Carolinas: Broad River: Diver In Critical, Any News?

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chris.evans

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Messages
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Location
North Carolina
# of dives
200 - 499
1 dead after being rescued from Broad River
Burton Fire responds to divers in distress

Burton Fire responds to divers in distress
Published 05/07/2016 08:19 PM EDT
Updated 05/07/2016 08:19 PM EDT

BURTON, S.C. - The Burton Fire District responded to a call of divers in distress in the Broad River early Saturday afternoon.

Burton fire crews arrived and located two divers, who were part of a larger diving group, in distress in the Broad River.

Firefighter/EMTs John Perry and Rafael Nepaulsingh were assisted out to the divers by a civilian boat nearby. The firefighters were able to rescue both divers with one in critical condition. Firefighter/EMTs Perry and Nepaulsingh rendered medical attention until they reached the shore to a waiting Beaufort County EMS unit who transported the ill diver to the hospital.

Burton firefighters remained on scene waiting for the remaining four divers to surface, and assisted Beaufort Marine Rescue in bringing them to shore and provided medical attention. The last diver surfaced 20 minutes after the initial rescue. All remaining divers were treated on scene but all refused transport.

Three Burton fire engines, three Beaufort County EMS ambulances, Beaufort Marine Rescue, SC DNR, and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene.
 
A Tennessee man diving for shark teeth in the Broad River has died, officials say.

Brian Owens, 57, of Johnson City, Tenn., was pronounced dead at Beaufort Memorial Hospital on Saturday afternoon, according to Beaufort County Deputy Coroner David Ott.

The man was part of a party of six divers on the river when firefighters with the Burton Fire District and other first responders arrived on the scene around 1 p.m. Saturday at the Broad River Boat Landing, according to district spokesman Dan Byrne.

Originally it was reported that two divers in the group had become distressed, though according to Beaufort County Deputy Coroner David Ott, only one was in distress.

The man was part of a group diving recreationally and looking for shark’s teeth, Ott said.

All of the divers were experienced, he said.

It is not known at this time what happened to Owens.

He was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina, where an autopsy will be performed on Sunday, Ott said.

:(
 
Tennessee man who drowned in Broad River was experienced diver
The group, which included Jason Owen and the four other divers, launched from Broad River Landing in a 21-foot pontoon boat and began diving about half a mile west of the Broad River Bridge at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the Sheriff’s Office report said. Owen, the dive shop owner, was in the water about 35 minutes before returning to the boat

Brian Owens’ SCUBA equipment and vest were removed when he was pulled from the water and have not been found. A S.C. Law Enforcement Division helicopter searched the water for the equipment Saturday, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Bob Bromage said Monday.

The Sheriff’s Office investigation is still open pending toxicology reports but points to accidental drowning as Owens’ cause of death, Bromage said.

This is the first I have heard of a commercial operation where the captain dives and leaves the boat unattended on the surface, is that common in river diving?

Diving group may have had safety limitations during expedition

It could be that these are incorrect, as the Sea Island Divers page says Owen was the dive master and not the captain, which would make sense in terms of him getting into the water:
Jason Owen will be the manager/operator of Sea Island Divers. Jason is a PADI Master Diver Trainer in good standing. His successes include dive operations in the Beaufort, SC area, as well as managing a PADI five star instructor development center and retail store in Virginia.
Sea Island Divers

I was a bit alarmed that they were unable to get him on the pontoon boat, that's a shame. This entire incident is sad, I love diving for teeth down there, my heart goes out to everyone involved. I hope more info becomes available, he seemed to be an experienced diver and the vis was good; I hope they find his gear.
 
I have a diving buddy who has dove for sharks teeth and some guys wait until their air is gone before surfacing. He says their logic is they are only in 20' of water. CRAZY!
 
I have a diving buddy who has dove for sharks teeth and some guys wait until their air is gone before surfacing. He says their logic is they are only in 20' of water. CRAZY!

20 feet is about the No Limit Depth by current standards, it's supposed to be safe to swim up at any time. And even in gear you should be able to cover it with a single push off the bottom -- I mean, just stand up straight and you're almost 1/3rd of the way there. So, no, not crazy at all.
 
20 feet is about the No Limit Depth by current standards, it's supposed to be safe to swim up at any time. And even in gear you should be able to cover it with a single push off the bottom -- I mean, just stand up straight and you're almost 1/3rd of the way there. So, no, not crazy at all.
I don't want this to come off sounding too harsh dmaziuk, but running out of air - at ANY depth - is absolutely the stupidest thing a diver can do. Let me give you some cold, hard facts to back that up.

DAN did a study of ten years worth of fatalities (this was published in 2010). Of the 947 actual cases studied, the trigger (what started the accident) was identified in 350 cases. Of those 350, 41% of the time the thing that got the accident chain going was the diver running out of air.

Underwater is underwater. You can drown in 2 inches of water, 2 feet of water, 20 feet of water, 200 feet of water. To think otherwise is simply folly and hubris, not to mention dangerous. The ocean (or a river) is a fickle mistress that doesn't care who you are. When you make a mistake, it can/will chew you up and spit you out. If you don't respect that, you go from being a diver to being a victim.

I've ranted about OOA before and I'm sure I'll rant about this again. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What's even worse is that, as an industry and a dive culture, we give lip service to not running out of air ("Don't ever do it") but then tolerate it with a wink and a nudge ("Don't do it again"). Why we don't ban people who can't monitor their air supply from diving is beyond me. It's not tough to do and the consequences of doing it wrong are horrific for everyone involved.

And before anyone wants to excoriate me for taking too tough a stand, if you want to flog me about this, make sure you've pulled at least one OOA diver out of the water and tired to save their life. Because if you haven't, you simply don't know what you're talking about.

- Ken
 
A full or nearly full breath of compressed air at 20 feet held to the surface can greatly exceed the lung's ability to expand. It can result in a fatal embolism.

The No Limit Depth mentioned only applies to decompression sickness.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
 
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A full or nearly full breath of compressed air at 20 feet held to the surface can greatly exceed the lung's ability to expand. It can result in a fatal embolism.

The No Limit Depth mentioned only applies to decompression sickness.

I don't want this to come off sounding too harsh dmaziuk, but running out of air - at ANY depth - is absolutely the stupidest thing a diver can do.

And? Which part of It is not known at this time what happened to Owens reads "OOG" or "AGE" to you?
: plonk:
 
And? Which part of It is not known at this time what happened to Owens reads "OOG" or "AGE" to you?
: plonk:
I think the negative comments were directed not to what did or did not happen in this incident. The negative comments, including mine, were directed to the foolish notion that running out of air in water no more than 20 feet deep is acceptable, and also to the harebrained notion that 20 feet represents a 'no limits' depth in any other connection beyond decompression related time at depth.
 
either way.........sad story and my condolences to the family and friends..
 
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