Error a death off Ulua Beach, Maui, has me wondering about scuba safety

[Scubagermany]

Heart attacks are also the most common cause of death in bowling

There is a common cause of death in bowling?

 

[xmass-Eve]

Thanks for all of this. Some of you mention "agencies" that receive fees or could conceivably shut a dive guide down. What are these agencies? Or are we just talking about law enforcement?

Have you done any dives at Ulua Beach? I hear they're good for beginners--another reason it's odd an experienced diver died there, apparently.

Or you family and are you trying to sue?

 

[boulderjohn]

There is a common cause of death in bowling?

do you find it hard to believe that people have heart attacks while bowling?

 

[Scubagermany]

do you find it hard to believe that people have heart attacks while bowling?

Yes as a matter of fact I do find that hard to believe. It is not a very strenouus activity. You would rather think they would have gotten the heart attack anyway even if they had not been bowling at that time.

But then again in the land of the obese bowling might be too strenuous.....

 

[kinoons]

Yes as a matter of fact I do find that hard to believe. It is not a very strenouus activity. You would rather think they would have gotten the heart attack anyway even if they had not been bowling at that time.

But then again in the land of the obese bowling might be too strenuous.....

I think that was John’s point - death while bowling itself is likely quite rare, however in that rare instance heart attack is likely the most prevalent cause of that rare event.

More generically put, people die from ACS everyday. Sometimes when driving, sometimes when bowling, sometimes when diving. The number of people performing that task/activity at any given moment in time is the biggest variable in how commonly someone dies performing that activity.

 

[Saffadiver]

Has anyone heard anything about the death of Henry Frantz Jr. in March while on a group dive off Ulua Beach, Maui? My understanding is that he complained of exhaustion, then drifted away from his group, and was discovered floating in a cove and could not be revived. I haven't heard which dive shop or charter company took him out that day—does anyone know? And I'm curious as to how this kind of thing can happen with a group. Wouldn't he be required to dive with a buddy, and maybe use a sausage to indicate his whereabouts?
Also: Is there not an agency or regulatory body in the US that makes sure dive guides know what they're doing, and holds them accountable when something goes wrong?

Do yourself a favour and read Under Pressure ( Scuba with the human condition ) as it’s an eye opener on why things like these happen. At the very least it highlight the things you can do to make yourself as safe as possible.

 

[JacobCouvillon]

I'm a journalist, working on a story about this incident, as well as about the loss of his son. As a thoughtful and thorough writer, I always want to understand as much about the situation and the people as I possibly can. I'm not a diver, so I'm asking for advice, input, and thoughts from those who are.

I'm sure your story is already published and I'm necroposting by responding, but one thing you need to take into account is the fact that diving is by itself a high risk activity. I'm a merchant mariner and one of the videos they show us in training is the infamous "delta P" video with the crab getting sucked through the pipe. Almost any dive shop or instructor will tell you right off the jump that you have to go out of your way to be safe.

There isn't a regulatory agency because diving isn't a necessary activity, it's a hobby. That would be like regulating hiking or tennis. If a shop is careless and reckless, no waiver will protect them, insurance will come after them, and they'll lose their certification.

There's a regulatory agency for cars because the potential to kill others is present, and cars are necessary for commerce. There's not a regulatory agency for hiking, there are park Rangers and fish and game, but they're mainly to protect the wild life, not you.

what happened was tragic and a freak accident.

 

[boulderjohn]

do you find it hard to believe that people have heart attacks while bowling?

Yes as a matter of fact I do find that hard to believe. It is not a very strenouus activity. You would rather think they would have gotten the heart attack anyway even if they had not been bowling at that time.

But then again in the land of the obese bowling might be too strenuous.....

You seem to believe that heart attacks only happen during strenuous activity. The primary cause for a heart attack is the condition of the heart.

The most common occasion for a heart attack is sitting around in the morning, about breakfast time. The second most common time that heart attacks happen is during sleep. Sleep is not very strenuous, either.

 

[Doc Harry]

If there's a death, do companies just keep operating? Can they be fined or suspended by ... someone? It just seems so bananas to me that no one is regulating or rating this industry.

YEAH!
Dang auto makers should be put out of business and thrown in jail for all the car crashes!

 

[Cthippo]

Many heart attacks happen first thing in the morning because as we wake up our biological oxygen demand increases before our heart rate does. If the heart is already compromised this can push it into an arrhythmia that kills the patient.

Fact is, everyone dies. In many cases, what they are doing when they die has no bearing on the eventual outcome.