Fatality in Rockport, Ontario - 4/Feb/2006

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Warren_L:
I usually put day then month.

Properly internationally accepted date format. Common sense at last on this board!

As for the incident, not something anyone wants to come across BUT do the laws/guidelines differ over there to here?

If you come across a body here you are meant to leave the scene as untouched as possible, mark the location with a smb/reel or whatever you have and leave the rest for the police divers to recover/record.

If you do bring someone to the surface we're told not to touch a thing on the kit, no turning tanks off, undoing clips or connectors etc and leave it in as near to original condition as possible to help a coroners investigation.
 
Sad story for the diver and his loved ones, unfortunate that you had to find him, yet still - certainly much better than perhaps his body moving in a current not to be found for days. Had his buddy already called for emergency assistance before you got the buddy up? I fear that he will feel his quick ascent left the soon to be deceased without needed buddy backup.

String:
If you come across a body here you are meant to leave the scene as untouched as possible, mark the location with a smb/reel or whatever you have and leave the rest for the police divers to recover/record.

If you do bring someone to the surface we're told not to touch a thing on the kit, no turning tanks off, undoing clips or connectors etc and leave it in as near to original condition as possible to help a coroners investigation.
Yeah, I'd want to bring the body to shore, rather than risk losing it, but then not all of us carry reels. I already carry so much.

I would think to leave the gear, body, tank and all alone, tho. I'd be tempted to turn the valve to see how many turns it'd take, but try not to let myself. Yet, in a stressful time like Warren_L incurred there, you do your best - and he did good. :thumb:
 
In the ocean at least, I would always bring the body up. The fish and crabs could make an awful mess very quickly.

What a sad story, I bet the diver who observed the guys with what he thought was inadequate gear, now wishes he would have at least talked to the guy prior to the dive.
 
String:
If you come across a body here you are meant to leave the scene as untouched as possible, mark the location with a smb/reel or whatever you have and leave the rest for the police divers to recover/record.

What if you leave the body and then it turns out you could have possibly saved the person by bringing him/her up? Are you supposed to diagonose the person's condition at depth despite no medical background?
 
*Floater*:
What if you leave the body and then it turns out you could have possibly saved the person by bringing him/her up? Are you supposed to diagonose the person's condition at depth despite no medical background?

Agreed...this guy had probably perished in a matter of minutes prior to finding him. It is possible he could have been revived, ya never know. I'd certainly try anyway. I didn't understand the whole saftey stop yada yada while the guy most likely died minutes before and perhaps could have been brought back.....

just a thought
 
Divmstr223:
Agreed...this guy had probably perished in a matter of minutes prior to finding him. It is possible he could have been revived, ya never know. I'd certainly try anyway. I didn't understand the whole saftey stop yada yada while the guy most likely died minutes before and perhaps could have been brought back.....

just a thought
Yeah, I think you'd wanta' try. I believe the report says they were down for 35 minutes, and this link to info on the wreck says she sits at 88 ft. The report did not say if the divers were on air or Nitrox, but I take it that they did not have much of a deco obligation.

You don't want to hurt yourself trying to save another, but then - I'd be tempted to come on up and try.
 
Keep in mind that water temperatures around here are around 3C so attempting to revive may be possible.
 
Warren_L:
Keep in mind that water temperatures around here are around 3C so attempting to revive may be possible.

Yes very true, a drowning in cold water is all the more reason to attempt a resuscitation. Cold water temperatures and hypothermia protect the brain against hypoxic damage and until the body has been rewarmed to a core temperature of at least 32 C one should not assume the person has expired. CPR should be started and continued until the core temperature is confirmed with a low reading rectal thermometer and in fact there is no pulse. This can only be done in the hospital setting or in some areas the medics carry the low reading thermometers out in the field.

Remember Dr. Paul Thomas who spent 15 long minutes on the bottom of a fresh water quarry unconscious in cold water before being brought to the surface and having CPR started. He was then taken to the hospital where he eventually recovered to return here and post his incredible story months later.

His advice in red here still applies to all cold water drownings.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=237693&postcount=2
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=21526

Cold water drownings require a very different approach than warm water drownings.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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