Diver dies in Sydney, Australia

[almitywife]

Sorry guys, this just hit the wire so no details know yet

"THE body of a scuba diver has been recovered from a bay on the Parramatta River, in Sydney's inner west.The man was seen to go into the water at Kissing Point Bay about 11.30am (AEDT), but failed to emerge, police said"


http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18123798-29277,00.html


its not a place that i would dive in - its a dirty river with alot of boat/ferry coverage.
if any more details come up i will post here.

all the best to the persons family

EDIT:
http://images.google.com.au/imgres?...ges?q=parramatta+river+map&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=

HERE is a link to a map of the area. on the LIMITED details given, its anywhere between "Ryde Bridge" and "Fig Tree Bridge"

 

[Diver Dennis]

Thanks almity. Sad news and I too express my condolences to his family.

 

[Tavi]

Thats pretty fast for search and recovery!!

 

[almitywife]

Info Update:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18123814-421,00.html
"A MAN who died cleaning the hull of his boat may have become distressed after losing a fin, police said yesterday."

 

[Willie]

Info Update:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18123814-421,00.html
"A MAN who died cleaning the hull of his boat may have become distressed after losing a fin, police said yesterday."

Here is the story from the above link....Willie


Diver dies cleaning underneath boat

By Lisa Davies
13-02-2006
From: The Daily Telegraph

A MAN who died cleaning the hull of his boat may have become distressed after losing a fin, police said yesterday.

The man, in his early 50s, was using scuba gear while cleaning the underside of his boat, which was moored in the Parramatta River at Kissing Point Bay, near Gladesville in Sydney.

It is understood the man and a male friend boarded the moored vessel - an old fishing trawler which had been converted to a pleasure cruiser - yesterday morning with the intention of cleaning the hull.

He was last seen in the water at 11.30am (AEDT).

A short time later, his friend became concerned when he could no longer see the diver or any air bubbles indicating his location.

Using the boat's radio, he called for help. A NSW Maritime Services vessel was first on the scene.

Police divers arrived a few minutes later and quickly located the man at the bottom of the bay and brought him to the surface about 1.15pm.

A Water Police spokesman said last night the man, who had not been formally identified, still had air in his tank when he was found.

"The biggest clue is that he lost a fin so he may have got himself into difficulty and was unable to return to the surface," the spokesman said.

The man's body was taken to the Water Police station before being transported to Glebe morgue late yesterday afternoon.

A post-mortem examination would determine whether he suffered a medical condition such as a heart attack or drowned in the accident, police said.

His friend would give a statement to police and a report was being prepared for the coroner.

The accident occurred about 200m from Putney Park, where dozens of families were enjoying a sweltering Sunday afternoon.

Unaware of the tragedy, they enjoyed picnics and barbecues around a children's play area and paddling pool.

A number of boats moored nearby appeared unattended as police examined the dead man's boat and the surrounding area.

The area is a popular one for recreational boating and fishing.

Police had not released the dead man's name late yesterday as relatives had not identified his body.

 

[DiverBuoy]

Generally planned work underwater qualifies as commerical diving. There is a story in Michael Anges book Diver Down where he analyzes an almost identical case ... monofilament line wrapped around the prop, an unprepared scuba professional goes down to cut the line free ... all kinds of things go wrong.

The most significant thing to be aware of is that work load increase both rapidly depletes your gas and if you breath rapidly and shallow (like you might easily get away with doing on the surface) but underwater if CO2 builds up you can slip into sleep and drown. No "task" done underwater is a simple one. If you underestimate or perform a task like these without proper training, understanding, and preparation - it CAN kill you.

 

[almitywife]

must admit hubby once got a phone call from a newly certified diver (hubby was his instructor and the guy had about 3 dives up) asking to borrow gear so he could go under his boat and get a rope untangled from a prop.

hubby offered to do the job instead. both of us have had confined space training in the past so added a few things to his dive so he could do the task while in constant contact with me.

it was only a small task, it was no big deal for us and was done very quicky - but... what if

im sure this diver didnt go into the water thinking it could happen to him. he may have done it dozens of times in the past, he may have had a heart attack for all we know

doesnt help his family though so i hope that they are dealing with this the best they can

 

[MoonWrasse]

must admit hubby once got a phone call from a newly certified diver (hubby was his instructor and the guy had about 3 dives up) asking to borrow gear so he could go under his boat and get a rope untangled from a prop.

hubby offered to do the job instead. both of us have had confined space training in the past so added a few things to his dive so he could do the task while in constant contact with me.

it was only a small task, it was no big deal for us and was done very quicky - but... what if

im sure this diver didnt go into the water thinking it could happen to him. he may have done it dozens of times in the past, he may have had a heart attack for all we know

doesnt help his family though so i hope that they are dealing with this the best they can

Or he panicked when he lost his fin, and if it was negatively buoyant he might've chased it downwards not understanding the difference between 3 meters and 10 meters or deeper.