Cooper River diver missing - South Carolina

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Thanks for the insight everyone. Crazy stuff... I get the draw of finding Meg teeth, that would be quite a thrill, but this sounds too much like work to me. I'll stick to drift diving in the clear, warm, salty stuff.

As for the accident, it seems like there are more than enough possible contributing factors here. An over-weighted diver working hard on the bottom, against a current--making it likely "an average diver" would be burning through gas much faster than "their usual." Terrible vis making it harder to keep track of current gas supply (no "casual glancing at your gauges"). The potential for debris causing issues, especially if there had been a recent rain (I think that was mentioned earlier). Plus let's note that the diver's age (48) is right around the time that many men find out they are getting older the hard way, either through having cardiac issues, or doing something that makes them feel like they are having cardiac issues. (I'm of this age, so I'm allowed to make this observation!)

Maybe these things don't apply to this diver. The Cooper River might have been "his normal dive." He might have been super-fit, ready for the conditions, and well-practiced in staying alive in these conditions.

Hopefully we eventually hear from a dive-buddy or someone who can shed more light on the incident.

Until then, my condolences to his friends and family, and may he blow bubbles in eternal peace.
 
Thanks for the insight everyone. Crazy stuff... I get the draw of finding Meg teeth, that would be quite a thrill, but this sounds too much like work to me. I'll stick to drift diving in the clear, warm, salty stuff.

I like finding meg teeth offshore NC. A lot deeper so shorter dives but A LOT more viz - 40' - 70' easily most dives. Haven't worked up the nerve for the Cooper yet...
 
Don't forget the Alligators there too. Lol.

Had nothing to do with this accident but I have seen them on the shore sunning and in the water while I was waiting to be picked up by the boat. There are a lot of stressors that can cause you additional exertion and mental fatigue.
 
AustinV, I hadn't heard about that....what's the scoop? (see what I did there?)
 
Don't forget the Alligators there too. Lol.

Had nothing to do with this accident but I have seen them on the shore sunning and in the water while I was waiting to be picked up by the boat. There are a lot of stressors that can cause you additional exertion and mental fatigue.

Yes, not big on the idea of gators either :D - sharks don't phase me, but gators are not something I am used to.
 
Hasn’t heard of Meg Ledge diving maybe?

Ah gotcha, not sure I didn't read it that way, brain must not be firing right today... :confused:

Plenty of great meg tooth diving out of Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach/Carolina Beach area of NC. The best operations are 6 pack boats, the bigger boats don't know the best spots and dont like staying on the same ledge so your second (and final) dive is on a different ledge. The 6 pack boats that specialize in just tooth diving know where to run, and you get three dives versus two. Depth varies from 90ish feet (inshore) versus 105ish feet (offshore).
 
Ah gotcha, not sure I didn't read it that way, brain must not be firing right today... :confused:

Plenty of great meg tooth diving out of Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach/Carolina Beach area of NC. The best operations are 6 pack boats, the bigger boats don't know the best spots and dont like staying on the same ledge so your second (and final) dive is on a different ledge. The 6 pack boats that specialize in just tooth diving know where to run, and you get three dives versus two. Depth varies from 90ish feet (inshore) versus 105ish feet (offshore).

It really is a blast and there are definite perks to the NC Meg Ledge teeth dives...

Pluses:

-Much better visibility.
-Overall less physically taxing/less task loading. There are still safety concerns, but my two cents...not as many as diving the Cooper River.
-Don’t need to manage lighting, as the sun takes care of that for you.

Minuses:

-More expensive charter vs. Cooper River
-Deeper dives, so less time in the water and less time on the deck looking for teeth.
-Long boat rides
 
As a localish diver the speculation is that his wing dump broke or got stuck open and he dumped all his air trying to stay on the surface and sank with an empty tank. I did see that almost kill someone last year but luckily the boat captain was near by and screamed at him to drop his weights which he did.
Sadly, most diver bodies recovered still have their weights. I practice dumping mine on the first dive of every trip and it's surprising how much I have to fumble at times.
 
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