3D diver
Contributor
The Bee seems to be on top of this one.
2 Divers reported dead at Point Lobos, Ca.
- Thread starter Dan Walters
- Start date
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Some accidents I hear about hit me harder than others. This is one of the ones that hits close to home. It is an area I know reasonably well, and feel comfortable diving in. I also consider the entry and exit to be straightforward. There are dives here for just about every level. The tragedy has caused me to take stock and think about my practices - something we periodically need to do. So in this spirit my thoughts on this accident are:
Things that are reasonably well established:
Husband and wife pair, aged 40 and 41
Both found floating face down
The female divers tank was low, but not sucked dry (rescuers were able to add air to BCD from the tank)
No obvious injuries, nor obvious gear problems
Both had some level of OW certification (otherwise they never would have been allowed to dive at the park)
Other information gleaned from the rescue team (divers I know that did the initial recovery):
The victims entered the water about 20 min before the rescue team did. The rescue team swam out, did a 50 min dive, and swam in. At least 30 min after exiting from their dive the rescue team saw the female divers body and initiated rescue.
Victims were using AL 80s
Personal observations from diving in the area under similar swell and wave conditions:
The swim in from my last two dives (near the mouth of the cove to the boat ramp) took 13 and 14 minutes on my dive computer. These were very relaxed swims.
On the last of these dives my buddy and I got separated as we entered the cove mouth underwater. I signaled a change in heading and my buddy took off and apparently turned to the right. At the same time I got tangled in kelp and it took a moment to remove it. By that time my buddy was out of sight. The standard lost buddy procedure was done, and within 3 minutes I was on the surface in easily 5-6 foot swells I had enough time on the surface to inflate my DSMB so my buddy could see me before locating him at the edge of the surf/churn/crashing waves at the mouth of the cove. He then surface swam over to me and we surface swam back to the boat ramp.
As best as I can determine the sea conditions on my dive above were similar to the conditions on the fatal day.
SPECULATION:
· Divers could have surfaced near the rocks in the surf/surge zone.
· They used up their remaining air struggling to get clear.
· They were unable to breath adequately in the roiling water. Many snorkels (but not all) would have been useless in these conditions.
· They lost consciousness, rolled face down and drowned
· Their bodies were pushed into the cove proper where they were discovered and retrieved.
Lessons learned/reinforced:
Things that are reasonably well established:
Husband and wife pair, aged 40 and 41
Both found floating face down
The female divers tank was low, but not sucked dry (rescuers were able to add air to BCD from the tank)
No obvious injuries, nor obvious gear problems
Both had some level of OW certification (otherwise they never would have been allowed to dive at the park)
Other information gleaned from the rescue team (divers I know that did the initial recovery):
The victims entered the water about 20 min before the rescue team did. The rescue team swam out, did a 50 min dive, and swam in. At least 30 min after exiting from their dive the rescue team saw the female divers body and initiated rescue.
Victims were using AL 80s
Personal observations from diving in the area under similar swell and wave conditions:
The swim in from my last two dives (near the mouth of the cove to the boat ramp) took 13 and 14 minutes on my dive computer. These were very relaxed swims.
On the last of these dives my buddy and I got separated as we entered the cove mouth underwater. I signaled a change in heading and my buddy took off and apparently turned to the right. At the same time I got tangled in kelp and it took a moment to remove it. By that time my buddy was out of sight. The standard lost buddy procedure was done, and within 3 minutes I was on the surface in easily 5-6 foot swells I had enough time on the surface to inflate my DSMB so my buddy could see me before locating him at the edge of the surf/churn/crashing waves at the mouth of the cove. He then surface swam over to me and we surface swam back to the boat ramp.
As best as I can determine the sea conditions on my dive above were similar to the conditions on the fatal day.
SPECULATION:
· Divers could have surfaced near the rocks in the surf/surge zone.
· They used up their remaining air struggling to get clear.
· They were unable to breath adequately in the roiling water. Many snorkels (but not all) would have been useless in these conditions.
· They lost consciousness, rolled face down and drowned
· Their bodies were pushed into the cove proper where they were discovered and retrieved.
Lessons learned/reinforced:
- Maintain situational awareness at all times.
- Don't push your gas limits - save some for Mr. Murphy.
- Know your personal limits - while I found the 5-6' swells fun, many other divers would just get stressed.
- Do everything you can to help someone in distress EXCEPT making a second victim.
[vimeo]15879402[/vimeo]
Happier times.
Happier times.
House Gecko
Registered
After looking at flicker photos and the video in the previous post I think it is safe to say that they were experienced divers who were comfortable in local conditions. This is a big mystery and I know we all would like to learn from them. Another thing I noticed from their flicker account is that they seemed to be living their life to the fullest and they passed away doing something they loved. There is a lot of good to say for that. I feel greatly sympathetic for their kids. I bet they were really good parents.
clownfishsydney
Contributor
The woman appears to be quite overweighted and also breathes pretty often (about 3 second intervals), far more than a very experienced diver would. The person taking the video (presumably the husband), seems far more relaxed, he is breathing about once every 5 to 6 seconds. Still, extremely hard to see how both could have got into so much trouble both died. Very sad.
Like a lot of people here, I dive Pt. Lobos often, so I am very interested in learning what could possibly have happened. The blatant speculation bothers me a bit. Even the guy who allegedly pulled the female victim from the water admits being unsure of the details, despite having had direct involvement. The idea that you can determine both diver's respiration rates by watching a few minutes of edited video seems not only inaccurate, but also pointless. Very sad.
debajo agua
Contributor
Hummm, this one might have us scratching our heads for awhile...What could have possibly went wrong, to cause them both to drown? I hope the details become known, and are relayed to the public. I dive with my gf often, and would certainly like to know what happen, so i could possibly avoid something like this happening to us in the future. Very humbling indeed.
Humbling is definitely the right word. I know that site. I have thousands of dives behind me. I'm an instructor and a tech diver, but it only takes a short chain of minor events to lead to tragedy, and no one is immune.
This family was very public with their life, and appeared to be living the American dream. I've watched many of the videos they posted online. From what I can tell, they started diving in 2010, and seemed as competent as the majority of divers I see. That's not to suggest they looked like experts, but most divers don't. But a double fatality?
I think anyone looking for real answers about what causes such things to happen, might be better off avoiding public speculation about how this accident took place (at least until the details are known), and read the accounts of similar accidents that have been investigated by experts. There are certainly common factors like heart attacks and OOA, which may or may not have contributed in this case, but when you examine what is known to have taken place during and after accidents that have been studied, there is a better opportunity to learn accurately how to avoid those situations in the future. At least, that's my view.
In any case, this tragedy really bothers me for a lot of reasons, and I feel just horrible for that family.
This family was very public with their life, and appeared to be living the American dream. I've watched many of the videos they posted online. From what I can tell, they started diving in 2010, and seemed as competent as the majority of divers I see. That's not to suggest they looked like experts, but most divers don't. But a double fatality?
I think anyone looking for real answers about what causes such things to happen, might be better off avoiding public speculation about how this accident took place (at least until the details are known), and read the accounts of similar accidents that have been investigated by experts. There are certainly common factors like heart attacks and OOA, which may or may not have contributed in this case, but when you examine what is known to have taken place during and after accidents that have been studied, there is a better opportunity to learn accurately how to avoid those situations in the future. At least, that's my view.
In any case, this tragedy really bothers me for a lot of reasons, and I feel just horrible for that family.
sethw
Contributor
Having experienced an incident diving with one of my kids (long ago, and pretty minor, but scary and thought-provoking), I guess I can imagine circumstances, during an emergency, in which one person might not willingly leave another even to save themselves. In a scenario like this, diving with your partner, it's pretty hard to imagine returning to the surface, or safety, alone.
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