Accident at Lake Rawlings Sunday 05/27/2012

[Jim Lapenta]

When you're in the dive business you hear things.

For instance, I hear that the PADI instructor was out of the water, and out of his drysuit before he ever noticed that his student was missing.

I also hear that you can be expelled from PADI if you lie to the PADI investigator about where you were when you notice YOUR STUDENT isn't with you. If you tell the investigator that you were on your safety stop when you were really on the beach with your drysuit already off, well, that's a lie.

I hear that if you are on the beach yukking it up with your other students when other instructors from other groups point out that you started with 6 and now you only have 5 and you blow off those other instructors, PADI will send an investigator to talk to you.

That's what I hear, anyway.

Expulsion? Something like that calls for crucifixion.

Figuratively MODS!

Just so somebody doesn't get their knickers in a twist. I see lawsuits, criminal negligence, loss of damn near everything, no insurance company touching this, and a black eye for the dive center that will be damn hard to overcome. It's a shame that the actions of one person can hurt so many that had nothing to do with this. Or did they in allowing certain "shortcuts" to be business as usual. But then maybe they would not have a job if they opened their mouths. But IF it were me I'd know I tried and sleep better than some are now.

 

[HIGHwing]

I hear a lot of folks are asking that very question. Some of those folks have stinkin' badges.

If I were to put my money spot on what happened, here it goes.

The husband did notice. In fact, the husband would have noticed her having trouble leaving the platform. I believe she would have had trouble initially getting down from the platform to the deep area just West of the boat. As the class of Open Water Divers arrived at the bottom, they would have kicked the crap out of that fine silt and rendered the visibility to zero - instantly.

--accident--

I have reason to believe there were witnesses that saw the class leaving the deep water and there was a diver reported trailing the class. I presume this diver was the victim's husband. I believe he was looking all over for her and dealing with a paradoxical situation. At this point he had three decisions 1) Ascend per the lost diver procedure 2) Dive back down in the deep alone to see if she was in the goo 3) Race to catch back up with the departing class as she might possibly be up the line nearer the instructor. In fact, I believe the instructor briefly would have lost two of the six divers, not just one.

The husband probably arrived at a minor delay to the safety stop, and I believe he voiced his concern immediately upon surfacing. I think the instructor probably sent the students to go check the parking lot whist he commenced an in-water search probably suspecting she inadvertently jumped on with another class.

One thing I've had to ask myself is how did the instructor know almost exactly where to send the recovery team? I can't get past that issue. Twenty-seven acres of lake to search and you put the recovery team so on the spot that Eena was recovered in 300 seconds in visibility that was so bad that her tank wasn't visible from her fins? Hmm...

 

[hypertech]

One thing I've had to ask myself is how did the instructor know almost exactly where to send the recovery team? I can't get past issue. Twenty-seven acres of lake to search and you put the recovery team so on the spot that Eena was recovered in 300 seconds in visibility that was so bad that her tank wasn't visible from her fins? Hmm...

A mind does like to wander about these things doesn't it.

I've been a "missing diver" in a rescue class plenty of times. Sometimes, the students go past me over and over and over. Other times, they swim straight into me almost like I was holding a beacon of some kind. Sometimes you do just get lucky and find what you are looking for right away.

 

[HIGHwing]

You call it luck, I call it the last place he saw her.

 

[Sorrows]

Sorry to be dense, Highwing, but are you suggesting/implying something?

And excuse me for beating a dead horse, but if that the husband had had some sort of noisemaker to get the groups attention, perhaps he wouldn't have had to wait to voice his concern until they reached the surface? I don't understand why these divers aren't required to carry a noisemaker exactly for low-viz, confusing situations like these.

 

[hypertech]

There is nothing a noise maker can do that grabbing the instructors arm and signaling a problem couldn't do.

 

[HIGHwing]

Sorry to be dense, Highwing, but are you suggesting/implying something?

Yes. I think an accident occurred.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

make a safety stop, walk to the beach looking around, think she was with another group, I just couldn't see being that calm when I couldn't find her, just like they found her by her fins I would have been looking at everyones fins and when I didn't see her, we need to ascend and start a search. I could be wrong but when there is a missing diver do you make a safety stop?

 

[Ayisha]

I hear a lot of folks are asking that very question. Some of those folks have stinkin' badges.

That may just be part of the standard investigation to determine if foul play can be ruled out. Every unnatural death is supposed to be treated like a homicide until foul play is ruled out.

 

[DandyDon]

I can imagine the confusion of having all students carrying noise makers in low viz when one goes off.

make a safety stop, walk to the beach looking around, think she was with another group, I just couldn't see being that calm when I couldn't find her, just like they found her by her fins I would have been looking at everyones fins and when I didn't see her, we need to ascend and start a search. I could be wrong but when there is a missing diver do you make a safety stop?

We really don't know what happened but no, I would not do a SS with a missing diver.