Death at the Blue Hole in Belize

[Puffer Fish]

I am not a doctor, but I do conduct death investigations and am a deputy medical examiner. I have been to numerous autopsies. The pathologist performing the post is the most important variable, and the quality of labratory testing, if any is done. A cardiac event may or may not leave physical evidence detectable at post. In the event of a massive heart attack, the clot that causes it can often be found in the heart. All manner of things can kill you that are undetectable at post, also many pathologists do not open the skull in all cases, so any number of things can be going on inside the head that never get looked at.

I have no experience what so ever with autopsy of DCS victim so I have no idea what you would or would not see.

In answer to the above post, swallowing water will not drown you. Inhaling it can and does.

There is a somewhat rare, but not unknown reaction where inhaling very small amounts of sea water can cause trachea constrictions, which result in suffocation. leaves behind absolutely no physical evidence. I've seen one event of this (person lived thankfully) and there has been one that I know of in the last 2 years in florida (but only because their were witnesses to the event. ) How often this is assumed to be heart attack is not known. My guess is that when they don't know, and you are over around 40... it is assumed to be heart attack.

 

[lamont]

Most of us tourists wouldn't have enough air to get into Deco and even those who can last long enough on an 80cf tank at 139-150 ft are well supervised. No one goes into Deco there, really.

It'd be very interesting to doppler ultrasound divers coming back up from that dive to see if the actual bubbles validated that theory.

Granted it will all be fast tissue loading that you'll get on that dive, and a short deco stop will largely clear it all up -- but if you miss that deco stop then you'll get a bubble shower in your fast tissues. Combine that with a PFO that opens as you strain to get on the boat and that could lead to type 2 DCS.

And given that you've got divers untrained in decompression doing this dive, chances are they get quite a few events where divers blow off the stop due to lack of skill.

 

[tridacna]

No one goes into Deco there, really.

Really? I did. Twice. Both times on an 80 Al. And I had plenty of gas to do my deco. Is that normal? No. I lagged behind a "little" on purpose. (And they had stage bottles at 20').

 

[DandyDon]

Really? I did. Twice. Both times on an 80 Al. And I had plenty of gas to do my deco. Is that normal? No. I lagged behind a "little" on purpose. (And they had stage bottles at 20').

Guess I should have said hardly anyone. Still, I wonder if you were diving a conservative computer like those that allow 10% less BT than Padi tables...?

thanks

 

[tridacna]

Guess I should have said hardly anyone. Still, I wonder if you were diving a conservative computer like those that allow 10% less BT than Padi tables...?

thanks

I use a VR3 and a Cochran - both set quite aggressive.