Death at Gilboa

[Roooter]

cstru1026,

not only do you need to have complete confidence in your instructors, but also in your own ablilities & skills. if they did their job, & you listened to them, you should be fine. also, you won't (shouldn't) be going to the depths that Ber & Mike are talking about at this time. I think everyone has to respect his/her own limitations. any one of us can get into trouble at any time if we don't.

nobody knows...or will ever know...what caused that diver to bolt to the surface this past Sunday. he was an experienced diver (9yrs) who apparently dove Gilboa fairly often. he knew the risks. his buddy did what we were all trained to do in OWs...dropped the weight belt of an unconscious diver & got him to the surface. I feel for the buddy & pray that none of us are ever in the position he was in on Sunday.

 

[capnvik]

could someone please tell me where Gilboa is, I'm not familiar with it.

 

[bigcat]

Gilboa is just a few miles west of Findlay on St.Rt. 224. This really is an excellent dive location and a well run facility. I have been there quite a few times. Vis is usually extraordinary even on the deep side. I ventured to 110ft on my last dive there and watched as the air in my Al 80 rapidy dissipated at that depth. So I made my move to the surface. I agree with the earlier post, without the proper equipment and training, you have no business on the deep side of this quarry.

That wall is spectacular and very enticing. I can see why so many OW students ignore the posted rules, test their bravado and head for the bottom. This thread is the first time I have ever heard of the sulfur cloud in Gilboa. No one I know of has ever experienced it. Panic / Stress can strike even the most experienced diver at anytime. This is the number one cause of dive fatalites. I don't believe this issue really is given the proper attention in OW and AOW classes.

Check out <www.divegilboa.com>

 

[MikeFerrara]

PA/NJdiver,

Check your box. I sent you a reply but it didn't show up in my sent folder and it hasn't been read.

Mike

 

[MikeFerrara]

This may be another one to take another look at Note the reference to the reported cause of death "lung over expansion" Rapid ascent? poor buoyancy control? Yes I know he was in a class.

 

[Big O]

I live about a hour away from the quarry, and dive it a ton. The owner, Mike Williams is a good friend of mine.

Mike has put so much work into this place that it has become a huge destination. A top notch facility.

I don't know what happened to the diver that day, but I feel for him and his family.

I've been to the bottom of the quarry on several occasions, and I can't stress enough that there isn't anything down there worth putting yourself at risk.

As Mike F. puts it... This aint the Carribean!

To dive here on the deep side, you need at the very least, a large volume cylinder, with a large volume pony, BOTH EQUIPED WITH A COLD WATER REGULATOR, and a drysuit!!!!

And to do it best, ya need doubles....

Mike F, and Detroit Diver, hope to share water with you there sometime this summer!

Dave

 

[Big-t-2538]

Ber Rabbit once bubbled...

One day at dinner one of our AOW students made the comment that he intended to "find the bottom of Gilboa." I thought my (and his) instructor was going to go over the table after him. She said "You don't have the training or the equipment to go to the bottom of Gilboa. If you try that dive you are going to die!"

Yeah...I think I know that idiot....what the hell was he thinkin..oh wait I'm not so sure he was. I also think he blew his plan on that dive he made in the sea down below 100ft...does this moron have any sense????

O.K..for those who haven't figued it out yet, that was (and still is I guess) me....Fortunately I've changed my attitude a tad (due in part to some instructors I know and something about getting a little wiser with age) for the better of course. But then again my thinking coudln;t have been much worse...that's why we keep people like Ber and the other instructor around.....

 

[snuggle]

just found out about this myself..my thoughts and prayers go out to the family..has anyone found that link to the coroners report?i cant seem to find it

 

[Cherry]

There has been a number of comments during this thread of "cold water regs" I assume you are talking about enviromentally sealed regs like the ATX 200 or Mk25 am I right in thinking this?

Cherry

 

[DiverBuoy]

For "freezing" cold water that would be a minimum requirement.