brands and different things, and he said, ‘I have two blue tubs full of stuff.’ I recognized right away that it was John Paul’s stuff because I had dived with the guy for two weeks. So, I said, ‘Yea, bring it in, let’s take a look at it.”
German immediately alerted Wichita police who hid nearby.
An hour later, Wichita police say 36-year-old Chad Nichols and 29-year-old Matthew Ramagli walked into the shop with the stolen equipment.
Police arrested them on the spot.
“They weren’t very surprised. They were upset, but they didn’t act all that surprised,” said German. “I just can’t believe anybody would be dumb enough to steal scuba gear and then take it to the only scuba shop in the immediate area and try to sell it.”
Wichita police are still working to find all the stolen goods. The case has been turned over to district attorney’s office.
Source: www.ksn.com
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
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