Death at Dutch Springs

[RJP]

I urge any dive professionals who witnessed anything about either event to write up a report and submit it to your agency or insurance company.

If I was not directly involved in an incident, why on Earth would I "write up a report and submit it to my agency or insurance company"?

- What does "my agency" have to do with the incident in question?
- Why would I want to notify "my insurance company" about the incident in question?

 

[DiverGirl1972]

This is the second Dutch fatality in a month. I was there Sunday. Rumour is that Dutch Staff has told people to not discuss the matter with anyone.

I urge any dive professionals who witnessed anything about either event to write up a report and submit it to your agency or insurance company.

I must say that I completely agree with leadership urging people not discuss the incident while an investigation is being completed. Where I work, there are only two people who are authorized to discuss any sensitive matters relating to our business with the press/community. All other staff members are to simply pass on their contact info and make no comment. In most cases of tragedy, there is both an internal and external (law enforcement) investigation begin conducted. Until the facts are determined, the only questions we're answering are those of the police. In today's litigious society, that's the best way to handle things - especially if you're a business.

I would suggest that anyone with information should contact the authorities to make a statement. Personally, I'd leave my insurance company and agency out of it unless I was somehow responsible for what happened.

 

[DandyDon]

So, still - no one knows or is telling what happened?

The story is quite newsworthy, many sites still posting it, but with little real info...

Excerpted from Second Diver Dies at Dutch Springs - Police & Fire - Nazareth, PA Patch

Lysek said Poplawski had been with a group diving at the facility around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. He said around 11:30 p.m., Poplawski had been reported missing.

Excerpted from Man drowns in diving accident at Dutch Springs in Lower Nazareth Township - Morning Call

found around 3:30 a.m. Sunday

Excerpted from Dutch Springs scuba diving accident kills man, police say | lehighvalleylive.com

Police say officers, as well as Bethlehem Township Emergency Medical Service crews, responded at 11:43 p.m. Saturday to the water park and scuba center.

Excerpted from Diver dies at former quarry near Nazareth | PoconoRecord.com

The Express-Times says the man was reported missing just after 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Dutch Springs scuba center and water park. Colonial Regional police said officers and Bethlehem Township emergency crews responded and found the victim at about 3:15 a.m. Sunday.
Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek identified the victim as 46-year-old Izydor Poplawski, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The times seem to match over the stories, unless they were all based on a faulty report - which happens, but if we accept those reports as correct: He dove with a group around 8:30pm, no mention of a dedicated buddy, was noticed missing around 11:30pm, emergency services were requested, he was found after 3am, pronounced dead on the scene.

No info on equipment, remaining air, weights - nothing...??

Was it a night dive or was it just late when they found him?

From Sunrise and Sunset for U.S.A. ? Pennsylvania ? Philadelphia ? September 2013
Sunset was at 7:22pm, over an hour before reported dive time - dark and getting darker I think.

I dive a lot at Dutch Springs and they have pretty strict protocols regarding their Saturday night dives. You must be registered at the front office if you are doing the night dive, the night dive can begin anytime after 1/2 hour prior to sunset, all divers must be in the water by 1/2 hour after sunset and all divers must be out of the water no later than 2 hours after sunset. Two weeks ago when I did a night dive there, that time was 945 pm.

If sunset was 7:22pm and dive time was correctly reported as 8:30pm - which is questionable, then "all divers must be in the water by 1/2 hour after sunset and all divers must be out of the water no later than 2 hours after sunset" does not fit? Deadline for dive would be 7:52pm, deadline for exit would be 9:22pm - but they didn't notice him missing for another 2 hours after final exit time?

They also have strict protocols for solo diving. You must hold an SDI solo cert, register as a solo diver at the front office, you must check out a locator beacon/transponder and return it at the end of the dive day and you must check in with the lake staff on your way in and out of the water. I am curious as to why no one noticed he was missing until 11:30 pm, unless he was diving solo and not following the rules.

It does sound like he was not checked-in as solo by those rules, but one article does say he was diving with a group - however loose that group might have been?

Did I miss anything of the scant info we have been given?

Anyone who knows want to correct anything here...??

 

[RJP]

Yup Don, this is the very first time in history that news reports of an incident have left the dive community wanting for details. Good catch.

As to one conclusion they (and you) may have conveyed a bit inaccurately:

You say he was "noticed" missing at 11:30. The newspaper said "reported" missing at 11:30. My guess would be that he was "noticed" missing much earlier than that, Dutch staff went into response mode, (I've been there when they have... they have their s**t together) and when they couldn't locate him they "reported" a missing diver to the authorities at 11:30. That is most likely the "report" that the papers are citing, going off the 911 call, not Dutch staff being notified by other divers.

 

[DiverGirl1972]

In the OP, Dumaresq mentioned that they didn't realize there was an issue until someone woke them up around midnight and asked if the missing diver was in their tent. I'm not sure what "response mode" consists of for Dutch (though, I've heard they have handled previous incidents in a first-class manner), but you would think that if there was a lag time between "noticed missing" and "reported missing", a tent check would have happened prior to calling the authorities (?). Maybe not...

As for the times of the night dive, those are indeed the guidelines that Dutch Springs provides (they actually give you a sheet of paper with the details on it). I've never deviated from them, so I can't honestly say how strictly they are upheld.

(Sorry, I don't know how to do that fancy multi-quoting thing)

 

[DandyDon]

Yup Don, this is the very first time in history that news reports of an incident have left the dive community wanting for details. Good catch.

As to one conclusion they (and you) may have conveyed a bit inaccurately:

You say he was "noticed" missing at 11:30. The newspaper said "reported" missing at 11:30. My guess would be that he was "noticed" missing much earlier than that, Dutch staff went into response mode, (I've been there when they have... they have their s**t together) and when they couldn't locate him they "reported" a missing diver to the authorities at 11:30. That is most likely the "report" that the papers are citing, going off the 911 call, not Dutch staff being notified by other divers.

That seems like a more likely appraisal, yes. It does sound like the site goes well beyond duty in protecting divers who should be taking care of themselves, probably in part because they don't want a bad name.

 

[RJP]

In the OP, Dumaresq mentioned that they didn't realize there was an issue until someone woke them up around midnight and asked if the missing diver was in their tent. I'm not sure what "response mode" consists of for Dutch (though, I've heard they have handled previous incidents in a first-class manner), but you would think that if there was a lag time between "noticed missing" and "reported missing", a tent check would have happened prior to calling the authorities (?). Maybe not...

I have no first-hand knowledge of the incident in question, but having witnessed and been involved in emergencies there I can assure you that the Dutch staff moves immediately when they are notified of a missing diver. However, they do not conduct a "roll call" or "tent check" after night dives. If no one notified the Dutch staff that someone was missing until 11:30, there is no way that they could respond any sooner.

PS - I am trying to confirm, but I believe that Dutch does NOT allow solo night diving.

 

[DiverGirl1972]

I'd be curious to know if they allow solo night dives as well. There is nothing noted to that effect on the 'Camping and Night Diving at Dutch Springs' flyer that they hand out. Also, I had been solo diving up there on my birthday and earlier in the day when I checked out the transponder, they didn't mention anything about restrictions for the night dive. Admittedly, I didn't exactly read ALL of the fine print of the waiver I signed. I was diving with a group for that dive, so I didn't even ask and returned the unit after my last afternoon dive.

Of course, if someone decided to buck the system, they probably could.

 

[dumaresq]

I was quite sure they do not allow solo night diving, I was told this by the staff, sadly I cannot find anything on the site or on Google to back this up. Now I am not so sure.

I also want to clarify I was woken up around midnight. It might have been closer to 11 or closer to 1. I didn't check the time. I was kind of "out of it" having only recently fallen asleep.

I am not sure why more information hasn't been released. I can only assume an investigation is ongoing. Someone must know the divers equipment and have some information about the group he was diving with but perhaps can't release it yet.

 

[DiverFriend]

Izydor Poplawski Obituary: View Izydor Poplawski's Obituary by Connecticut Post