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Hi Guys. Gotta get something of my chest. On the news tonight, two divers who were thankfully rescued after losing contact with their dive boat in far north Qld are now seeking big dollars for interviews and their story.

Much time and risk was put into the rescue by Government and publicly funded rescue choppers etc. The end result was great and no serious health issues after spending many hours in the open sea.

Media agents are all now scrambling for the story and the couple are expected to make a lot of money.

I think this is bloody disgraceful and wish there was something that could be done to prevent it. We've had that stupid Corey Delaney business and now everyone who has a story to tell from a rescue cashes in at the expense of our Rescue guys and recources. Is this right? They even mentioned the possibility of a movie and the Chopper still hasn't had the salt spray wiped off it.

What do others think??

I think they should have left them out there to .... If they are going to sell there story, or atleast give the money to the rescue chopper people! The government should charge them, there should be a stupid tax!!!

Granted they have obviously had a pretty harrowing experience, they should still have the common decency to at least donate some money back to the local councils who would have flipped the bill.

Jeeeeeeeesus....typical. Rescue personell make less money than a store manager, Ambos, Fire and Police get the raw end as well..lets pay some inept tourists big money to sell air time..yay for everything! Oh, but don't forget to donate to the local schools, lifesavers, hospitals, meals on wheels, community charity groups and everyone else who makes a real difference in our lives.

Hang on! are'nt they experienced divers? sounds like a publicity stunt to me..

How about the dive company that they chartered, foot the bill as they did not notify the authorities that two divers were missing until three hours later. A basic head count before returning home. Yea I do agree, if they sell their stories proceeds should go to the rescuing bodies.

The only reason they can afford to pay such money for the story is because of the insatiable appetite of the general public for these kind of stories. It's not something that's forced us, they're just supplying a product for an existing demand. So you can't really question their motives, wouldn't you sell a story about a holiday gone wrong for a million bucks? Most people would, and those who say no do it from the moral high ground which involves not having the money been waved in their faces. What you have to ask is why society places such a high value on this sort of rubbish. The answer is we want to hear about unfortunate shit that happens to other people.

I do agree though, it would be a great gesture of good will to pay for the rescue. However its not something you can enforce by law, thats just ridiculous. You can't pick on people who just make money from it, you'd have to charge anyone who gets rescued. Imagine radioing down to a boat tipped over asking them if they've got the 100grand to pay for the chopper. Then at the end of the day isn't this the kind of service we pay taxes for?

How about the young girl looking after 4 or 5 siblings because they're parents are dead. They made a fund for her on some rubbish affairs show to buy her a house. So should she have to pay back the Centrelink money that she gets? She's making money out of her story while receiving a service from the government for her situation.

At the end of the day its a free country, and if you can make a buck GO FOR IT. No one will make it for you.

it appears now that they are offering to pay for SOME of the costs.........

Well that's good....and VENOM...I agree with you...totally...I think we just need some balance and yes, and act of goodwill would see some of the cash go to the rescue bodies...that would be a great gesture...

Venom, forgive me for my earlier post on this topic..having spent some time with volunteer organisations and attending searches and assissting at more than one accident scene has turned me somewhat bitter about these incidents. Yes it' true we do crave for gory details to feed our imaginations, it is completely different when you deal with the cold face of it.
If they can improve themselves as a result of what has happened then by all means do it - I am not a moral cornerstone of society nor will i ever be close to ever being justified by my opinions because that's all they are- opinions.

The hidden, unseen costs of human pain/suffering/anguish are'nt always soothed with money, society seems to be able to quantify it that way sometimes.