Cozumel dive fatality on April 3?

[B_D]

According to an obituary in my local paper, a 60 year old woman passed away on a dive in Cozumel April 3. While I did not know the individual I know others who did know her and would be interested if any other details are available. Wondering if she had a medical problem underwater, if other factors were involved?

Condolences to the family....

SANDRA LEE DELEGAL's Obituary on Skagit Valley Herald Publishing Company

 

[Sask]

I was on that dive and we were all saddened when we heard she had passed. She was quite nervous about the dive and it sounded like this was her first or near first dive since certifying.
A few minutes into the dive she told the DM that she wasn't well but they would continue. The DM sent up his SMB right then. A minute or two later her and her partner decided to surface and they followed the line up. About 10 minutes later another from our party was having equipment issues and followed the line up. When he surfaced the boat captain told him to get us all up. When we surfaced we realized this wasn't our boat. Our boat took the woman to shore and to hospital as she was in trouble. Our new boat then went and picked up his divers and we proceeded to shore. An hour or so later we had heard that she didn't make it and it was a presumed heart attack. They said there was to be an autopsy the next day but as we didn't know these folks we never heard results. It was very sad.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

This is why we keep our groups together with the DM. WE have had two heart attacks over the years, both with immediate CPR by the DM who is well trained for such an event. One survived, one didn't, but at least one did and I doubt either "dive buddy" was CPR trained like our DMs who are all Instructors.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[Brules]

Question: do any Cozumel dive ops carry AED's on board their boats?

 

[NDL_Diver]

Question: do any Cozumel dive ops carry AED's on board their boats?

Would it even work in a wet salt water invironment? How would care giver get clear of the shock in a wet boat?

I Don't know.

AL

 

[jmb122mp]

Would it even work in a wet salt water invironment? How would care giver get clear of the shock in a wet boat?

I Don't know.

AL

From DAN's online magazine on the topic of AED's in a wet environment : Alert Diver | Are AEDs Safe in Wet Environments?

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Aldora does have an AED out on the water everyday. I'm old too!


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[iamrushman]

good information from DAN....thanks for sharing.

 

[Brules]

Good info and sorry about the loss.

Would be great if more ops carried AED's as they are they are a huge factor in people surviving HA's.

 

[Carlos Diver]

Sorry to be ``that guy'' but AEDs do not treat heart attack (MIs). AEDs treat irregular heart rhythms, and if you are lucky, sudden cardiac arrest if you can get a rhythm back.

Note, this is very generalized and generic:

If someone is having a MI, the only treatment outside of a hospital is nitro or aspirin.
If someone is having a cardiac arrest, you start CPR and attach an AED.
In both cases, 911 and hospital.

The easiest way to tell the difference is the person having the MI will usually be awake and will have a pulse. Someone having cardiac arrest will be unconscious and usually pulse less. The majority of MIs (if they receive immediate treatment) will survive. The majority of cardiac arrest's (even with treatment) will not.

I think an AED is always great to have.