Suit filed in case of "Girl dead, boy injured at Glacier National Park

[CuzzA]

You and I trained on rashguard and board shorts.

Imagine my first time in a drysuit, no training, laying on the bottom in 95 feet with my 'nards completely crushed by a drysuit squeeze unable to reach the inflator to add some air (and buoyancy, and 'nard relief). I didn't panic, and someone came along and blew about half their air laughing at my fat ass laying on the bottom unable to move before they added gas.

Drysuit squeeze is a real thing.

Indeed. Like I said, I don't fault Bob. But that is technically what he should have done and learning is what this sub-forum is all about.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

We were all trained in open water to ditch our rig if need be and go to the surface.

What agency teaches that scenario?

 

[ginti]

Though I have no expectation of him to do that given he was unlikely to be trained to rescue a fellow student. Between his BC and drysuit he should have been able to lift her and her drysuit ballast. Especially if he ditched his ballast. Again though, that's asking a lot from a likely frantic student.

The rescuer was a student, and it was an AOW class, do I get it right?

If yes, the rescuer had not enough experience, nor training, to do any kind of rescue, even a basic one. Still, he went deep, alone, to rescue a person in need despite having no clue of what to do. Furthermore, he likely knew there was a risk involved in the action, even if he was not able to evaluate it.

I believe that any diver in those conditions wouldn't have a realistic possibility to do a better job than he did.

 

[Manatee Diver]

The rescuer was a student, and it was an AOW class, do I get it right?

If yes, the rescuer had not enough experience, nor training, to do any kind of rescue, even a basic one. Still, he went deep, alone, to rescue a person in need despite having no clue of what to do. Furthermore, he likely knew there was a risk involved in the action, even if he was not able to evaluate it.

I believe that any diver in those conditions wouldn't have a realistic possibility to do a better job than he did.

Bob's a good man, people should be like Bob.

 

[Bob DBF]

Indeed. Like I said, I don't fault Bob. But that is technically what he should have done and learning is what this sub-forum is all about.

What is technically possible, and necessary, in this accident, to save the diver, is not something even close to safe, and could have easily ended in a double fatality. A very experienced diver should be able to pull it off, but it would not be less dangerous.

My hat is off to Bob, because he saw what was happening and attempted a rescue, much more than the instructor, who was responsible for the students, did.

We were all trained in open water to ditch our rig if need be and go to the surface. Better bent on the surface than dead on the bottom.

What agency teaches that scenario?

Probably no one now, unless they are old or smart. It came from before the use of BCs in scuba diving. It's like dropping a weight belt at depth, only further down the list of emergency procedures.

 

[boulderjohn]

Another cave instructor who lost a student he had recently certified, left the cave and took his markers and guideline with him. She drowned and his teaching status was terminated. I was told he got another c-card elsewhere. Every nation has an equivalent standard. Not everyone uses US training agencies.

Let's be specific. What agency took away his certification, and what agency got him a C-card?

The reason I ask is I am pretty sure I know the case you are talking about. There was a lot of outrage about it, because there was a strong sense that he did it intentionally--the student was a girlfriend who had just broken up with him. It happened in Grand Cenote, just outside of Tulum. The outrage that was generated was because his teaching status was NOT terminated by IANTD--he just went on teaching for that agency. (I write cave diving accident reports for the National Speleological Society.)

 

[Marie13]

Let's be specific. What agency took away his certification, and what agency got him a C-card?

The reason I ask is I am pretty sure I know the case you are talking about. There was a lot of outrage about it, because there was a strong sense that he did it intentionally--the student was a girlfriend who had just broken up with him. It happened in Grand Cenote, just outside of Tulum. The outrage that was generated was because his teaching status was NOT terminated by IANTD--he just went on teaching for that agency. (I write cave diving accident reports for the National Speleological Society.)

Holy crap.

 

[tarponchik]

Bob's a good man, people should be like Bob.

I am not accusing him of anything. Obviously, he tried his best, and, considering he was a beginner, maybe even more than one would expect. Just thinking...

 

[Ayisha]

Indeed. Like I said, I don't fault Bob. But that is technically what he should have done and learning is what this sub-forum is all about.

Student Bob should have added gas?

That particular drysuit was incompatible with the inflator. The drysuit could not have been inflated.

Linnea's full BCD could not lift her off the bottom, even with Bob's help.

If her inflator could have been connected and her drysuit could have been inflated, it could have been as simple as just adding enough gas to relieve the squeeze - before the incident ever even happened. This is not the same as having a fully functioning drysuit and just adding gas.

The instructor allowed her to do the dive without a compatible and plugged in drysuit, and without any training, let alone in confined water. Linnea was grossly overweighted with 44 lbs, far exceeding the lift capacity of her BCD. Said instructor was also unaware at all points during the incident. I personally don't think any of the students are at fault here.

 

[boulderjohn]

Removing her BCD and sharing gas would have been the next step when he was unable to find her ballast. Though I have no expectation of him to do that given he was unlikely to be trained to rescue a fellow student. Between his BC and drysuit he should have been able to lift her and her drysuit ballast. Especially if he ditched his ballast. Again though, that's asking a lot from a likely frantic student.

It's asking a lot of anyone.

I know of a case in which a group of highly experienced divers did a search for a missing diver. The one who found the body tried to bring it to the surface (which was close at hand). For some reason the diver's gear (including a drysuit) had lost all gas, and he was unable to lift the body. He could have done all sorts of things to get that body up, as was done later by others, but this highly experienced diver was so thoroughly flustered that he could not think what to do. It is not a scenario we train for.