Dr. Guy Garman, Attempting Scuba Dive World Record, Drowns At Salt River

ST. CROIX — The drowning death of well-known physician Dr. Guy “Doc Deep” Garman on Saturday during a dive at Salt River was the third for the island in one week. VI Consortium learned of the incident yesterday.

While the doctor’s family and the VIPD have yet to release a statement or make information available, a local known as Captain Ed, the owner of St. Croix Blue Water Adventures, a business that concentrates on Scuba dives, posted a well-detailed explanation of the incident leading to the doctor’s passing on Scubabord (screengrab here).

Dr. Garman, who was attempting a world record deep dive, entered the water at approximately 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning for what was scheduled to be a ten-hour and twenty five minutes total run time deep dive to 1,200′. The first deep support divers were to meet up with him at 360′, 38 minutes after he descended, Captain Ed, wrote. However, he added,  Dr. Garman never arrived at that first stop.

Divers stayed as long as possible and more deep support divers went in to help with a deep vigil hoping that something had just seriously delayed him. He was attached to a 1,300′ descent line so surfacing elsewhere wasn’t an option, Captain Ed wrote.

Dr. Guy Garman.

The Captained also said that Dr. Garman’s body would not be retrieved from the ocean until an attempt next week, as plans were being made to obtain equipment required to lift the descent line.

“To say that we’re all very saddened is an understatement. Regardless of whether you agreed with his record goal or not, he was more knowledgeable about diving, and specifically deep and technical diving, than almost anyone else on the planet. His wife and son were on the boats during the dive this morning and respect for their privacy and that of his other son and daughter will be appreciated,” Captain Ed concluded.

According to Dr. Garman website’s About Us page, the beloved physician ran an ear nose and throat center, offering treatment and surgery for thyroid and parathyroid diseases, mouth and throat cancers, head and neck injuries, as well as facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. The business is located in the Beeston Hill Medical Center.

“At the Garman Ears, Nose and Throat Center, we specialize in providing quality care to all our patients. Dr. Guy Garman is board certified and fellowship trained in head and neck, skull base surgery. This includes thyroid and parathyroid surgery, mouth and throat cancers, voice box abnormalities, cancer, parotid and submandibular tumors. With more than 20 years of experience, let Dr. Garman and his caring staff provide you with the excellent medical services you need,” according to the site.

“Being on St. Croix is such a great fit for me. With its wonderful people, the culture, the large Spanish – speaking population, I feel completely at home,” reads a quote from Dr. Garman on the business’ website.

His drowning death was the third here in one week. On Wednesday, a man drowned at Cramer Park Beach on the east end of the island.

According to the report, officers arrived at the beach and observed the still body of a middle-aged, African-American male, lying in the sand, clad in a white tee-shirt and denim short-pants. Also at the scene were a man and woman, friends of the apparent drowning victim who explained to officers that the three of them had been partying and drinking on the beach, and the pair had taken the deceased into the ocean to wash him off.

The report further stated that the friends left the man alone for no more than five minutes, noticed he was missing and began searching for him in the water. The two discovered his body on the sandy bottom of the shoreline after a ten minute search, pulled him onto the shore and attempted to perform CPR to no avail.

And on Friday, August 13, a young man lost his life after jumping off the dock at the Frederiksted Pier.