Dylan Harrison, 12, of Rockwall, Texas, Dies During Scuba Certification at Scuba Ranch

Rockwall, Texas – The family of 12-year-old Dylan Harrison is seeking answers following her death during a scuba certification session at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell this summer. The course was reportedly organized by Scuba Toys, a dive training company that uses the lake for instructional sessions.

According to reports, the incident occurred on August 16, when Dylan became separated from her training group during an open-water dive. The session was meant to be her final test before earning certification, allowing her to dive recreationally with her father and grandfather.

Officials state that the group, led by instructor William Armstrong and an assisting dive master, included eight students — within the limits allowed by scuba training standards. Visibility conditions were said to be poor, with divers able to see only about an arm’s length ahead.

Dylan Harrison, 12, of Rockwall, Texas, Dies During Scuba Certification at Scuba Ranch — Family Questions Safety and Investigation Handling
After surfacing briefly and descending again, the group realized Dylan was missing. Her body was later found about 42 feet underwater, deeper than the training platform’s depth of 16 feet.

The incident has prompted scrutiny over diver supervision, communication, and evidence management. David Concannon, attorney for the Harrison family, raised concerns that key dive computer data — which records each diver’s depth and timing — has yet to be analyzed.

“It’s unusual that so many experienced individuals were present and certain steps weren’t taken,” Concannon told DiveMagazine.

Ross Neil, a scuba instructor trainer from Florida, told Fox4 News that pairing two 12-year-olds in low-visibility conditions may have created unnecessary risk, calling the tragedy “preventable.”

Reports also indicate a possible delay of several minutes before Dylan was recovered from the water. Experts say response time is critical in dive emergencies, with seven minutes often considered the upper limit for successful resuscitation.

Both The Scuba Ranch and Scuba Toys declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Harrison family continues to push for accountability and full analysis of dive data to determine what went wrong that day.