Coast Guard helicopter en route to assist unconscious Andrea Doria diver

[Hetland]

Sounds like a pretty serious case. Just pray for the best for the unconscious diver. From reading Wikipedia of it, this wreck is deep. SS Andrea Doria - Wikipedia

"Due to the luxurious appointments and initially good condition of the wreck, with the top of the wreck lying initially in 160 feet (50 m) of water, Andrea Doriahas been a frequent target of treasure divers. It is commonly referred to as the "Mount Everest of scuba diving."[24] The comparison to Mt. Everest originated after a July 1983 dive on the Doria by Capt. Alvin Golden during a CBS News-televised interview of the divers following their return from a dive expedition to the wreck aboard the R/V Wahoo. The depth, water temperature, and currents combine to put the wreck beyond the scope of recreational diving. The skills and equipment required to successfully execute this dive, such as use of mixed gases and staged decompression, put it in the realm of only the most experienced technical divers. The wreck is located near 40°29.408′N 69°51.046′W.[25]"

Currently, it's more like 200-240 feet deep. I'm not discounting the seriousness of the dive, but it isn't anywhere near the "Mount Everest of scuba diving", at least not today.

 

[Hetland]

What does it mean by this? >>>

What has the length of time got anything to do with hoisting a victim or patient up to the heli?

P

Cold water can bump the time out a bit, but the general idea is that anyone without O2 or a heartbeat for 10 minutes, is brain dead, no matter what you do later (again, cold water can bump this out significantly). It can easily take ten minutes or longer to get an unresponsive person onto a boat from the water. If he was not breathing when they brought him up, and it took longer than ten minutes to begin CPR, then there's nothing anyone could do.

That said, CPR changes things a bit too, as you are essentially "breathing", and circulating oxygen-enriched blood artificially. Even so, taking an unresponsive human from a boat to a helicopter, isn't as easy as it sounds, and may not have been worth the risk, or possible to accomplish in under 10 minutes under the circumstances.

 

[Chris H]

The diver did not survive. I don't know any details other than that.

 

[mikeny9]

Early reports from a friend that was on the boat says the victim was male, not from the local area but from the UK.

 

[tbone1004]

any idea if there is an AED on the boat?

 

[mikeny9]

Not sure, but the boat is the Ol' Salty II: Private & Open Boat Charters - Scuba Diving, Sport fishing & Pleasure Cruises, Belmar, NJ

 

[Wookie]

What does it mean by this? >>>

What has the length of time got anything to do with hoisting a victim or patient up to the heli?

P

Good question. It's lore from before my time, but a story of a heart attack on the Fling in the Flower Gardens in 1995 or 6 the crew and passengers performed CPR for 8 hours all the way home. This is in the day before AEDs were in general use. With no doctor on the boat, the crew felt that they couldn't quit compressions or rescue breaths. Think of it, 8 hours. The victim did not survive that particular instance, but the organs were viable to donate.

That's the story, anyway.

And, the Coast Guard will only rescue a victim, they will not transport a body. So it seems like maybe the Coast Guard did a patient assessment from a hover?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

US Coast Guard helos will generally not take people who are undergoing CPR. The risk to the flight crew and rescue swimmer typically outweighs the probability of survival in cases like this.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Akimbo]

The Andrea Doria and the Stockholm collided 61 years ago tonight.

I haven't seen her since 1973 but considered going back dozens of times for fun. Each time I decided not to go without a decompression chamber onboard. We had to use it several times on that project and I have no idea why divers think it is significantly less likely to get bent today. This image shows Jack McKenny exiting after treatment.

RIP all who lost their life on her.

 

[bradmond]

Gosh, I hate to hear this. When I first started diving I read a book about the divers who first explored the wreck in depth (can't remember the name of the book). I don't have the fortitude for this kind of diving, but I so admire those who do - and love to hear about what they discover.

Setting the Hook