Anna Maria Island spearfisherman missing

[K Mejean]

[GOOGLE][/GOOGLE]

The press doesn't know how to write about scuba diving accidents. When we return to the boat with 500 psi in our tanks, we are running low on air, but not in a life threatening situation as implied in the article. I have no idea what happened, but it sounds to me like the diver became entangled on the wreck, ditched his gear and didn't make it to the surface. That's pure speculation on my part. I know many divers that spear, and I don't know a single one that would willingly take their gear off and go in a wreck after a fish, doesn't make since to me. Hopefully we can all learn from the accident investigation. In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers go out to friends and family of the deceased. almtree: Bob

I thought it was a pretty odd description as well for the people to say they thought he might have ditched his gear to chase a fish. I was simply relaying what was said to me which was also speculation. From what they told me his gear was not tangled in anything. I believe thats why they speculated about ditching it.
Never the less..... I hope his family can cope with the hard times they are facing. When it is all said and done it really doesn't matter why it happened, just that it happened and now his loved ones have to deal with it.

 

[Splash-X]

Most captains here in the Gulf around Tampa are pretty relaxed. Spear fishermen are most of their income and to tell them they have to buddy up would cause those divers to just move to another boat/operation.

So, yes, it is common that spear divers enter the water with a buddy but once under they are usually not seen together. Any trip I DM and the captain lets the person dive alone I ALWAYS push for the person to pickup a bottle of Spare Air or use a pony bottle, even as small as 13cuft.

Gas management always takes a backseat ride to "fish limit management". It is easy to forget to monitor your PSI when you're trying to get that last fish... but it has to be done.

 

[DandyDon]

Most captains here in the Gulf around Tampa are pretty relaxed. Spear fishermen are most of their income and to tell them they have to buddy up would cause those divers to just move to another boat/operation.

So, yes, it is common that spear divers enter the water with a buddy but once under they are usually not seen together. Any trip I DM and the captain lets the person dive alone I ALWAYS push for the person to pickup a bottle of Spare Air or use a pony bottle, even as small as 13cuft.

Gas management always takes a backseat ride to "fish limit management". It is easy to forget to monitor your PSI when you're trying to get that last fish... but it has to be done.

Well, I don't look to a skipper for dive instruction beyond site briefing anyway, but solo diving is such a common aspect to death report threads - but I kinda figured it the usual. Forgetting to monitor air while hunting makes sense too now that you mention it; happened to me once recently; swam out of it okay but certainly felt stupid. I had arrived the night before too late to get my pony filled.

But WTH was his BC off...?

 

[Splash-X]

I'm just speculating but it seems likely to me that if the diver ran out of air and was in a panic to release his weights (assuming weight integrated BC) and couldn't because they were stuck or something, perhaps he decided to ditch the whole rig thinking it would make him positivly bouyant?

To me, it is unlikely this was a situation of entanglement but given the amount of artifical reefs created with the ruins of old bridges, it is possible that he got snagged on rebar and tried to remove his BC to free himself and it floated to the surface.


Again, these are all just speculations. I don't know the location/bottom conditions of his site.

 

[David_57]

Well, I don't look to a skipper for dive instruction beyond site briefing anyway, but solo diving is such a common aspect to death report threads - but I kinda figured it the usual. Forgetting to monitor air while hunting makes sense too now that you mention it; happened to me once recently; swam out of it okay but certainly felt stupid. I had arrived the night before too late to get my pony filled.

But WTH was his BC off...?

IMO nothing wrong with Solo diving when you are trained and equipped for it.

 

[Johnoly]

I'm pretty sure a lot of guns float

All guns are rigged differently. Most on the gulf side freeshaft and subsequently have an extra shaft (or 2) clipped to the side of the gun. Almost all guns are just barely negative with the shaft loaded. Once the shaft is deployed and out of the gun, it can become positive. Although I don't know how D***'s gun was rigged, I did hear it was found loaded and bands stretched, making it negative.

At this point, it really will take looking at his computer to review the log for ascents and see if it holds any clues.

 

[qrpc]

But WTH was his BC off...?

Speculation of course, but somone with an OOA emergency and no (or little) ditchable weight might shed a BC while trying to swim for the surface. That could be a panic reaction much like spitting out a working regulator because it is percieved to be an obstruction, or it could have been a hasty decions that with no ability to inflate the BC, the diver could make it up faster without the weight and drag.

My guess is that, assuming you were neutral to start with, you would be better off keeping the BC on and getting the added bouyancy the further up you go, but I imagine there may be cases when ditching is the better alternative.

 

[Missdirected]

**Please note this thread is being merged with one already in the "Accidents & Incidents" forum. Discussion can be continued there.**

 

[Splash-X]

IMO nothing wrong with Solo diving when you are trained and equipped for it.

I agree, but you have to have the training and the gear. Too many people who attempt it lack both. They figure, 30-40ft of water isn't deep, right? Surley one could hold their breath to the surface?

Speculation of course, but somone with an OOA emergency and no (or little) ditchable weight might shed a BC while trying to swim for the surface. That could be a panic reaction much like spitting out a working regulator because it is percieved to be an obstruction, or it could have been a hasty decions that with no ability to inflate the BC, the diver could make it up faster without the weight and drag.

My guess is that, assuming you were neutral to start with, you would be better off keeping the BC on and getting the added bouyancy the further up you go, but I imagine there may be cases when ditching is the better alternative.

Panic makes you do things you wouldn't consider otherwise. It may have been a last ditch effort to get to the surface that caused the gear seperation.

 

[mike_s]

What spear fishing gear floats?

Don.

I'm no expert on this, but I've seem people's spear fishing guns float some times and not other times.

I'm not sure if this is related to what make/model it is or what kind of stock it has (wood verses plastic, etc) and buoyancy characteristics

or if it's the fact that every one I've seen floating has been "after the shot" and the shaft is no longer in the gun weighing it down.

the ones' I've seen floating are from free divers that have a reel/leash on it that attaches to the gun and they are retrieving the fish they shot. so it's not that it's "free floating" away.