Canadian woman presumed dead - Roatan, Honduras

[Texas Torpedo]

There was a similar incident that happened a few years ago. The victim actually fought off the person who managed to reach her. A medical event seems most likely but I wonder at the body position the diver took. Almost as if it was planned.

You bring up an interesting point I hadn't considered with regard to body position, Jim.. If someone actually passed out or was fully incapacitated, what is the likely position a body would be on descent... especially a rapid one? Some form of tank-down / low, I would think, probably with fins higher than the head... Body positioned vertical, with head up and fins low would require control..

Of course, the DM's perception on what vertical actually was could be off when you factor in the stress and depth he was dealing with.

 

[Steve_C]

The go no go decision can be a hard one. Two decades ago (which is relevant because I was in much younger condition then) I was fishing off the end of a pier in NC. There were 2-3 ft waves. I heard cries for help and 12 ft below was a surfer hanging onto the bridge piling having some how lost his surf board. The waves were not large but each wave bounced his bare chest against the barnacles on the pier. He was in pain. He was afraid to let go. I looked around and there was no throw ring. I had no desire to do a 200 yd tired swimmer tow although I had trained life guards in my youth and at that time I think I could have done it. On the other hand he still seemed pretty strong and alert and there was not much blood flowing. So I watched ready to grab somebodies cooler as a float aid and go over the side if it looked like he was going to lose it. Fortunately after about 10 minutes another surfer showed up, was waved over, and they took him to shore. The go or no go situation made for a very long and stressful 10 minutes for me (and for him also of course) and that did not require a split second decision like a sinking diver does.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I had a similar situation when I was a kid. I was fishing with my Dad off a pier near the Golden Gate Bridge. I was in the Boy Scouts at the time and had recently been trained in rescue techniques. I saw a little girl, about six years old fall off the pier. While the adults looked at her from the edge of the pier I jumped in from about twelve feet up. I quickly put her in the fireman's carry and climbed the wooden ladder on the side of the pier. The water in the bay was probably in the high 40s or very low 50s so she wouldn't have made it very long even if she could swim.
I would probably do the same thing now in an emergency situation but would not do it for "fun".

 

[Marie13]

Max, how old were you at the time?

 

[Steve_C]

If I don't think I would make two victims I would go. That bar is a bit higher at 70 then at 40.

 

[DandyDon]

There is protocol for commercial divers for when they do surface decompression. It's been a few years since I was around this but I think they did their standard deco until the 40' stop then they were hauled out of the water onto the ship and had 7 minutes to de-kit and get in the chamber to finish their deco. What the DM did was pretty much along these lines.

I remember that movie.

It wasn't the DM who went down for inwater recompression. The DM was doing deep bounce dives looking for the woman. It was Terry who took Clay down, but I don't think that was a safe idea with their limited knowledge & experience vs having O2 and a chamber nearby.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Max, how old were you at the time?

12.

 

[Marie13]

Dang. Good job!

 

[jseyfert3]

Scary stuff. I can't imagine watching a diver plummet into the depths and be unable to catch them. If I was diving with my wife (and we do dive together), I honestly don't know if I'd have the ability to force myself to stop following if it was her plummeting...

There is protocol for commercial divers for when they do surface decompression. It's been a few years since I was around this but I think they did their standard deco until the 40' stop then they were hauled out of the water onto the ship and had 7 minutes to de-kit and get in the chamber to finish their deco. What the DM did was pretty much along these lines.

I was just reading Revision 7 of the US Navy Diving Manual a few days ago and it's very similar. They allow divers under deco obligation to do surface deco if a chamber is on-site if the officer in charge of diving decides to do this. In water deco is done as normal until 40', then the diver surfaces at 40 fpm, they haul him onboard, undress him, and get him to the chamber. In the chamber, the deco is finished as normal. The time limit is 3.5 minutes from water to chamber, and the manual specifically mentions the helpers should have practice removing diver's gear so they do so quickly, and the path to the chamber needs to be short and kept free from obstructions. If it takes longer than 5 minutes to get the diver from the surface to the chamber, there is a deco penalty added (say 15 minutes of 100% O2 jumps to like 30 minutes).

 

[Colo Hippie]

Just an update for those following this. Her body has been recovered and identified so the family will have closure. No indication was given if an autopsy will be performed. I am guessing one will be done but who knows with the Honduran authorities.