Accident at Alki Cove 1 today -- PLEASE read the links [Links are fixed]

[MXGratefulDiver]

Given that they turned the dive at 1500 psi and were heading in when the incident happened, I tend to think that gas was not the issue.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[danclem]

Hi Bob:

Thanks for the post: tough to get media information. Hope all involved in the rescue are doing OK.

Dan

 

[Vertigoh]

Both the rescuers are fine no chamber rides.

 

[Soakedlontra]

I have never witnessed a diving emergency situation before...It was very upsetting. I kept trying to make sense of what was happening refusing to believe that the diver whom I saw being pulled out from the water was in critical condition and rushed to a hospital.

You were brave to act so promptly and rescue the injured diver in the way you did. I keep wondering what I would have done if I were down there instead...

All my best wishes to the hospitalized diver and his rescuers.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I received word this morning that the rescuers were unable to inflate this diver's BCD or drysuit ... suggesting that he was, in fact, OOA ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[skyellab]

The end result was that everyone did the best they could. You taught me Bob years ago that no matter what keep calm and stick with your buddy. No matter how bad something is, keep your cool, and it will be ok. Look at the news articles of people lost in the woods, in car crashes, or the fishing boat in Alaska a few weeks ago.

Hope and the chance for a positive outcome never leaves until you give up on yourself.
This is what everyone should learn from this and the other accidents.

Things get wierd down there and that preservation of life thing kicks in. The end result in this case is not good but everyone involved in the rescue gets an A+.

I am sorry that bad things happen, that is why we train and practice so when they do we automatically do what is best. Keep your head and things will go much better.

Remember, the rescuers had air they were breathing out and that could have gone into his BC manual inflator.

 

[DandyDon]

I received word this morning that the rescuers were unable to inflate this diver's BCD or drysuit ... suggesting that he was, in fact, OOA

Excerpting....

They experienced some difficulty getting the diver off the bottom, and attempted to relieve him of his integrated weights ... but were for some reason unsuccessful at doing so. And so they made the decision to get him out of his BCD and do a buoyant ascent.

OOA and unable to ditch weights would be a formidable combination. A buoyant ascent would be better than not ascending, but still so risky. Just a really bad situation to swim into for the rescuers; sounds like the victim had very little chance but you don't want to give up until it's over. Sad.

 

[free2scuba2]

I am grateful to the rescuers for their bravery! I have taken rescue and can't even emagine having to make the decision to go. I am not going to that place that some are, where were the buddies?

Until one has been in that situation, and they are all different, we can't say what we would have done including putting our breathing air into the divers BCD.

Give them a break people, they did the best they could.

JJ

 

[skyellab]

Free2scuba2 and all,
The putting breath in the BCD part was put in my response before to show that there are always options that can be done.
I have been in rescue situations. When these things happen and you are trained, you don't think and you just do. Something kicks in that allows you to do things that you never would have thought was possible for yourself. Really! Honestly!

1. Keep your head. Slow down and look at the situation. (Medic one does) Have you ever seen Medic One run to a situation. If you are excited you can not help and you are worthless.
2. Do the best you can. Do not risk your health or life and do damage to yourself because if you are dead or injured you can not help.
3. Do as trained and don't do what you are not trained to do. You are trained to dive, follow dive tables or your computer, and how to surface. You can take a ride in the Deco Chamber if it is going to save a life. You can not live through O2 poisoning or coming up too fast. TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!!!
Ask "What if", "In everything you do", please.
4. Once you have helped, if you choose to, and things did not go well, tell yourself you did the best you could and things are better because you did everything you were capable of doing. Get therapy or talk about it right away with others. Talk about it with your diver friends or it will burn you up. By all means talk about it to get the feelings out! Very important. That people is why I am here and what this Forum is all about.
You can erase what I have wrote or skip over it but for me that has helped on more than a few occasions, I would print this out and keep it as something is going to happen and you will have to make the decision to go or not go. I went and I am here. I am grateful.

I was not here for this situation in case it sounded that way. All the helpers get a A plus. You did great. You can not change the past and you did not make the decisions for the diver, he did. You just helped!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

To answer the question "Where were the buddies?" ... where they should have been.

This diver bolted for the surface. The dive buddies did exactly what they were supposed to do ... make a controlled ascent, and when they didn't find him on the surface they alerted onlookers that a diver was missing. Because of this, when the diver was found, emergency personnel were already on hand to try saving him.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)