The threads have been merged and I removed my post -- hopefully that clarifies everything.drbill:
Diver Dies Near Catalina, California
- Thread starter Deb In Venice
- Start date
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Xanthro
Guest
It could be a very thin anchor line, might not even have been chain, so let's not jump to conclusions about how the entanglement occured.
My condolences to everyone affected by this.
Xanthro
My condolences to everyone affected by this.
Xanthro
Had a chance to talk to one of my friends who was with the divers on the boat. He and his wife were on board while the other two divers went under. He was still visibly upset when I saw him this morning and I didn't want to press for details.
Essentially what appears to have happened is that the deceased diver and his buddy (a very close personal friend of his) descended from the boat towards the bottom at 70 ft. Somehow they got separated a bit at about 40 ft, and the buddy went over to where his friend's dive light was shining. There he found the buddy's weight belt beside the light, but the buddy was not there.
They discovered the buddy entangled in the anchor line or chain with his regulator dangling. He was brought to the surface where CPR was attempted, first by the divers on board then by divers from a nearby boat.
Apparently there was no clear indication as to why the diver ditched his weight belt and attempted to surface. Although it is a best guess, and not necessarily what actually caused the death, those present believe the diver may have checked his equipment and partially inflated his BCD. He then MAY have turned the tank valve off and forgotten to turn it back on before entering the water.
The fact that the incident occurred at about 40 ft may substantiate this interpretation. The diver in question could easily have reached that depth on a quick descent on what was left in the hoses or with a partially cracked tank valve.
As my friend said, we may never know what really caused this (as is the case in many such incidents). Sad.
Dr. Bill
Essentially what appears to have happened is that the deceased diver and his buddy (a very close personal friend of his) descended from the boat towards the bottom at 70 ft. Somehow they got separated a bit at about 40 ft, and the buddy went over to where his friend's dive light was shining. There he found the buddy's weight belt beside the light, but the buddy was not there.
They discovered the buddy entangled in the anchor line or chain with his regulator dangling. He was brought to the surface where CPR was attempted, first by the divers on board then by divers from a nearby boat.
Apparently there was no clear indication as to why the diver ditched his weight belt and attempted to surface. Although it is a best guess, and not necessarily what actually caused the death, those present believe the diver may have checked his equipment and partially inflated his BCD. He then MAY have turned the tank valve off and forgotten to turn it back on before entering the water.
The fact that the incident occurred at about 40 ft may substantiate this interpretation. The diver in question could easily have reached that depth on a quick descent on what was left in the hoses or with a partially cracked tank valve.
As my friend said, we may never know what really caused this (as is the case in many such incidents). Sad.
Dr. Bill
JMD123
Guest
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Dr. Bill,
Thanks for the information. I have been thinking alot about this diver, the others involved and his family and friends. This really sucks, and I feel for the above mentioned.
Just curious was his equipment ever checked (after the recovery)? It would be easy to tell if his air was on or off or partially on. Right?
As many have said this is really sad, but lets try to learn something from this. At the risk of sounding hokey we sort of owe it to the diver.
J
Thanks for the information. I have been thinking alot about this diver, the others involved and his family and friends. This really sucks, and I feel for the above mentioned.
Just curious was his equipment ever checked (after the recovery)? It would be easy to tell if his air was on or off or partially on. Right?
As many have said this is really sad, but lets try to learn something from this. At the risk of sounding hokey we sort of owe it to the diver.
J
The equipment was taken by Search and Rescue as I understand it but no one here has heard a report yet. Yes, it should be easy to find out if the air was on. There apparently was an autopsy Monday but no one I've talked to has heard the results of that.
Yes, it is always sad to hear of these incidents. It makes me think back to the one I reported here a year or so ago that might have resulted in my last dive (on Earth at least). Had I succumbed and had my body and gear been recovered, I wonder if anyone could have determined what happened.
Dr. Bill
Yes, it is always sad to hear of these incidents. It makes me think back to the one I reported here a year or so ago that might have resulted in my last dive (on Earth at least). Had I succumbed and had my body and gear been recovered, I wonder if anyone could have determined what happened.
Dr. Bill
I'm not going to speculate on the cause of the accident without more information, but from the possibilities we have read so far, there are a few things we can all learn from this.
#1; The importance of buddy checks on the boat and bubble checks just below the surface.
#2; If a dive is planned as a buddy dive, try to stay in teams and know where your buddy is at all times.
#3; EMT shears are cheaper than dive knives, easier to handle underwater and will cut through a penny with ease. I have removed gill nets from a wreck and shears cut through the 1/2" line around the net like butter.
#4; Learn CPR. Although the diver was not revived in this case, CPR could save the life of anyone of us. It was nice to know that the other divers in this case acted promptly.
#1; The importance of buddy checks on the boat and bubble checks just below the surface.
#2; If a dive is planned as a buddy dive, try to stay in teams and know where your buddy is at all times.
#3; EMT shears are cheaper than dive knives, easier to handle underwater and will cut through a penny with ease. I have removed gill nets from a wreck and shears cut through the 1/2" line around the net like butter.
#4; Learn CPR. Although the diver was not revived in this case, CPR could save the life of anyone of us. It was nice to know that the other divers in this case acted promptly.
CPR was indeed attempted on the diver by a team of trained individuals beginning with the divers on board the vessel and others who assisted in the rescue.
Dr. Bill
Dr. Bill
KelpCrab
Guest
drbill,
I am curious if there has been any new/additional information on this accident? Was there a cause that has been determined?
Regards,
Kelpcrab
I am curious if there has been any new/additional information on this accident? Was there a cause that has been determined?
Regards,
Kelpcrab
Just got back from a week with whitie off Guadalupe. My friends who were present during this incident are still in Bonaire at the moment. Nothing new that I've heard- it was obvious my friends were not anxious to talk about it when I last saw them about two weeksa go. I respect their desire for privacy on this, especially since the diver was a friend of theirs.
Dr. Bill
Dr. Bill
jlayman800
Contributor
Thanks Bill. That's a really good guess. I did exactly this about 18 years ago. I was solo diving in the Cooper River and got to 30 feet when the air that was in the lines of my regulator ran out. Really a bad feeling! Just after you exhale, finding no air in your regulator is unnerving.drbill:
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