Anyone hear of Central Florida Diver Death on 11/14/08?

[deepstops]

I don't want to get into too many details, but here are some facts.

Site: Area 51 - First dive of the day
Depth: Top of the ledge at about 75 feet
When: Problem occurred early in the dive (approx. 10 minutes)

Diver made it back to the surface, but almost immediately descended again.

We found the diver where he had descended.

*** Dive profile had nothing to do with this incident. He was spear fishing and diving alone. Pressure gauge read empty. Don't know if it was reading just one tank or both (i.e., isolator value issue).

Typical configuration is breathing from the right (side) tank and the SPG is on the left tank. Failing to open the isolator would normally mean the SPG is (still) reading full when (even if) the right tank was empty. There must more to this, even if it was 15 minutes into dive, it's still hard to account for using an entire tank.

 

[Talon]

I don't disagree. That is one of the things that has me scratching my head. I don't pretend to know exactly what happened down there. Where both tanks full when he jumped in??? Was there a problem with one of the tanks??? Did he have an equipment malfunction down there???? The only thing I am saying is that at the time of the recovery, his pressure gauge read 0. Beyond that, it is nothing but speculation at this point.

My thoughts and prayers have been with his family since Friday.

Typical configuration is breathing from the right (side) tank and the SPG is on the left tank. Failing to open the isolator would normally mean the SPG is (still) reading full when (even if) the right tank was empty. There must more to this, even if it was 15 minutes into dive, it's still hard to account for using an entire tank.

 

[Rick Murchison]

... There must more to this, even if it was 15 minutes into dive, it's still hard to account for using an entire tank.

Indeed there must be.
However, a whole tank can be emptied pretty quickly under the right circumstances... in the last solo spearfishing fatality in our area, the victim shot a big AJ (we suspect - the fish got away) early in the dive that wrapped him up and knocked his reg out, which then freeflowed (freeflow bubbles were witnessed on the surface; gear all worked fine post mishap). Unable to free his arms in time, he drowned before anyone could get to him, then drifted up to the surface already dead and with an empty tank. Total dive time was less than ten minutes.
Rick

 

[diverbob]

Typical configuration is breathing from the right (side) tank and the SPG is on the left tank. Failing to open the isolator would normally mean the SPG is (still) reading full when (even if) the right tank was empty. There must more to this, even if it was 15 minutes into dive, it's still hard to account for using an entire tank.

Good point, but if he was that new to doubles, he could have had the SPG on the wrong side. I have seen that a few times with people just getting into doubles. But I dont want to speculate, its sad regardless.

 

[Johnoly]

Jupiter is my home dive port every weekend. I see people on the boats all the time expecting "Vacation - Club Med " diving conditions. But when they get in 90 feet of water, ripping currents, sharks coming at them from behind and the boat not directly on top of them when they surface, they just panic. The look of their huge eyes fills up their entire mask.

Jupiter is absolutely some of the most advanced and exciting diving in Florida. One other question that alot of us were asking in Nick's death that may never be answered, if he was on the surface, why didn't he just ditch his whole gear for later recovery? Some questions won't be answered.

One thing is for certain, the JDC shop/boat/captain/DM followed protocol and procedures to the book both before and after the accident. This is a diver accident not a operator accident.

P.S. Good to see you again Sandy!!

 

[jupitermermaid]

Jupiter is my home dive port every weekend. I see people on the boats all the time expecting "Vacation - Club Med " diving conditions. But when they get in 90 feet of water, ripping currents, sharks coming at them from behind and the boat not directly on top of them when they surface, they just panic. The look of their huge eyes fills up their entire mask.

Jupiter is absolutely some of the most advanced and exciting diving in Florida. One other question that alot of us were asking in Nick's death that may never be answered, if he was on the surface, why didn't he just ditch his whole gear for later recovery? Some questions won't be answered.

One thing is for certain, the JDC shop/boat/captain/DM followed protocol and procedures to the book both before and after the accident. This is a diver accident not a operator accident.

P.S. Good to see you again Sandy!!

ALWAYS good to see you, John! :kiss2:

 

[deepstops]

Jupiter is my home dive port every weekend. I see people on the boats all the time expecting "Vacation - Club Med " diving conditions. But when they get in 90 feet of water, ripping currents, sharks coming at them from behind and the boat not directly on top of them when they surface, they just panic. The look of their huge eyes fills up their entire mask.

Jupiter is absolutely some of the most advanced and exciting diving in Florida.

John - you're 100% correct and I think it borders on negligence or "depraved indifference" to make blanket recommendations pointing newer divers to try diving in Jupiter. :depressed:
I see it all the time here

One other question that alot of us were asking in Nick's death that may never be answered, if he was on the surface, why didn't he just ditch his whole gear for later recovery? Some questions won't be answered.

You're right, some questions will never be answered, it's simply the nature of the beast. Unfortunately, this is the seventh or eighth fatality in about a month in Florida alone.

One thing is for certain, the JDC shop/boat/captain/DM followed protocol and procedures to the book both before and after the accident. This is a diver accident not a operator accident.

Until post #9 defending JDC, I didn't see anyone blaming them.

 

[Salmonboy97]

Indeed there must be.
However, a whole tank can be emptied pretty quickly under the right circumstances... in the last solo spearfishing fatality in our area, the victim shot a big AJ (we suspect - the fish got away) early in the dive that wrapped him up and knocked his reg out, which then freeflowed (freeflow bubbles were witnessed on the surface; gear all worked fine post mishap). Unable to free his arms in time, he drowned before anyone could get to him, then drifted up to the surface already dead and with an empty tank. Total dive time was less than ten minutes.
Rick

I spearfish and a charter boat captain had a very similar experience (fish pulled out his reg from the mouth piece, diver left coughing out the water reaching for the alt). He said he was lucky to survive.
It never crossed my mind that this could happen.

 

[netmage]

Typical configuration is breathing from the right (side) tank and the SPG is on the left tank. Failing to open the isolator would normally mean the SPG is (still) reading full when (even if) the right tank was empty. There must more to this, even if it was 15 minutes into dive, it's still hard to account for using an entire tank.

B - This gives far too much credit that someone told him how to set it up.....

 

[kidsdream]

First off most of this thread does not relate to the most recent tragedy in Jupiter - I do feel for the family that has lost a loved one.

Secondly off as the others have noted, Jupiter diving presents some challenges that differs a bit from much of "Tropical" Florida diving. With a deeper reef/ledge line, the profiles are less forgiving. When this is combined with some level of current (usually more, then less), the divers frequently have to swim a bit from their drop to hit the ledge. This can create a situation of increased gas use as will as some CO build up. A "good" diver should know when to say when - you need to be willing to call a dive at any time.

As far as the dive operations whether it be JDC or Randy with Emerald, there is only so much you they can do to police the situation. But there certainly has been some voodoo **** going on as of late with the recent deaths and few DCS incidents in the last weeks. I have been out with JDC pre and post Randy (as well as with Emerald) and additionally have been out on a private boat out of Jupiter; and I truly believe the nature of the conditions and the fact that many people are task overloaded is the primary contributing factor.

Diving doubles presents its own set of challenges. The weight, set-up variations and the additional drag they create should not be taken lightly. As Randy noted, serious progression should be considered when going in this direction or any time you make a change to your rig.

I just started diving doubles this year. First in small lakes, then on charters when the conditions were favorable - For the first 10 dives or so I brought my singles rig as well and made the go/no-go decision right at the dock just before we departed (in one case I brought both rigs on board a Great Lakes charter as I was not confident with the conditions). In September my post on the D2D board discussed my aborted 2nd (and easier) dive when things were not going right on the surface:DR - Knowing when to say when.

This tragedy like many others might have been able to be prevented with better training, and following the golden rule of diving - you can call a dive without recourse at any time.