Yukon Mishap 9/11/2010

[Jax]

Does anyone know if the diver was on Nitrox?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Does anyone know if the diver was on Nitrox?

I have no idea what gas mix(es) the victim was using.

I'm not sure how relevant this questions is since there is evidence to suggest that oxygen, too, has narcotic properties. If he were diving a helium-containing mix, then that could mitigate risk of narcosis.
Diving nitrox would, however, have enabled the diver to increase his bottom time.

FWIW, the Yukon is an ideal site for the most commonly used 32% nitrox mix. The sandy bottom in which the wreck lies is right around 105 fsw (depending on tide). Furthermore, divers can arrange to get a 32% mix with the Waterhorse boat.

 

[jridg]

Max depth on Yukon is 105' - 110 if you dig a hole.

 

[Jax]

Okay, this will probably start another flamer . . . . . . would someone familiar with the dive site like to give a description of it?

EDIT: I mean, besides this: http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/Yukon.htm. I would like to learn about currents and vis, optimally.

 

[Garth]

At a loss for words as my words were lost, ... (mod)

Was the diver on open or closed circuit?

Jax I think you have a point that until we get info about gear and gas analysis we can't rule out ox tox as a culprit.

 

[Garth]

The guy was 39, so statistically it wouldn't suggest health related, but still possible.

 

[jridg]

Jax,

The Yukon is in 100+/- ft of water - it is approx 360' long and is lying on it's port side. The wreck is very 'diverized' meaning it is a great wreck for training wreck familiarization and penetration training.

The wreck begins at around 60-65' and there can be quite a surge depending on the day. At times there can be a little current as well. Visibility can vary from 10' on a bad day to over 60' on the rare awesome day.

Bottom is sand.

That's really about it - it's really a great place for divers of most experience levels beyond basic - The water temps vary from the uppper 50s around now - to the low 50's or upper 40s in the cold times.

Hope that helps.

 

[Jax]

The latest reports have him at 48 years old - once again - the details are not complete. Lots of confusion.

Diver Dies: Diver found dead near Mission Beach - KSWB

Diver found dead in Mission Beach identified
FOX 5 San Diego Staff
4:48 PM PDT, September 12, 2010

SAN DIEGO - A scuba diver found dead near a sunken naval vessel off Mission Beach was a 48-year-old City Heights man, the medical examiner reported Sunday.

Robert Michael Clampitt didn't return from a dive to the Yukon -- a former Canadian naval vessel sunk off Mission Beach to create what is now a popular diving reef -- and was reported missing around 3:20 p.m. Saturday.

His body was later found by San Diego lifeguard divers on the ocean floor, about 100 feet below the surface, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office, Clampitt was pronounced dead despite efforts to save his life by the lifeguards and paramedics.

 

[Peter McGuinness]

Okay, this will probably start another flamer . . . . . . would someone familiar with the dive site like to give a description of it?

EDIT: I mean, besides this: Yukon. I would like to learn about currents and vis, optimally.

(Let's hope this goes in the right place)

The Yukon is lying in about 95ft of water off Mission Beach/Pacific Beach area of San Diego (the official descriptions always seem to say 2 miles out but I don't think that is correct; maybe 2 miles from the mission bay channel is what they mean).

It's a flat, sandy bottom with no kelp; the ship is lying on its port side, aligned very roughly NNW/SSE, which means that the dominant water movement is across the ship - the actual angle varies day to day. This means that on anything but the calmest of days, there is significant surge across the deck and in and out of the access holes. It is very easy to approach a hatchway or one of the cutouts not feeling any water movement and suddenly get slammed against a hard object when the surge catches you. It can also make exiting the ship challenging; this is not a penetration wreck for newbies (actually I went inside a couple of times but never bother any more because all the good photo ops are on the outside anyway)

Vis can vary from pretty bad to awful, although there have been reports of very good vis this weekend. Very good means better than 20ft. There is often a surface layer of algae or other crud which cuts vis down dramatically in the top twenty ft or so but this often opens out beneath the thermocline so that there is decent vis but it can be very dark.

Water temps recently have been cold; both my dives yesterday (shore dives) were below 55F at depth. Let's just say it is normal at the yukon to be diving in sub 60 degree water. Surface conditions can be challenging even if they are perfectly safe for diving. Lots of people never make it below the surface because they feel stressed by the cold and the wind chop/swell; they tense up, cant get down and/or drop weights because they can't deal with the combination of unpleasant factors which can exist. Also, the commercial boats always impress on their customers that this is a serious dive and I think that adds a level of anxiety which some people can't deal with (or they deal with it by getting out, which is probably the best course of action).

There can be current but I have never felt anything like you get on the Speigel Grove, for instance.

The number of mooring buoys varies because they get blown out over the winter but there are usually at least three: bow, stern and wheelhouse and then often there is one on the radio tower, which is a bit aft of amidships. The dive is popular in summer which means that the commercial boats (which can't afford to wait for an open spot) sometimes drop anchor nearby and let their divers swim to a descent line.

The dive itself is very nice once you get down there; the deck side and the more sheltered parts of the hull side are covered in metridiums and corynactus now, while the exposed upper part of the hull side has more kelp on it. This is mainly sea palm (short strands which some people call bull kelp) and other low growing stuff. There is no giant kelp. You can get down right under the hull where the water scoops out the sand, which is great at the stern since the steering gear and prop are very impressive. There are holes cut in the hull to allow easier/safer access but as mentioned, these should be treated with care. There are lots of areas where you can get the feel of penetration while not being fully enclosed which are good for open water divers to mess around in.

There has always been a bit of graffitti, but there is less and less bare steel to scratch names on now so most of the messages have been covered up.

The forward guns have been replaced with what looks like a couple of steel lamp posts, which is a bit lame if you are expecting real guns but it gives the right feel to it. At the wheel house area, there are a couple of memorials; one for Milt Beard, who was a leading figure in sinking the Yukon. That area is also called Milt's Tilt to pull his leg over the fact the ship went down on its side instead of upright. The other is a plaque for Steve Donathan, who died while penetrating the engine room. Milt's memorial is a plaster death mask, which I find rather spooky (actually, since I haven't been there since early this year, someone could chime in to tell me if it is actually still there - it looked like it might not be very robust).

Fish life is mainly greenlings, blacksmith, juvie and small numbers of adult rockfish with the occasional lingcod and cabezon. You do get shoals of baitfish now and again. It is mainly kelp forest/reef type fish as it's not far enough out to get the pelagics on a regular basis. There are often a lot of nudis, sheep crab, keyhole limpets and sea hares, and there are mantis shrimp in the sand. These are the type which can break your finger.

It's a very good dive under the right conditions, although I have to say I always go for a kelp and reef dive given the choice.

Peter

 

[DiveNav]

..... . . . would someone familiar with the dive site like to give a description of it?.....

even better than a description .... we have created a 3D virtual dive site for the HMCS Yukon ... so, if You have a PC you can dive her yourself from your home.