Diver dies in Richmond, TX while cleaning water tank

[dfwterry]

It seems like there must be more to this we don't know and/or we have wrong information (which many members here are used to in these situations but perhaps the newer members are not).

From the opposite perspective (diver), I can't imagine applying for a commercial (i.e. paid, not sure if commercial is the right term here) diving job if I had only my OW for about a year and minimal diving experience? I just wouldn't feel comfortable with that. I also don't know for a fact that that's the case here, but it was mentioned by friends of the diver.

Travis thought this was the first step in getting trained as a commercial diver.

 

[Superlyte27]

I apologize for my bluntness. When I first thought this was my buddy that died, I was sick. Age, description and contractor were all right. But thankfully for me, it wasn't my buddy. Fear and sickness faded and left me with anger. This should not have happened. I'm sorry for the family of the victim.

 

[Cave Diver]

And here's the bit of news that hasn't been released.... The tank was empty.

How does one drown in an empty tank?

He was in 40' of crystal clear water. He ran out of air and didn't make it to the surface.

So was the tank (almost?) empty, or did it have 40' of water in it? I'm not following the jump here...

Also, was this an open tank or closed? Not to the point of it being an O/E, but curious about the lighting conditions inside of it. Did it require lights? Did they have lights? If it was well lit with crystal clear water, couldnt the first diver see there was a problem developing? If they were using lights in clear water, wouldnt there have been signs of potential panic (rapidly moving light, followed by total stillness?)

Are you in a position to elaborate on these thoughts?

 

[scwdive]

Sypathies to family and friends. I hope after investigation, we can all learn and benifit from this tragedy...

OSHA Requires a stand by diver to be dressed and ready to lend emergency assistance, and a diving supervisor on scene if a dive is to preformed on SCUBA. Comms are not required but the diver is to be tended by a line to the surface.

SCUBA dives are to be less than 100 feet, and have direct access to the surface. In most water storage jobs there is an airspace that excludes the "overhead" rule.



http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=DIRECTIVES&p_id=3449#APPENDIX_H

A comparison of osha reqs for commercial applications.

I hope this helps clarify.

Best

 

[Superlyte27]

How does one drown in an empty tank?

So was the tank (almost?) empty, or did it have 40' of water in it? I'm not following the jump here...

Also, was this an open tank or closed? Not to the point of it being an O/E, but curious about the lighting conditions inside of it. Did it require lights? Did they have lights? If it was well lit with crystal clear water, couldnt the first diver see there was a problem developing? If they were using lights in clear water, wouldnt there have been signs of potential panic (rapidly moving light, followed by total stillness?)

Are you in a position to elaborate on these thoughts?

scuba tank was empty. most water towers have a small hatch in the top just big enough to get a fat guy with gear on to fit through. I usually take a flashlight strapped to my helmet. As a tender, we're almost never looking in the hole. At the time of the tragedy, there was only a single diver in the tank.

 

[Cave Diver]

scuba tank was empty. most water towers have a small hatch in the top just big enough to get a fat guy with gear on to fit through. I usually take a flashlight strapped to my helmet. As a tender, we're almost never looking in the hole. At the time of the tragedy, there was only a single diver in the tank.

Aha! Gotcha, makes sense now. I initially read that as the water tank was empty. Thanks for the additional clarifications. I was envisioning something more along the lines of the diving being conducted from a catwalk or platform inside the tank, rather than just an access hole on top.

BTW, I know I'm asking for speculation here, but why would you not look in the hole, especially with a new employee on their first job?

 

[DandyDon]

OSHA Requires a stand by diver to be dressed and ready to lend emergency assistance, and a diving supervisor on scene if a dive is to preformed on SCUBA. Comms are not required but the diver is to be tended by a line to the surface

Are golf ball divers covered by these requirements? We've read about a few of them dying alone here. Or are some companies getting around these somehow...?

For this accident, it does sound like a very inexperienced diver had expected some training, perhaps and not informed the employer of his lack of experience, and the employer didn't check him out. You can't dive a day on Cozumel without being checked.

All too common in scuba drownings, a diver with a BC failure then fails to drop weights, orally inflate, or abandon the kit. My bud & I drill on the first two; maybe we should add the third.

 

[Superlyte27]

BTW, I know I'm asking for speculation here, but why would you not look in the hole, especially with a new employee on their first job?

Honestly, because there's no comfortable way to sit on your butt and look in the hole. If this was done surface supplied, the man on the com's would call your cell phone or beat on the tower or yell like crazy and you'd jump up and start yanking in on the umbilical. So often, it's hard to tell if someone is yanking on the hose because they are in trouble or because you haven't given them enough slack, so we don't place much faith in the umbilical. And honestly, it's so rare that theres ever an issue, I guess we get complacent.

 

[Superlyte27]

Are golf ball divers covered by these requirements? We've read about a few of them dying alone here. Or are some companies getting around these somehow...?

For this accident, it does sound like a very inexperienced diver had expected some training, perhaps and not informed the employer of his lack of experience, and the employer didn't check him out. You can't dive a day on Cozumel without being checked.

All too common in scuba drownings, a diver with a BC failure then fails to drop weights, orally inflate, or abandon the kit. My bud & I drill on the first two; maybe we should add the third.

I know OSHA is trying to crack down on any job that requires diving including golf ball diving and hull scrubbing. I think it's kind of silly, but what do I know.

Do a search for OSHA and hull scrubbing on this forum, there was a lot of chatter about it and fines/lawsuits several months ago.

 

[muddiver]

Some pretty insensitive replies in the comments section of that article.

Your talking about a newspaper in the center of the commercial diving world. I bet most of the comments are by working divers that typically sneer and look down at any scuba diver. Scuba is also not considered a safe and realistic tool in the offshore diving industry.

Are golf ball divers covered by these requirements? We've read about a few of them dying alone here. Or are some companies getting around these somehow...?

For this accident, it does sound like a very inexperienced diver had expected some training, perhaps and not informed the employer of his lack of experience, and the employer didn't check him out. You can't dive a day on Cozumel without being checked.

All too common in scuba drownings, a diver with a BC failure then fails to drop weights, orally inflate, or abandon the kit. My bud & I drill on the first two; maybe we should add the third.

They think that the laws and regulations don't apply just like recreational boat maintainence divers also don't think that OSHA applies to them. Golfball divers and hull scrubbers are cottage industries that have been way too small for government to be interested in regulating. The tax revinue just hasn't been there. Welcome to the new world order of Obama care and the United Nanny States. The little guys are in for a rude awakining now that the fed has been given the green light to expand and get into everyones business.