Diver death at Haigh Quarry (IL.) today...

[DandyDon]

how could drowning be the cause of death if he was able to surface and call for help?(Im assuming he was reached quickly on the surface)

Deaths while diving are commonly misreported as drownings, even in cases when another cause is actually known, i.e. heart attack or whatever.

Previous postings of the news article in the Kankakee newspaper said that the results of the autopsy were drowning. This leads me to believe that the lungs were examined during the autopsy. But the autopsy Dr. may not have looked for an embolism. And the Kankakee newspaper has been wrong in the past.

Probably won't see an objective review of this for 2 years when the DAN report is published.

I think I may have more insides about deceased diver.
I’d like to learn and verify some more, before I post anything.
I don’t know anything about accident itself, what I am learning, though is diving skills, medical issues and circumstances surrounding that fatal dive.

The objective of this forum is to learn from other divers' accidents, and I guess the primary learning possibility here is to stay with one's buddy, but additional facts might be informative. Facts can be difficult to obtain - good luck.

 

[Tom725]

Quarries are not more dangerous IMHO than any other cold water low visibilty dive.

I have been in Racine Quarry, France Park, Mermet, Elgin Quarry, Gilboa, and the other quarry in Ohio (White something??)that the name escapes me. While I am aware of several incidents, none, as far I am aware were related to conditions that exist only in quarries.

Quarries offer wall dives in addition to the types of dives you find in other inland lakes. I have never heard anyone being injured by falling rocks.

Haigh Quarry in particular is as safe an enviornment as you can have for our hobby and our passion.

I understand the privacy issues but also wish we could all learn more from a more open flow of information.

To the family and frineds of the victim, I share you pain.

To the rest of the dive community, let's becareful out there.

 

[scubapolly]

Quarries are not more dangerous IMHO than any other cold water low visibilty dive.

I have been in Racine Quarry, France Park, Mermet, Elgin Quarry, Gilboa, and the other quarry in Ohio (White something??)that the name escapes me. While I am aware of several incidents, none, as far I am aware were related to conditions that exist only in quarries.

.

Quarries are dangerous because they are a cold water low visibility dive. Couple that with the large number of new divers, divers testing new equipment or new gear configurations.

I've been to most of the quarries you mentioned... but where is Elgin? I think you are trying to come up with White Star.

 

[jepuskar]

Polly, I personally don't think that quarries are more dangerous. Maybe for the warm water diver who visits a quarry only a few times, but for those of us who dive them all the time, it is not an issue, just reality. If I thought diving in a quarry was dangerous, I certainly wouldn't be diving in one.

J

 

[do it easy]

If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's in Elgin, Illinois. I think that it used to be a swimming club and you have to either live next to it or know someone to get it.

The fire department uses it for training- I was the rescue victim- once. That was one of the rare times that I actually took my gear home and rinsed it with soap and a hose. The water is icky icky nasty.

I don't think that quarries are any more dangerous that the lakes or oceans, although divers still have to respect the water. I think that because they resemble swimming pools, some divers get a false sense of security.

 

[jepuskar]

Easy, we are going diving Sunday morning at Haigh. Can you make it?

 

[scubapolly]

Polly, I personally don't think that quarries are more dangerous. Maybe for the warm water diver who visits a quarry only a few times, but for those of us who dive them all the time, it is not an issue, just reality. If I thought diving in a quarry was dangerous, I certainly wouldn't be diving in one.

J

J,
That is my point exactly. See my earlier post #40 on this thread
The quarries themselves are not any more dangerous than diving anywhere else. The danger is that people view them as a close cheap place to dive, test out new gear, get in a quick cert before a dive trip etc. My earlier post went into a lot more detail, I think if you read it you will see we are on the same page.

 

[do it easy]

Easy, we are going diving Sunday morning at Haigh. Can you make it?

I'll be there Saturday and Sunday- I'm helping with HSA OW training, so look for some divers who are pretending to be blind and paralyzed.

 

[Dean810]

I live in fear of all quarries! I should be at Haigh Sunday morning...

 

[jepuskar]

no Polly, I will disagree with that out of principle of being difficult.