Diver dies in Veracruz inside a wreck during his certification

[mos143]

you would think hunh .... silt out training ,,, not what i would call intelligent

 

[mos143]

this post was in reference to a comment about silt out training in a wreck ....

 

[Socorro Chub]

Yes Blue Sparkle. It is hard and sad. To give you an idea, I never heard of a diver´s death in Veracruz. Divers know other divers and operators very well. For many years I have been diving in the Marine Park at Veracruz, enjoyed the superb coral formations, historic wrecks and always considered it very safe. I have been inside the wreck, it has openings for divers to sneak in, life lines and should not be hard to find the way out. Astern it gets deeper (ca 80") and darker. The propellers lie at about 94". I have posted some pictures of this wreck for those interested. I guess, what people would like to know are what recommendations could be implemented to prevent this kind of accidents. Thank you all for your comments.

 

[funrecdiver]

From reading the reports, it seems fairly clear that two divers penetrated a wreck without a reel. The dive area in the wreck silted out and one diver removed his tank and bolted out a small opening in the wreck to the surface. The other diver was left behind in the silted out area and died OOA. Some reports seem to indicate that the wreck dive was unplanned and the two divers left a group of divers to enter the wreck.

Divers who are certified to penetrate wrecks know the danger of slit out conditions and are taught to never enter a wreck without a reel. In all wreck dives you must assume there will be a silt out, and you must stay within ambient light zones where you can easily exit.

Experienced wreck divers know that without a reel, it can be nearly impossible to exit a wreck safely when silted out. A diver should never enter a wreck who is not qualified to wreck dive and should always use a reel.

 

[netmage]

this post was in reference to a comment about silt out training in a wreck ....

How else would you adequately prepare for such contingencies...?

Afterall - the cards say "conditions similar to those under which you trained without further supervision." Your simply qualified to dive w/ a blacked out mask....