Diver death in Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada

[Hawkwood]

This happened Saturday afternoon and was reported in today's Calgary Herald. Nothing in the article to indicate if this occurred at the "Dam Site" or the "Plaque Site". There is an awful lot of training done at both sites on weekends.

Man found unconscious in Minnewanka

MAN, 41, WAS PART OF CALGARY-AREA CLASS EXPLORING SCENIC WATERS IN BANFF NATIONAL PARK A 41-year-old man believed to be from the Calgary area died Saturday afternoon in a diving accident near Banff.

A Parks Canada official said the man was part of a group of divers from the Calgary area exploring Lake Minnewanka, five kilometres northeast of Banff. The group was made up of an instructor and six students who were paired up while diving near the dam at the lake’s west end.

“A diver who should have surfaced at a certain time didn’t do so,” said Aaron Beardmore, a Parks Canada visitor safety specialist. Someone called 911 just before 2 p.m., while the man’s companions and others diving nearby began a grid search of the area.

Parks Canada wardens, along with police, firefighters and paramedics from Banff, went to the scene.

Divers from the Calgary Fire Department were on their way to Banff when a member of the diving group found the man and brought him to the surface more than an hour after they began searching.

A Parks Canada boat took the man, who was unconscious, to the shore.
“There was a significant period of time that he was underwater, beyond the air he would have had,” Beardmore said.

RCMP said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lake Minnewanka is a popular dive spot because it has the ruins of an old resort village that was submerged after construction of a hydroelectric dam in the 1940s.

But Parks Canada also warns that due to the high altitude of Lake Minnewanka and the typical depth of the dives, the time underneath the water is shortened dramatically. It also notes the cold water can pose a hazard.

 

[Roko]

That's unfortunate, I'm curious as to what happened. I've dove Minnie several times before moving to the coast.

Lots of news sites are publishing minor variations to what you posted above, but with very little additional information.

 

[scuba nube]

I would like to know where his buddy was? How do you disappear with no one noticing? The visibility was really good yesterday I have heard.

 

[scubaeskimo]

Anybody who has dove in Minni knows that the visability can change in a minute - even in good visability you can't see very far. It is very easy to lose people. Sure he should have been with his buddy, but buddy separation happens all the time with new divers. All of the instructors out there are very experienced and careful, and won't be doing anything irresponsible while teaching a class. This is a very sad situation, I think it gives all of us who dive Minni on a regular basis a reality check. My thoughts go out to the divers family and also to the instructor and his family.

 

[j.doe]

Hey Guys

Has anyone heard what the dive shop was for the diver that was killed in Banff over the weekend?

It seems that they took out a student, he became seperated approx 5' visibility and by the time that they located him he had run out of air. Funny that the student did not surface, however it is a VERY deep lake and one does have the possibility of getting narc'ed failrly bad.

If anyone learns anything else I would be curious.

 

[darron]

Yeah - when I did my 6 dives there a month ago for AOW it was amazing how little you could see in any direction.

Very easy to get separated there - especially if you're working on skills and not just enjoying the ride.

 

[aaen]

My condolences to his family and friends. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through at the moment.


Steve

 

[aaen]

Not sure but I heard it was The Dive Shop. This makes a lot of sense when I think about it because they are the ones that do a lot of the classes at Minnie.

A lot of the other shops in town use two jack down the road which is not as deep(max 50-60 in the hole) average 30-40 feet and it has easy access from vehicles which can basically be parked at waters edge for the students.

I can't imagine this is easy for any of the parties involved and my thoughts and prayers are with the family/friends and for the instructor of the student.

 

[Roko]

There's another post on the topic here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...ver-death-lake-minnewanka-alberta-canada.html

But as of yet no real information has been posted beyond newspaper blurbs....

 

[Roko]

A little bit more info today, but not much new. Autopsy planned for tomorrow.

Autopsy to pinpoint cause of diver's death

Autopsy to pinpoint cause of diver's death
Jamie Komarnicki, With Files From Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald, Calgary Herald
Published: Monday, October 11, 2010

Investigators have few details about why a Calgary man died in a diving mishap at a popular Banff lake.

The 41-year-old's family have been notified of his death and have asked that his name not be released.

The man was diving in Lake Minnewanka on Saturday. When the diver didn't surface as expected from a 30-minute dive, his companions and others began a grid search.

RCMP Const. Mathieu St-Denis said the man was a beginner.

"He did some dives before, but he was still a student with instructors. He was fairly new," said St-Denis.

An autopsy is set for Tuesday.

"It will decide if he died from a drowning, lack of oxygen, or if he had a medical condition under the water," said St-Denis.

A member of the diving group found the man and brought him to the surface more than an hour after the search began.

On Sunday, local divers expressed sadness over the death.

"We just express our condolences to the family and anybody that was involved," said Greg McCuaig, vice-president of Underwater Outlaws, a social club for Calgary divers.

McCuaig dives at Lake Minnewanka dozens of times each year. It's a popular spot due to its proximity to Calgary and the ruins of a village that was submerged after a dam was built in 1941.

Saturday's diving incident is a difficult reminder of the dangers of the underwater activity, he said.

"The biggest thing is everybody realizing it's not a completely safe activity," McCuaig said. "Just making sure we're diligent working with our buddies and our team and our training."

jkomarnicki@calgaryherald.com