jmani
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mtbrider:
I can't say for sure, but I was told he was a dive master diving with the class, but not associated with the class.
John
Death in Monterey
- Thread starter arenny
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I can't say for sure, but I was told he was a dive master diving with the class, but not associated with the class.
John
I spoke with Capt. Tim the morning after the incident when I ran into him at Starbucks. I said that I heard about what happened and I expressed my condolences for what happened on his boat the previous day.
He mentioned that the gentleman that passed was a "Rescue Diver" with his instructor, down at 120 fsw. They got him on board within minutes after him surfacing and administered O2 until paramedics arrived.
My condolences go out to his friends and family, along with those on the boat that day. It's always tough to hear about one of our own passing away in our own backyard.
Dive safe everyone,
Mel
He mentioned that the gentleman that passed was a "Rescue Diver" with his instructor, down at 120 fsw. They got him on board within minutes after him surfacing and administered O2 until paramedics arrived.
My condolences go out to his friends and family, along with those on the boat that day. It's always tough to hear about one of our own passing away in our own backyard.
Dive safe everyone,
Mel
My sincerest and deepest sympathy go out to Bretts family and especially his expecting wife...
I was one of the five in the water, two of us on a deep dive specialty class, viz was 5 - 8 feet max which made it a very bad situation from the start. I do know when I reached 130 fsm the water was very clouded maybe 2 - 3 foot viz, I could see Shea on my left and Tom on my right, Don and Brett were directly across from me, it looked as if Brett was having difficulty with his buoyancy and Don was assisting.
I do not want to make any speculation on what happened,
I hope to post more info when it is available to me...
I was one of the five in the water, two of us on a deep dive specialty class, viz was 5 - 8 feet max which made it a very bad situation from the start. I do know when I reached 130 fsm the water was very clouded maybe 2 - 3 foot viz, I could see Shea on my left and Tom on my right, Don and Brett were directly across from me, it looked as if Brett was having difficulty with his buoyancy and Don was assisting.
I do not want to make any speculation on what happened,
I hope to post more info when it is available to me...
RJD,
Can i ask what sport chalet location you guys went out with? Also, can you give a general description/last name of brett? Im tryin to figure out if hes a member of our diving club.
Jordan
Can i ask what sport chalet location you guys went out with? Also, can you give a general description/last name of brett? Im tryin to figure out if hes a member of our diving club.
Jordan
Elk Grove, I do not know his last name... Brett is 5'6" - 5'8" 150 - 170 lbs. short dark hair. I could be a little off on the hair as he was wearing a beanie.
Of course I have many questions... after the fact...
On a charter does mixing recreational divers (who want to get to there dive site and enjoy what they came for) with students doing speciality classes (which the rec divers must sit and wait) give a feeling of being hurried ?
Is it typical for a dive boat not to drop anchor in low viz conditions? perhaps having a reference line would have lessened the stress...
Stress is handled differently in each person... And not always noticeable to what degree until it becomes a panic situation.
Of course I have many questions... after the fact...
On a charter does mixing recreational divers (who want to get to there dive site and enjoy what they came for) with students doing speciality classes (which the rec divers must sit and wait) give a feeling of being hurried ?
Is it typical for a dive boat not to drop anchor in low viz conditions? perhaps having a reference line would have lessened the stress...
Stress is handled differently in each person... And not always noticeable to what degree until it becomes a panic situation.
GDCB
Guest
First, my condolences to Bretts expecting wife and son. I was in the Elk Grove store yesterday (dropping off my tanks) and spoke with his co workers and saw Don (visibly shaken). I was in the water at breakwater when the sirens went off (It was my 2nd dive for my OW cert). It was clear to me yesterday that he was well liked and respected by his co workers. He was said to have had a fair amount of experience and was the helpful sort of person you always wanted around. I'm sure donations would get to his family if sent to the Elk Grove, Sport Chalet.
Carl
Carl
Scubacastor
Contributor
What a sad news 
. My condolences to his family and friends.
Most of the time I've been on the Monterey Express with a deep class, the boat use to go to a site where rec divers can dive at the same time than the class (for ex, Mono Lobo, Ballbuster). On saturday, the weather conditions in the morning led the boat to go back in the bay for the second dive. So I guess the choice of the mile buoy in the afternoon was a good compromise between the necessity of finding a calm and enoughly deep dive to have the class run but it's already too deep for rec diving. Ballbuster was probably undivable. I've been in both situation (the rec diver who waits for advanced divers to complete their deep dive and the advanced diver). Never been troubled by the fact some had to sit and wait for me or I had to sit and wait for them.
While it is useful to have a visual reference when ascending, an anchor line really helps in descending when divers need to reach a particular position at the bottom (a pinnacle for ex) but you can have more stress trying to reach the anchor line if you have some currents at the surface than just drifting if the anchor is not needed and you know the boat will pick you up after your dive wherever you are. On Saturday morning, we had both strong surface currents in and outside the bay. Maybe the conditions at the buoy in the afternoon were better for drift diving. Btw, it would have taken more minutes to reach the Breakwater if the boat had to recover a 130-160ft anchor line... The captain of this charter is never reluctant on safety. He insists for divers to use the anchor line on some sites where topography can lead to arrive in too deep waters. If he didn't drop the anchor, I think he probably had a valid and safe reason not to do so.
Stress underwater is something you tend to handle more efficiently with experience. A "Rescue diver" looks like to me as someone who has some diving experiences. Lots of things are confusing here.
From the various reports, I think the accident was more a consequence of the "Buoyancy problem" because apparently the diver reached the surface and tried to go down again. Looks like, for some reasons, he has been unable to control his ascent. It can be a lost or dropped weight belt (but in that case, if you want to reach the surface, I don't see why someone would then try to go down...) or something else.
Lots of informations are missing. I hope we'll have some constructive explanations about what happened. Unfortunately It won't bring this poor diver back to life but I guess his family and friends and lots of people here want to understand what really happened underwater.
. My condolences to his family and friends. Most of the time I've been on the Monterey Express with a deep class, the boat use to go to a site where rec divers can dive at the same time than the class (for ex, Mono Lobo, Ballbuster). On saturday, the weather conditions in the morning led the boat to go back in the bay for the second dive. So I guess the choice of the mile buoy in the afternoon was a good compromise between the necessity of finding a calm and enoughly deep dive to have the class run but it's already too deep for rec diving. Ballbuster was probably undivable. I've been in both situation (the rec diver who waits for advanced divers to complete their deep dive and the advanced diver). Never been troubled by the fact some had to sit and wait for me or I had to sit and wait for them.
While it is useful to have a visual reference when ascending, an anchor line really helps in descending when divers need to reach a particular position at the bottom (a pinnacle for ex) but you can have more stress trying to reach the anchor line if you have some currents at the surface than just drifting if the anchor is not needed and you know the boat will pick you up after your dive wherever you are. On Saturday morning, we had both strong surface currents in and outside the bay. Maybe the conditions at the buoy in the afternoon were better for drift diving. Btw, it would have taken more minutes to reach the Breakwater if the boat had to recover a 130-160ft anchor line... The captain of this charter is never reluctant on safety. He insists for divers to use the anchor line on some sites where topography can lead to arrive in too deep waters. If he didn't drop the anchor, I think he probably had a valid and safe reason not to do so.
Stress underwater is something you tend to handle more efficiently with experience. A "Rescue diver" looks like to me as someone who has some diving experiences. Lots of things are confusing here.
From the various reports, I think the accident was more a consequence of the "Buoyancy problem" because apparently the diver reached the surface and tried to go down again. Looks like, for some reasons, he has been unable to control his ascent. It can be a lost or dropped weight belt (but in that case, if you want to reach the surface, I don't see why someone would then try to go down...) or something else.
Lots of informations are missing. I hope we'll have some constructive explanations about what happened. Unfortunately It won't bring this poor diver back to life but I guess his family and friends and lots of people here want to understand what really happened underwater.
jky
Registered
Ballbuster was, indeed, diveable that day.
I did a dive there in the late morning (delays led to a dock departure of 11:30ish. 6 divers on 3 boats.) Long, slow, but significant swell with very little wind chop on the run out. A very gentle north current at the surface when we got in. Vis at the top of the pinnacle was maybe 25 feet, green and hazy. At the bottom of the pinnacle, it was maybe 30 feet, but chunkier. Pretty good eastward current over the rock. Upon ascent, the north current had gotten stronger, and shifted a bit to the east. Flagpole on the line for the safety stop.
We rounded the Breakwater wall at the same time the Express was heading out; about 1:45pm (I remember thinking they must have been running a bit late.)
I'm a little surprised at the poor vis reported at the mile buoy; our second dive in 85 feet in the shale off the Beach Hotel had 15 to 20.
jky
I did a dive there in the late morning (delays led to a dock departure of 11:30ish. 6 divers on 3 boats.) Long, slow, but significant swell with very little wind chop on the run out. A very gentle north current at the surface when we got in. Vis at the top of the pinnacle was maybe 25 feet, green and hazy. At the bottom of the pinnacle, it was maybe 30 feet, but chunkier. Pretty good eastward current over the rock. Upon ascent, the north current had gotten stronger, and shifted a bit to the east. Flagpole on the line for the safety stop.
We rounded the Breakwater wall at the same time the Express was heading out; about 1:45pm (I remember thinking they must have been running a bit late.)
I'm a little surprised at the poor vis reported at the mile buoy; our second dive in 85 feet in the shale off the Beach Hotel had 15 to 20.
jky
OP
arenny
Contributor
I agree with Scubacastor. I think that his friends and family, as well as us divers would like to find out the facts. It won't bring him back but it might save some lives in the future, who knows. I also heard the version that there was something wrong at the bottom and the instructor tried to help him at 120'.
mtbrider
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MAN DIES WHILE SCUBA DIVING
Herald Staff Report
A 35-year-old man died Saturday while scuba diving in Monterey Bay with a group from a chartered boat, the sheriff's office reported.
Brett Ramage of Elk Grove became unconscious during the dive at about 4 p.m., authorities reported, and dive instructors came to his aid. He was taken ashore by boat and then taken to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula where he later died.
The coroner's unit of the sheriff's office conducted an autopsy. No further information on the cause of death was available Tuesday afternoon.
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/13757024.htm
Herald Staff Report
A 35-year-old man died Saturday while scuba diving in Monterey Bay with a group from a chartered boat, the sheriff's office reported.
Brett Ramage of Elk Grove became unconscious during the dive at about 4 p.m., authorities reported, and dive instructors came to his aid. He was taken ashore by boat and then taken to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula where he later died.
The coroner's unit of the sheriff's office conducted an autopsy. No further information on the cause of death was available Tuesday afternoon.
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/13757024.htm
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