Diver Died In West Palm Beach, Fl.

[gatorchick]

My thoughts are with the victim's family, friends, and all affected by this tragic incident. I have not read all of the posts but I think an important thing for all to remember (especially new divers), is that if you feel anxious, nervous, or otherwise something doesn't feel right, don't go on the dive. I know there is an inherent amount of nervousness with your initial dives but if you don't feel comfortable, don't go! It's a judgment call between determining whether you might be having just a little bit of nervousness that might be expected for a new diver or more serious anxiety or something else going on that might cause a problem. It is really up to the diver to make that call and he/she shoud never feel pressured to proceed. There's always another day for diving and if you happen to be under the weather, not comfortable with the diving conditions, whatever, no one will/should ever fault you for skipping a dive. I of course am not making any speculations as to what happened or contributed to this event but thought this is important for us all to remember.

 

[leapfrog]

I have not read all of the posts but I think an important thing for all to remember (especially new divers), is that if you feel anxious, nervous, or otherwise something doesn't feel right, don't go on the dive.

Excellent post and judgement. One of the reasons I like to work with larger Dive Centers is that we can ALL have a bad day. Like a lot of folks there are some nights when I just don't get enough sleep (yeah, bad karma). 4 times out of 5 I get up, go on the dive and as soon as I am in the water, I'm fine. Once in a blue moon I will show up at the Center and say, "guys, didn't get enough sleep last night, take the DMT on the dive, I'll stay behind and run the shop."

The other related issue is PLEASE DO NOT DIVE IF YOU ARE UNWELL. A lot of divers turn up with an ENT problem and want to take voodoo medicine and go on the dive. DON'T DO IT. It is a sure way of having airspace and compensation problems all the way down and worse still, on the way up.

If you want to dive but feel nervous, queezy or whatever, tell the Staff so that you can be helped and maybe get some one on one at the beginning of the dive until you calm down.

Probably preaching to the converted, so forgive me in advance

 

[Likes2Cruise]

... I have not read all of the posts but I think an important thing for all to remember (especially new divers), is that if you feel anxious, nervous, or otherwise something doesn't feel right, don't go on the dive

And this exact issue could have caused serious injury or death to both my wife an I just recently.
We are both novice divers with about 18 dives, mostly shore dive. For my wife, only her 2nd boat dive and for me my 3rd. We took a dive in Bermuda about a month ago, and we both experienced significant panic attacks upon initial entry into the water. The DM convinced us both to continue. She had calmed me down, but even going down, I knew my wife was still panicy.

After getting down to about 25fsw the DM focused on my wife and as we began to swim around the wreck. After about 10 min, I started to get the panic feeling and also noticed I was floating up. The panic overrode the logic and I forgot that I had added a little air to the BC and should have vented - although panic and going back down was not a logical thing for me at the time. I surfaced, alone. If we had been at any great depth, I would have had some serious issues with skipping the safety stop. I did have enough sense to at least surface at a safe rate.

My wife surface a bit later with the DM and was still a bit panicked. We both skipped the second dive.

Issues leading to the panic: Rough seas, rental equipmnet that breathed VERY hard, 7mm wet suits that seemed a bit too tight, 35lbs weight belt (10lbs more than I'm used to, plus I use integrated), and a rush-rush attitude to get into the water. My wife had the addition of seasickness to add to her list.

Definitely a 'lesson learned', and opened my eyes to the fact that no matter how much I love and desire to go diving, the panic can take me. I certainly need to make sure we exercise better judgement in any similar situations.

(that and I'm bringing my own damn gear regardless of airline baggage restrictions)

 

[Ocean One]

7mm suit in the Bermuda's? 35 lbs of weight! How did you move? Although you didn't say what size guy you are...Hmmmm!

 

[Saltwater Junky]

Have there been any new facts released regarding this incident?

 

[Thalassamania]

And this exact issue could have caused serious injury or death to both my wife an I just recently.
We are both novice divers with about 18 dives, mostly shore dive. For my wife, only her 2nd boat dive and for me my 3rd. We took a dive in Bermuda about a month ago, and we both experienced significant panic attacks upon initial entry into the water.

What do you think might have better prepared for this dive?

 

[dashark]

Electrical current will follow the path of least resistance, so it is always trying to go to earth. it will flow from 1 paddle to the other normaly, but if you are touching the patient it will flow from the patient to you and then to earth (sea). I am not a electrical engineer, so I can't tell you the reason, but I am a paramedic and have seen it first hand, so it does definatly belt you.

I am no engineer, but, am also a medic. This is a fact. it not only delivers a belt, you may end up being the next one defibrillated.

 

[dashark]

Bag valve mask resuscitators are the best way of delivering O2 as you can get very close to 100% O2 to the patient. There is a technique to it as if the head is not properly positioned you can force air into the stomach and eventually cause the patient to regurgitate their stomach contense (vomit). This in turn could be aspirated (breathed or forced into the lungs), which is a serious problem. Please ask if the person who is doing your CPR resert is able to show you how this piece of equipment works before trying to use it.

I absolutely agree. With the proper training and experience, you can feel the compliance a bvm will give if it is delivering air into the lungs instead of the stomach. That is one of the problems with a demand valve, even if it has a pop off type valve. It cannot give any indication as to where the air is being delivered.
That is also one of the problems with a bvm or one way valve. If used without proper airway maneuvers and/or airway adjuncts, it can make a bad situation worse.
When you pressurize a victims stomach via bvm (all to common in an adreniline filled full arrest) you run the risk of aspiration into the airway. I have seen this all too many times. That is why hospitals and field paramdics insert a tube directly into an airway during a full arrest (INTUBATION)
proper compressions and good technique with a bvm and 02 greatly increase the threshold at which the heart will respond to defibrillation.
With all that being said. I have run too many full arrests to remember, and, one thing i take with me is that we all do the best we can with the training and experience at our disposal under very difficult circumstances. The outcomes are rarely positive. No amount of training can prepare you for everything possible in the field.
Either way, things would have been much worse if people weren't there to help in the first place.
My heart goes out to the children....

 

[sporket]

Terrible to hear this. Condolences to her family.

 

[KeysCuda]

Have there been any new facts released regarding this incident?

There probably won't be.
In most cases of dive-related death, law enforcement issues a preliminary press release on what happened (somebody died), where, when and with who.

Except in cases that are way off the norm (say, an abandoned diver or animal attack or something truly weird), that's it.

In most death cases, the victim goes to the medical examiner where the death most often is classified as an embolism or heart attack. To general-interest news outlets, this does not count as news and there is little follow-up.
Frequently, the cause is not listed, pending tissue and toxicology tests. These can take weeks or months. By the time the case is closed, nobody outside the family remembers it happened.

Divers may be interested in follow-ups but the number of information outlets doing anything resembling 'dive journalism' - as opposed to 'dive-promotion writing' (not that there's anything wrong with that) - are, shall we say, limited at best.

Two websites come to mind, but one of them - and we know who we're talking about here - goes hysterical at every chance and seems dedicated to convincing divers that they should immediately renounce the sport or die very soon. They also do very little 'reporting,' preferring just to lift material from real news outlets.