vjongene
Contributor
This is a second-hand report, as the accident happened to a friend of mine and I was not on the scene. However, she told me the story in some detail, and it was corroborated by her friend. I do not believe it was told here before, or on any scuba-related board. It happened about 4 years ago. While this may seem like a long time, its scars, both physical and mental, are still very much with the victim. I felt the story was worth telling.
Two friends, Susanne and Maryrose, went on a live-aboard trip out of Costa Rica, headed for the Colombian island of Malpelo. The name of the boat and its captain will be left out of this report. The boat has since been destroyed by fire, and the captain is no longer in the business (at least to my knowledge). Susanne and Maryrose were both experienced divers, having logged hundreds of dives all around the world. In particular, both were used to currents, heavy surf, and surge.
Shortly after arriving in Malpelo, the boat was sitting about 200 m from the island's coast. It was too deep for it to set anchor. Divers on board were getting ready to hit the water. Susanne and Maryrose were the first two to do so, and I believe Maryrose jumped in before Susanne. With the two women in the water, an unexpected and violent current or eddy suddenly set in. It pulled Maryrose about 35 m below the surface, but she managed to swim out of it. It pushed Susanne against the hull of the boat and then under it. The captain felt the current too, and decided that it would be a good idea to move the boat out of the way. So he started maneuvering, without checking where the divers were. In fact, Susanne was under the boat. She saw the propeller starting to spin, and was being drawn towards it by the current. She put her arm up to try to protect herself, and then was hit by the blades. She doesn't remember precisely what happened then, but found herself at the surface a few seconds later. Her reg and hoses had been shredded to pieces, her mask was gone, her BC had been cut, and she had large bloody gashes on her left arm and breast. She was still clutching her reg's mouthpiece between her teeth.
Fellow divers managed to drag her back onboard. The crew gave her first aid, and bandaged her. The wounds were deep, but no vital organs had been touched. Her medical evacuation insurance was contacted by satellite phone, and they decided that since her injuries were not life-threatening there was no reason to organize an emergency evacuation. She spent the rest of the trip in her cabin, slowly recovering. There were in fact some serious consequences for her, because treatment has been delayed too much, and also because the first doctor to see her upon her return underestimated the extent of the damage.
The shocking thing is that the captain denied any responsibility in the accident. He claimed that because he had given strict instructions for divers not to go under the boat, Susanne was in violation of safety standards. He later gave this as an example of a beginner not following elementary safety rules and getting in trouble... Susanne wanted to sue him, but was unable to. The problem of jurisdiction was difficult: the boat was registered in Costa Rica, the accident happened in Colombian waters, the captain was Austrian, the diver was Swiss... Nothing ever came of it.
I don't know if there is a lesson to be learned here. Maybe "never be the first one in the water"?
Two friends, Susanne and Maryrose, went on a live-aboard trip out of Costa Rica, headed for the Colombian island of Malpelo. The name of the boat and its captain will be left out of this report. The boat has since been destroyed by fire, and the captain is no longer in the business (at least to my knowledge). Susanne and Maryrose were both experienced divers, having logged hundreds of dives all around the world. In particular, both were used to currents, heavy surf, and surge.
Shortly after arriving in Malpelo, the boat was sitting about 200 m from the island's coast. It was too deep for it to set anchor. Divers on board were getting ready to hit the water. Susanne and Maryrose were the first two to do so, and I believe Maryrose jumped in before Susanne. With the two women in the water, an unexpected and violent current or eddy suddenly set in. It pulled Maryrose about 35 m below the surface, but she managed to swim out of it. It pushed Susanne against the hull of the boat and then under it. The captain felt the current too, and decided that it would be a good idea to move the boat out of the way. So he started maneuvering, without checking where the divers were. In fact, Susanne was under the boat. She saw the propeller starting to spin, and was being drawn towards it by the current. She put her arm up to try to protect herself, and then was hit by the blades. She doesn't remember precisely what happened then, but found herself at the surface a few seconds later. Her reg and hoses had been shredded to pieces, her mask was gone, her BC had been cut, and she had large bloody gashes on her left arm and breast. She was still clutching her reg's mouthpiece between her teeth.
Fellow divers managed to drag her back onboard. The crew gave her first aid, and bandaged her. The wounds were deep, but no vital organs had been touched. Her medical evacuation insurance was contacted by satellite phone, and they decided that since her injuries were not life-threatening there was no reason to organize an emergency evacuation. She spent the rest of the trip in her cabin, slowly recovering. There were in fact some serious consequences for her, because treatment has been delayed too much, and also because the first doctor to see her upon her return underestimated the extent of the damage.
The shocking thing is that the captain denied any responsibility in the accident. He claimed that because he had given strict instructions for divers not to go under the boat, Susanne was in violation of safety standards. He later gave this as an example of a beginner not following elementary safety rules and getting in trouble... Susanne wanted to sue him, but was unable to. The problem of jurisdiction was difficult: the boat was registered in Costa Rica, the accident happened in Colombian waters, the captain was Austrian, the diver was Swiss... Nothing ever came of it.
I don't know if there is a lesson to be learned here. Maybe "never be the first one in the water"?
