A Whangarei charter boat skipper and his company have pleaded not guilty to charges related to the death of a diver who was struck by a propeller.
Mark Andrew Barnes, 59, skipper of the charter boat Pacific Hideaway, and The Dive Spot Ltd, both pleaded not guilty to breaching the Health And Safety in Employment Act 1992, when the case was called in the Whangarei District Court today.
The charges relate to the death of Bruce Porter, 56. Porter was diving with the Pacific Hideaway boat when he was struck by the propeller at the Poor Knights while resurfacing on February 7, this year. He died from his injuries later that day.
Mr Porter, an experienced diver, was with the Western Underwater Dive Club from Auckland, which had chartered the 16-metre catamaran Pacific Hideaway for three days. The boat is owned and skippered by Mark and Denise Barnes and based at Tutukaka.
Barnes and the company were remanded to reappear on the charges in the court on November 10.
