“We Can Kill Two People a Year”: Unearthed Video Sparks Outrage Over ScubaToys’ Safety Culture

A resurfaced video has sent shockwaves through the diving community, raising troubling questions about the culture of safety within ScubaToys, the Texas dive shop at the centre of an ongoing investigation into the death of 12-year-old Dylan Harrison.

The 2017 recording, obtained by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, appears to show ScubaToys owner Joe Johnson speaking informally during a discussion about training operations. In the video, Johnson is heard saying:

“All I know is we’ve killed, what, four people? Five people? And we’ve never even done a deposition. Our insurance company just settles. John Witherspoon says we can kill two people a year, we are fine.”

The remark, originally recorded by one of the instructors present, was later shared with John Banks, a former regional director of NAUI, who confirmed that the footage was passed to the agency for review. According to FOX 4’s report, NAUI decided that the video was “not actionable” at the time.

Although the clip itself has not been publicly released, its contents have been confirmed by multiple individuals who viewed it. For many divers, the phrase “we can kill two people a year” has become symbolic of a deeper concern within the industry, one where serious incidents are seen as unfortunate but acceptable outcomes rather than catalysts for change.

The timing of the video’s re-emergence could not be more significant. It comes just months after the death of Dylan Harrison, who lost her life during a scuba certification session at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas. As reported previously in The Scuba News in Family Seeks Answers After 12-Year-Old’s Death During Texas Scuba Class and Instructor Suspended After Tragic Death of 12-Year-Old at The Scuba Ranch, Dylan became separated from her group during a training dive and was later recovered more than forty feet underwater.

Following the tragedy, instructor William Armstrong was permanently suspended, and ScubaToys was prohibited from conducting further training at The Scuba Ranch pending investigation. The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, supported by Texas Rangers, continues to examine the case. Expert witnesses have raised concerns about supervision, class ratios, and the decision to pair two young trainees together instead of assigning them professional dive buddies.

The family’s legal team has also questioned the handling of critical evidence. Dive computer data from the professionals involved has not been fully analysed, and at least one of the computers is reportedly missing. Without that data, reconstructing the exact sequence of events may prove difficult, leaving lingering doubts about accountability.

The emergence of the 2017 video adds a new dimension to the case. It paints a picture of a training environment where risk and liability were discussed with a casualness that many find alarming. If the statement was intended as a joke, it has not aged well, particularly now that a young diver has died during a ScubaToys-associated class.

Whether the 2017 video ultimately becomes part of the legal process remains to be seen, but it has already become a defining moment for the diving community. It challenges instructors, agencies, and shop owners to ask whether a culture of complacency has been allowed to take root.

As the investigation continues, one uncomfortable truth remains: the difference between an accident and negligence often lies not in what happens underwater, but in the attitudes that prevail above it.

The Scuba News will continue to follow this story as new evidence emerges and as authorities review the circumstances surrounding Dylan Harrison’s death.