The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A new sky diving excursion yesterday revealed the Ministry of Tourism is reluctant to promote the venture over concerns that it lacks adequate insurance.

Vans Johnson, Sky Dive Bahamas chief executive, told Tribune Business that despite the ministry refusing to list the company and its offering on the Bahamas.com website it still plans to stage its first jump in December. He added that the ministry’s insurance demands are simply unattainable.

“They want us to buy insurance that does not exist. No one has that type of insurance,” Mr Johnson said. He indicated that the Ministry of Tourism wants Sky Dive Bahamas to have liability coverage in the event that divers suffer serious injuries or even the ultimate tragedy.

However, Mr Johnson said his plane is already insured and that is all any sky dive operation in the world operates under. “This is what the United States Parachute Association (USPA) told the Government here: That as long as the plane is insured the company is automatically insured.

“The Ministry of Tourism is saying that we need insurance in case someone jumps [sic, falls] out of the plane, but you are signing a waiver. So if you jump out of the plane I’m not responsible for you any more. You are responsible for yourself.”

None of the “higher ups” are listening to Mr Johnson’s arguments, so he has decided to just go and “open up”, plan his first jump and “let the popularity” of the new excursion sell itself and leave Bahamas.com to one side for the time being.

Sky Dive Bahamas wanted to have its first jump on Thanksgiving Day, but is now targeting an early December launch to take advantage of the upcoming Christmas season. Its plane is out being cleaned and properly serviced, and will be back in The Bahamas by the end of the weekend.

Mr Johnson will then take on divers in the hope of staging his first jump by December. All sky divers will have to sign waivers so that he indemnified against any injuries they may suffer. “Our waivers were written up by one of the top liability lawyers in the US and it is air-tight,” he said.

“Just to clarify, we are a fully certified, fully insured company to world standards. Meaning that the planes that we lease are fully insured. In fact, we will be the only drop zone on this side of the world that sells you insurance.

“The other drop zones, they don’t sell you insurance because only The Bahamas is asking you to buy insurance. The other drop zones don’t ask you to buy insurance, but because of what happened at Blue Lagoon, that’s what the ministry is dealing with.”