Cozumel Incident

[HammerNoMore]

Last week in Cozumel, there was another couple at our same hotel who was diving with a different operator, who's name I will not reveal publicly. We met on the pier each morning waiting for our boat and again at lunch each afternoon where we compared dives.

On our final day of diving, this couple had an interesting story. It seems that they had a videogrpher on the boat that day (one of those independents who make a living selling their videos to the divers). On the first dive she possibly got bent.

Here are the details as I know them:

She was from Spain and had been in Cozumel for 4 months. During that time she learned to dive and evidently decided to stay and make a living from it.
She had spent a good deal of time on this dive fighting currents to get the right shot.
After she returned to the boat she was not "feeling well".
Oxygen was supplied and the boat went ashore.
40 minutes later an ambulance arrived.

According to a third party, who's name I will not reveal publicly or privately, this is not the first time this shop has had a camera person go to the chamber.

These are the facts as I know them, though I admit, I was not there and know nothing first hand.

Does anyone know anything else from this incident?

As a side note, after the diver was taken away, the rest of the divers went to do their second dive. The couple reported to me that they asked if there was enough O2 left on the boat should there be a second incident. They reported to me that at first the DM was evasive and when they persisted, he became defensive and gave them the "do you not think I know my job" attitude. I'm not mentioning this as a source of debate, I doubt anyone would think the question was inappropriate or that the the DM's response was, just a side note I found personally shocking.

James

 

[tedtim]

As a side note, after the diver was taken away, the rest of the divers went to do their second dive. The couple reported to me that they asked if there was enough O2 left on the boat should there be a second incident. They reported to me that at first the DM was evasive and when they persisted, he became defensive and gave them the "do you not think I know my job" attitude.

IMO this is an entirely appropriate question. You indicated that they went to do the second dive. Given the response from the DM, did they actually do the dive, or did they walk away when faced with the response provided?

 

[HammerNoMore]

IMO this is an entirely appropriate question. You indicated that they went to do the second dive. Given the response from the DM, did they actually do the dive, or did they walk away when faced with the response provided?

They did the dive.

 

[CAPNVINNY]

I was just in Cozumel a few weeks ago . The operation I went with was a well known one. As I was talking with the DM he noticed my Stinger computor and remarked it was a conservative computer and they did MAX time at depth dives.I was taken aback as the other two divers on the boat were obviously newly certified females they met a the bar the night before diving without the aid of computors nor dive tables. We dove a deep wall dive and after slowly working our way back up I mentioned the ndl left on my computer,he waived me off,as we ran out of time my computer started beeping a warning,I motioned I was headed up to which he signaled ok and stayed down with the new divers another 10 minutes.Needless to say diving with them the rest of the trip wasn't an option. Note to self,don't depend on an operations DM to watch your back blindly.

 

[michaelaz]

Thats scarry but I always remeber what my first instructor told me, "dive you own dive and be responsable for your own life,who you can you blame when you are dead ?"

 

[DandyDon]

I was just in Cozumel a few weeks ago . The operation I went with was a well known one. As I was talking with the DM he noticed my Stinger computor and remarked it was a conservative computer and they did MAX time at depth dives.I was taken aback as the other two divers on the boat were obviously newly certified females they met a the bar the night before diving without the aid of computors nor dive tables. We dove a deep wall dive and after slowly working our way back up I mentioned the ndl left on my computer,he waived me off,as we ran out of time my computer started beeping a warning,I motioned I was headed up to which he signaled ok and stayed down with the new divers another 10 minutes.Needless to say diving with them the rest of the trip wasn't an option. Note to self,don't depend on an operations DM to watch your back blindly.

If this had been my experience, I'd name the Dive Op that employs this DM. I might take flack from fans of said Op - as I have on occasion here, but that never deters from me from speaking about my experience. But I'm an easier target - a non-pro with a taste for diving the edge at times.

I'd like to know anyway, just for the learning.

thank-you

 

[DeputyDan]

From reading other posts over the years this does not seem to be unusual for Coz.

 

[DandyDon]

From reading other posts over the years this does not seem to be unusual for Coz.

I think it is all too common, in Coz and every other non-US locale south of the US. There is not a bigoted bone in my body, but I do recognize the macho tendencies of many males south of the Rio Grande, and without US Coast Guard, courts, insurances companies, the traveling diver needs to be even more careful about self-diving controls - not trust-me diving. Yet so many newbies go south for their first experiences, yielding to leadership pressure, etc.

 

[Ron Brandt]

Often the DM's will ask if anyone is against running the limits on the computer. I use 2 and one happens to be "Stinger" and find myself having to do a deco stop to clear it out and then heading back down to finish the dive on the other computer.

My gas consumption matches or is better than most DM's on the island.

As for questioning about the O2 on board...this is a valid question , but the only rules are to have O2 on board and the quantity is not monitored by the park.

There is a good chance the girl doing the video may have done a rapid assent as well as the exertion of swimming into a current to bring on being bent as well as the possibility of doing a dive earlier in the day.

Dive your own dive, dive your own computer or dive square tables..the choice is yours.

Divers being bent in Coz is not uncommon,hense 2 chambers on the island.

Mentioning dive ops and accidents on here is not againt the rules as the dive ops,especially from Coz, want feedback about their DM's.

Ron

 

[Cacia]

1. My experience in Coz was good. We did some iffy profiles that I was "okay" with because I recognized they were iffy. If I were a "follow the leader" new diver.....not so good.

2. Almost all videographers that I have seen (professional ones) over the past 30 years did profiles I would not routinely do. (up, down, chasing the footage)

3. Whenever 02 has been used, I have never seen the tank refilled and returned before the second run.

Sorry, don't yell at me. I am just reporting what I have observed in various locations over time. Some differences may occur regionally.

Remember, the Coast Guard does NOT require the 02 for commercial operation, in Hawaii at least.