Fitness standards wouldn't work either. This guy may of been a big guy, but what about someone like the running guru Jim Fixx. Here is a guy who was in perfect shape and he drops dead of a heart attack. So outside of bringing a ekg tape onboard before every dive sh1t is going to happen.
Diver Death on the Algol?
- Thread starter tchil01
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Fitness standards wouldn't work either. This guy may of been a big guy, but what about someone like the running guru Jim Fixx. Here is a guy who was in perfect shape and he drops dead of a heart attack. So outside of bringing a ekg tape onboard before every dive sh1t is going to happen.
And from what I remember, there were at least a few deaths on the Seeker that were of this type...unpreventable cardiac type stuff that just happened to happen on a dive..
landlocked
Contributor
Um.... I'm wondering if I should take some offense at this. I'm 49 and 220 lbs. (But then I can still run/bike and I limit my diving to resonable stuff for an old out of shape guy.) So no offense taken. Just think though, it could have been worse. He could have died at work! Now that would be a tragedy!
large_diver
Contributor
I didn't realize we large people had a classification -- "people of size".......;-)
Nope, sorry about that...just expressing my opinion that one cannot hold the Seeker responsible for the fitness and cardiovascular health of its clients.
Oh yeah, there was a great article about it in the Wall Street Journal a few months back... There is a non-profit rights organization supporting people of size. I think one of their agenda items was addressing the discriminatory practice of airlines charging people of size for two seats on flights.
Rick L
Guest
Well actualy he said fat slobs then people of size!!!
I guess he thinks you can insult someone as long as you put
in some lame politicly correct bull at the end???
Rick L
I guess he thinks you can insult someone as long as you put
in some lame politicly correct bull at the end???
Rick L
I apologize if it came off that way...
I just don't understand how it is the Seeker's fault that someone ate too many cheeseburgers. Couple that with the guy I saw last weekend at the quarry who was about to pass out under the weight of his doubles (and his gut) and had to have 2 instructors help him out of his gear and I was thinking that maybe morbidly obese or unfit people shouldn't dive just like they shouldn't run a marathon.
Paul168341
Guest
I don't think that oversimplifying is going to help anything. Heart attacks are not always attributed to a person's weight. A person's weight isn't necessarily attributed to cheeseburgers.
I dive with a number of "People of Size" (Egads, Political Correctness is getting out of hand) In the water they are just as graceful as anyone else (remember buoyancy) That's not to say that there are some folks who would probably be better off sticking to Rec. diving but that's a whole can of worms in of itself.
I think what can be learned from the recent tragedy on the Algol, is that we ALL need to look out for one another. Yes, there absolutely needs to be a large degree of personal responsibility from each individual diver, but it is also is the responsibility of everyone present to stop someone if it looks like there are any signs of impending trouble.
Granted, This particular gentleman could have dropped anywhere at any time. Any one of us can. I don't know if he was exhibiting any signs of stress before entering the water, but as was said above, he had trouble swimming to the line. It sounds like this particular case was one which probably could not have been easily avoided. If he wasn't feeling well before the dive, he may have hid it well. Who knows?
This type of accident does appear to be on the rise however. There are too many people getting into deep wreck diving because it feeds their ego. That is obviously the wrong reason to start. Unfortuneately, there are those out there who will happily take their money without caring if the particular person should really be engaged in that particular activity.
We can joke all we want about "Darwin Award" candidates and so forth, but the sad truth is that there are people who just don't understand the risks involved. It is up to the rest of us to remind them that the only thing that happens fast in this sport is disaster.
I no longer do this type of diving simply because it plays too much to my competitive nature. I never was very good at resisting peer pressure. And there is a LOT of peer pressure and tough-guy attitude in many Tec. circles. If you don't believe me, then read "The Last Dive" by Bernie Choudhoury. So, I walked away from that aspect of the sport and stayed with teaching Rec. My wife and daughter are happier for it.
I dive with a number of "People of Size" (Egads, Political Correctness is getting out of hand) In the water they are just as graceful as anyone else (remember buoyancy) That's not to say that there are some folks who would probably be better off sticking to Rec. diving but that's a whole can of worms in of itself.
I think what can be learned from the recent tragedy on the Algol, is that we ALL need to look out for one another. Yes, there absolutely needs to be a large degree of personal responsibility from each individual diver, but it is also is the responsibility of everyone present to stop someone if it looks like there are any signs of impending trouble.
Granted, This particular gentleman could have dropped anywhere at any time. Any one of us can. I don't know if he was exhibiting any signs of stress before entering the water, but as was said above, he had trouble swimming to the line. It sounds like this particular case was one which probably could not have been easily avoided. If he wasn't feeling well before the dive, he may have hid it well. Who knows?
This type of accident does appear to be on the rise however. There are too many people getting into deep wreck diving because it feeds their ego. That is obviously the wrong reason to start. Unfortuneately, there are those out there who will happily take their money without caring if the particular person should really be engaged in that particular activity.
We can joke all we want about "Darwin Award" candidates and so forth, but the sad truth is that there are people who just don't understand the risks involved. It is up to the rest of us to remind them that the only thing that happens fast in this sport is disaster.
I no longer do this type of diving simply because it plays too much to my competitive nature. I never was very good at resisting peer pressure. And there is a LOT of peer pressure and tough-guy attitude in many Tec. circles. If you don't believe me, then read "The Last Dive" by Bernie Choudhoury. So, I walked away from that aspect of the sport and stayed with teaching Rec. My wife and daughter are happier for it.
Much more eloquently worded than any of my posts...thank you.
Well, I agree that there are more people going deep than ever before and also more are going deep quickly than ever before. One can get a trimix card with how many logged dives? Not many, maybe 100? It used to be that people worked their way up slowly but now, just as we have "90 day wonder" instructors, we have "90 day wonder" tech divers.
Yea, there are some remnants of what someone (Bernie?)once referred to as "cowboy culture" in deep wreck circles. I think it's less than it used to be though as the average deep wreck diver is starting to change, partially due to what I previously mentioned. I admit though, that this very culture is what draws many into deeper diving. There's a definate attraction to getting away from the "summer vacation pink fin" crowd for some divers. It's not only ego.
Tom
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