Combined Thread: Oriskany Dive Accident

[MrTheBrain]

Just saw this today:

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070819/NEWS01/70819002/1006

Condolences to friends and Family :sad:

 

[The Chairman]

It was bound to happen, though that does not make it any less tragic!

 

[CrazyMike]

Wow, this really came as a shock to me! I was there on Saturday - the H2O Below was tied to the buoy right behind our boat. I'm sure we were in the water approximately the same time. In fact, we heard the call to the coast guard on the radio as we were maneuvering the boat to get the buoy untied. Since we were a bit preoccupied, we were did not hear any details in the call and when the CG requested a change of channels for further conversation with H20 Below (I assume they were the ones radioing in the call), we didn't listen in. We were all speculating what the call might have been but about didn't think much more of it. I was shocked when my dive buddy emailed me the tragic news this morning!

Although all four of us in our boat had never been to the Oriskany before, the dives went pretty smoothly - which is why we were surpised when we got the news this morning: The sea state was great, not much wind, not too hot. Visibility was > 70ft in the top part of the water column (we could see the top of the island if you stuck your face in the water with a mask on). There was a pretty good amount of current, but really not too bad for most folks with experience diving the Emerald Coast region.

My heart goes out to those who were close to him...

 

[snepdiver]

Thanks SBM for the accurate update.

 

[Otter]

FYI... already a discussionon this here
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=198936

Threads merged to a single thread again.

 

[nwfladiver]

has anyone ever heard what the actual cause of death was? i have heard nothing local here in pensacola. was wondering if it were in fact the diver got bent or was it an air embolism or something else. just wondering.

 

[wjefferis]

I have heard that he actually died of a heart attack. The rumor that is around the p-cola dive comunity is that he started to experience pain at around 6- to 70 fsw and went all the way down to the sand and began making another ascent. He still felt pain during the ascent and again went to the sand. When he surfaced he had difficulty breathing and was in and out of consciousness. He was rushed to Baptist where the chamber is only big enough for the injured diver not a tender. He was not evaluated for any other condition and died from a heart attack while in the chamber. If this rumor is true it would it would explain why his pain didn't go away, he was having a heart attack. It is tragic and I hope by posting this I have not made the issue any worse.The people I heard this from where within the know, so it may be creditable..... just don't take it as what happened until the CG puts the official version out.

 

[mike_s]

I have heard that he actually died of a heart attack. The rumor that is around the p-cola dive comunity is that he started to experience pain at around 6- to 70 fsw and went all the way down to the sand and began making another ascent. He still felt pain during the ascent and again went to the sand. When he surfaced he had difficulty breathing and was in and out of consciousness. He was rushed to Baptist where the chamber is only big enough for the injured diver not a tender. He was not evaluated for any other condition and died from a heart attack while in the chamber. If this rumor is true it would it would explain why his pain didn't go away, he was having a heart attack. It is tragic and I hope by posting this I have not made the issue any worse.The people I heard this from where within the know, so it may be creditable..... just don't take it as what happened until the CG puts the official version out.

The Coast Guard is clueless about diving accidents and investigations.

The autopsey will be the official word on the cause of death.

 

[snepdiver]

It would be nice to hear the facts. Getting that from the CG or city/county is the trick, I think.

 

[mike_s]

It would be nice to hear the facts. Getting that from the CG or city/county is the trick, I think.

I don't think that you'll see anything in depth in the way of any investigation. Any agency (Coast Guard or local law enforcement) will wait until the ME's report comes out with the legally declared cause of death and any report will most likely close with that as the cause of the accident (with no other reason for negligence reported).

You've also got to remember that this occured 20+ miles offshore and out of the jurisdiction of all these agencies. The only one that has any real juridiction is the coast guard over a US flagged vessel in international waters.

This can be chaulked up as "accidents happen".