I was there, in the area; we could see Ol Salty (barely)
Helping man the radios and tending to our vessel while we had other divers in the water. At a nearby wreck site.
The seas were on the light side of moderate for diving in the area.
To protect others, I won't mention the boat I was crewing with.
Heard the call come in to the coast guard; the diver hit his head on the boat's ladder while trying to re-enter the boat.
Standard Pan Pan call, very professional, mentioned that the diver hit his head on the ladder (didn't specify if it happened while still in the water or if they slipped and fell). They stated that the diver was un-conscious, and I am fairly certain they also stated that they weren't breathing at all. They then stated that CPR was in progress, and requested IMMEDIATE medical assistance while giving their current coordinates.
Curiously, the Coast Guard responded that they would be sending out a life boat to their location (I would have expected a helicopter due to the urgency and significant distance from shore...? Then again I'm not a Captain so who knows)
After that it got quiet on the radios. We would have cut anchor and helped (EMT(s) on board our vessel), but we had divers on our line with serious deco obligations. Ol Salty also had divers in the water which would have precluded them from coming over to us.
Never heard what happened to the diver.
The worst part was it happening so close to me, and not being able to do anything about it.
Our captain heard the tail end of the transmissions; all he could do is look at me and shrug with a sad look on his face.
Hope my post was able to help. From what I witnessed Ol Salty did everything reasonable in their power.
If anyone has any serious (legal) issues with my post then PM me and might consider taking it down (but probably not).
Sorry about bad formatting; typing this on my mobile.
