A North Texas family is mourning the loss of 12-year-old Dylan Harrison after what was supposed to be a fun scuba diving lesson turned into tragedy.
Dylan was taking part in a Scuba Toys certification class on August 16 at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas — the same course she hoped would let her dive with her dad and grandfather. But something went terribly wrong.
According to reports, Dylan and her classmates had just practiced on a training platform about 16 feet below the surface when a miscommunication led the group back to the surface. Moments later, when they descended again, Dylan was gone.
A separate dive team found her body 42 feet underwater.
The Scuba Ranch released a statement confirming the instructor involved has been permanently suspended and that Scuba Toys is banned from teaching at the lake pending the investigation. The facility emphasized that all instructors are independent but must follow strict scuba safety standards.
“This tragedy has deeply affected the entire dive community,” the statement read. “We will continue to support those impacted as best we can.”
Now Dylan’s heartbroken family is demanding answers. Their attorney says one of the dive computers from the day has gone missing and that key evidence wasn’t collected. The family also questioned why Dylan was paired with another 12-year-old instead of a certified expert diver — especially given the lake’s poor visibility.
The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there’s an open criminal investigation.
Dylan’s story has shaken divers across the country and left many parents rethinking how young is too young for deep-water certification.
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