Shiprekd
Guest
Aquarium Diver: A thump, a cough, and progressive care.
Cough, cough, cough as I unbuckle my BC. Ship, you okay? That was vicious!!
Mark quipped. Still feeling flushed, I garbled yea, Im kewl, give me a couple minutes to recoup. As I stumble to my feet, I swing my head around to look back at the tank from which I just exited. I say out loud Man that was intense
It was morning time, before the doors were open to the public. We were in the tank doing our morning rituals and I had cruised off alone to check on the kingfish. They were grouping up along a corner of the tank and it was my job to go make sure they werent sick or something was awry. In order for me to get a better view, I corralled them even further into a portion of the tank where that is particularly tight. That way, I could get a head count and look for any visible parasites.
After so much time spent in a tank with that many animals, including almost two dozen sharks, you tend to get comfortable and even sometimes forget theyre there; just waiting for an opportunity. Well, I was hovering about 2ft above the substrate in a vertical position, with my knees bent like I would be kneeling on a floor. This position is obviously not natural as a diver, but it effectively shortens my body length and makes me more compact to the eye of the fish. The drawback to this position, it puts me in a very precarious situation in that it severely hinders movement.
Out of nowhere, I hear a rapid tink, tink, tink sound. I swing my head around and in that spilt second, TTTHhhumpp!!! And then Im rolled backwards in such a sudden jolt that my regulator jars loose. I pulled in tight and grabbed my regulator. I was inhaling at the time of the hit and was hard enough that I sucked in water. So there I am, Im scrambling to clear my throat, situate the regulator so I can cough without taking on more water, and trying to figure out just what the hell happened! And was it over?. Since Im safety diver, Im the last out of the water. I made my way back over to the others and gestured for all to get out of the tank. I sat kneeling on the bottom still coughing and wondering which one of the Sand Tigers took a run at me.
Topside, Mark, one of my team, starts telling me in an excited tone that the 9ft female was in a pattern when she broke right and cruised in on me. She apparently was ready to skim me when he saw her and tried to signal me with his tank banger. When I swung my head around, I spooked her and she plowed full force into me. He thought she was attacking me because her pectorals dropped immediately and rolled on her side almost completely obscuring his vision (optically) of me. He saw my regulator free flow and figured she took a nibble; fortunately that wasnt the case. We talked for a few minutes, I gathered my wits and went about the daily routines.
At about 4pm that afternoon, and after several more uneventful dives, I started feeling tight in my chest. My ribs were getting sore enough for it to be too painful to put on the wetsuit. I told my team that I was calling it a day and was heading home. With an hour and a half drive ahead of me, I was welcoming the thought of a warm shower and crawling in to bed. I gathered up my equipment, and headed home.
I was about 15 minutes from home when I started getting short of breath. I used my cell phone to call home saying I wasnt feeling too well and would be home in a few minutes. As I got out of the car and walked around to the walkway, my breathing became even shorter and quicker to the point of literally gasping for air. I hit the pavement on my knees and thats when my wife and mom decided to take me to the hospital. My wife grabbed my gear, put it in the car and called ahead to the ER. When we arrived, they were on me like killer bees, Oxygen mask, stretcher, the works. I overhear one of the interns say Shark attack?? Here? In Amish country??. Instantly I tried to pull off the mask and try to explain what happened, but another intern yells at me stating I might have the bends. At 15ft, for 20 minutes, and my experience, this wasnt the bends, not even close. I even ruled out air embolism but wasnt ruling out a possible broken rib taking a point at my lungs. When a 600lb Sand Tiger hits you at point blank range, something has to give.
I was moved immediately into a room with oxygen and lay in wait until someone figured out what was going on. They were treating me for the bends because one of the interns was an OW diver (one of the vacation types) and suggested it. I repeatedly tried to convince them that it WASNT the problem and to call DAN. But, you cant tell them anything, theyre ER people. My wife called DAN on her cell and told them the story. They in turn emphatically told her to put the one in charge of the ER on the phone. After several minutes, the diagnosis changed; secondary drowning. Now thats more like it! Basically, secondary drowning is where water, regardless of its salt content, will damage the inside surface of the lung, collapse the alveoli and cause a hardening of the lungs with a reduced ability to exchange air. This may cause death even hours after an incident (inhalation). Boom!!! Im immediately moved to progressive care unit.
After being moved to my room, Im presented with a sharks tooth, it was found stuck up under the side flap of one of the BCD pockets. I never noticed it there because I never open my right pocket. The BCD acted as an airbag of sorts and took some of the hit; saving me the actual contact. In a cup at the edge of my bed, it now becomes the center of attention for every doctor and nurse in the ward. Through the use of nose hose, Im recounting the days event with darn near every one of them. I spent 24 hours in the hospital, a battery of tests to make sure I wasnt going to relapse and off I went home.
I was back in diving the tank that very next week. There was no way I was going to kept out of the water; both for my own sake, and my teams. Whos fault was it? Mine Diver error all the way. Had I not put all of my attention to the kingfish, I would have noticed her making her way in on me. Had I kept still and not made that quick head turn, I wouldnt have spooked her.
There is some advice in all this, and take it as you will. Dont discount something may go wrong even if you think you have a situation under control. If you take in water, and feel it, tell someone. End the dive, and dont get back in. Being the tough guy that I am, I blew it off and could have wound up in more trouble than I had. While this happened almost 8 yrs ago, Its still burned in my mind at what could have happened.
Were taught all about the bends and air embolisms, but theres many more things that can happen to you if youre not careful and diligent. Secondary drowning is a very real threat to divers. Inhalation even in the smallest amounts, especially if its salt water, can lead to severe health problems. Keep that regulator tight and serviced, keep your attention to everything around you. Above all, make no sudden movements around a curious 600lb shark....
Ship
P.S. - for those of you whom are curious, that BCD is now retired and in safe keeping for it's unwavering bravery.. lol
Cough, cough, cough as I unbuckle my BC. Ship, you okay? That was vicious!!
Mark quipped. Still feeling flushed, I garbled yea, Im kewl, give me a couple minutes to recoup. As I stumble to my feet, I swing my head around to look back at the tank from which I just exited. I say out loud Man that was intense
It was morning time, before the doors were open to the public. We were in the tank doing our morning rituals and I had cruised off alone to check on the kingfish. They were grouping up along a corner of the tank and it was my job to go make sure they werent sick or something was awry. In order for me to get a better view, I corralled them even further into a portion of the tank where that is particularly tight. That way, I could get a head count and look for any visible parasites.
After so much time spent in a tank with that many animals, including almost two dozen sharks, you tend to get comfortable and even sometimes forget theyre there; just waiting for an opportunity. Well, I was hovering about 2ft above the substrate in a vertical position, with my knees bent like I would be kneeling on a floor. This position is obviously not natural as a diver, but it effectively shortens my body length and makes me more compact to the eye of the fish. The drawback to this position, it puts me in a very precarious situation in that it severely hinders movement.
Out of nowhere, I hear a rapid tink, tink, tink sound. I swing my head around and in that spilt second, TTTHhhumpp!!! And then Im rolled backwards in such a sudden jolt that my regulator jars loose. I pulled in tight and grabbed my regulator. I was inhaling at the time of the hit and was hard enough that I sucked in water. So there I am, Im scrambling to clear my throat, situate the regulator so I can cough without taking on more water, and trying to figure out just what the hell happened! And was it over?. Since Im safety diver, Im the last out of the water. I made my way back over to the others and gestured for all to get out of the tank. I sat kneeling on the bottom still coughing and wondering which one of the Sand Tigers took a run at me.
Topside, Mark, one of my team, starts telling me in an excited tone that the 9ft female was in a pattern when she broke right and cruised in on me. She apparently was ready to skim me when he saw her and tried to signal me with his tank banger. When I swung my head around, I spooked her and she plowed full force into me. He thought she was attacking me because her pectorals dropped immediately and rolled on her side almost completely obscuring his vision (optically) of me. He saw my regulator free flow and figured she took a nibble; fortunately that wasnt the case. We talked for a few minutes, I gathered my wits and went about the daily routines.
At about 4pm that afternoon, and after several more uneventful dives, I started feeling tight in my chest. My ribs were getting sore enough for it to be too painful to put on the wetsuit. I told my team that I was calling it a day and was heading home. With an hour and a half drive ahead of me, I was welcoming the thought of a warm shower and crawling in to bed. I gathered up my equipment, and headed home.
I was about 15 minutes from home when I started getting short of breath. I used my cell phone to call home saying I wasnt feeling too well and would be home in a few minutes. As I got out of the car and walked around to the walkway, my breathing became even shorter and quicker to the point of literally gasping for air. I hit the pavement on my knees and thats when my wife and mom decided to take me to the hospital. My wife grabbed my gear, put it in the car and called ahead to the ER. When we arrived, they were on me like killer bees, Oxygen mask, stretcher, the works. I overhear one of the interns say Shark attack?? Here? In Amish country??. Instantly I tried to pull off the mask and try to explain what happened, but another intern yells at me stating I might have the bends. At 15ft, for 20 minutes, and my experience, this wasnt the bends, not even close. I even ruled out air embolism but wasnt ruling out a possible broken rib taking a point at my lungs. When a 600lb Sand Tiger hits you at point blank range, something has to give.
I was moved immediately into a room with oxygen and lay in wait until someone figured out what was going on. They were treating me for the bends because one of the interns was an OW diver (one of the vacation types) and suggested it. I repeatedly tried to convince them that it WASNT the problem and to call DAN. But, you cant tell them anything, theyre ER people. My wife called DAN on her cell and told them the story. They in turn emphatically told her to put the one in charge of the ER on the phone. After several minutes, the diagnosis changed; secondary drowning. Now thats more like it! Basically, secondary drowning is where water, regardless of its salt content, will damage the inside surface of the lung, collapse the alveoli and cause a hardening of the lungs with a reduced ability to exchange air. This may cause death even hours after an incident (inhalation). Boom!!! Im immediately moved to progressive care unit.
After being moved to my room, Im presented with a sharks tooth, it was found stuck up under the side flap of one of the BCD pockets. I never noticed it there because I never open my right pocket. The BCD acted as an airbag of sorts and took some of the hit; saving me the actual contact. In a cup at the edge of my bed, it now becomes the center of attention for every doctor and nurse in the ward. Through the use of nose hose, Im recounting the days event with darn near every one of them. I spent 24 hours in the hospital, a battery of tests to make sure I wasnt going to relapse and off I went home.
I was back in diving the tank that very next week. There was no way I was going to kept out of the water; both for my own sake, and my teams. Whos fault was it? Mine Diver error all the way. Had I not put all of my attention to the kingfish, I would have noticed her making her way in on me. Had I kept still and not made that quick head turn, I wouldnt have spooked her.
There is some advice in all this, and take it as you will. Dont discount something may go wrong even if you think you have a situation under control. If you take in water, and feel it, tell someone. End the dive, and dont get back in. Being the tough guy that I am, I blew it off and could have wound up in more trouble than I had. While this happened almost 8 yrs ago, Its still burned in my mind at what could have happened.
Were taught all about the bends and air embolisms, but theres many more things that can happen to you if youre not careful and diligent. Secondary drowning is a very real threat to divers. Inhalation even in the smallest amounts, especially if its salt water, can lead to severe health problems. Keep that regulator tight and serviced, keep your attention to everything around you. Above all, make no sudden movements around a curious 600lb shark....
Ship
P.S. - for those of you whom are curious, that BCD is now retired and in safe keeping for it's unwavering bravery.. lol
