Diver dies not trespassing

[MXGratefulDiver]

Nobody has the facts ... right or wrong ... completely enough to know what his choices were.

Here's what we know ...

He was wading ... in full scuba gear. His wife fell, and when he tried to help her, he fell. For some reason he drowned and died. He was found 45 minutes later in 12 feet of water.

Here's what we don't know ...

Why was he at that place at that time (tides and currents dictated this wasn't a wise choice)?

Why, when he fell, didn't he simply put his reg in his mouth and hit his inflator button?

Why, given that he fell in water shallow enough to wade in, did it take 45 minutes to find him?

Something about this story doesn't add up. His choices, however, clearly went well beyond whether to tresspass or die.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[caveseeker7]

... discussion of property rights ...

That is my polite way of saying, stick to the topic.
I have another way of saying it and will if I must.

The impertinence that some people have discussing that in a thread titled
"Diver dies not trespassing"

May you always stay on the subject. And purdy!

 

[Rick Inman]

Nobody has the facts ... right or wrong ... completely enough to know what his choices were.
(Grateful Diver)

Absolutely true. The important question this issue brings up (regarding DIVING, not property rights) is the importance of assessing dive conditions where access is limited to a specific point. For example, if both sides of the access point were shear rock cliffs, the point of propriety rights are mute, but the importance of taking the limited access into account when dive planning, IS.
I once got swept down the beach at Mukilteo and all it meant was an embarrassing hike back to where my buddy was sitting on a log waiting for me (the dirty dog).
So the question is, how should we pre-dive plan a limited access site differently than a wide access area?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

So the question is, how should we pre-dive plan a limited access site differently than a wide access area?

I'd say it's no different than diving off a boat ... never get in the water without first knowing how you will be able to get out.

How to plan the dive? Carefully ... and with complete knowledge of not only what the access restrictions are, but also what the currents should be doing.

Notice I say "should" rather than "will" ... because I've even seen Rick Meyers get taken by surprise at this site, and he's more familiar with currents in these waters than anyone else I know.

That said ... I don't know if these divers were aware of the access restrictions prior to this dive, but they should have. That information is readily available, and should have been part of the dive plan.

Know which direction the currents are supposed to flow ... and when. Simply looking at the center of the channel doesn't tell the story ... there's a current reversal here during early flood that effectively sends the current in the "wrong" direction for about 95 minutes or so ... creating a second "slack" about an hour and a half after the published one. Not factoring that into your plan will send you south (with emphasis) when you think you'll be getting pushed north. Again, this is published information ... readily available to anyone who's making the effort to research their dive site prior to making a plan. Based on the timing of the incident, I have to believe this was the factor that got overlooked.

Some would question the value of a "rule of thumb" about not diving a given site during large tidal exchanges. While it can be done, it significantly reduces your margin of error ... and so if you overlook something else (like this current reversal) you can find yourself in a situation you cannot get out of.

This couple had some experience. That experience may have helped them make it back to shallow water ... given the exchanges and timing, I'd say they did well to do so. How that affected their physical and mental condition in the events leading up to the accident are still unknown. But based on the time of the accident, I'd have to conclude that they didn't do a good job of planning this dive.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[jeffkruse2000]

Bob is 100% correct on this one.

 

[Frank Kohler]

This just in from the Seattle PI about a diver who died yesterday (4-10-04) at Sunrise Beach, Washington.

All of the facts are not in yet but for those unfamiliar with this site it can be quite current intensive off slack and divers are not allowed to walk on the beach but must stay in the water while walking back to the exit point at the park.

Text of the article below:
***********************************
Oregon diver drowns off Gig Harbor

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GIG HARBOR, Wash. -- An Oregon man who was diving with his wife drowned off Sunrise Beach, a sheriff's spokesman said.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man Sunday as Cecil Sargent, 48 of Silverton.

An oyster harvester called authorities Saturday after seeing Sargent go under around 3:30 p.m. while trying to help his wife, who had slipped while carrying her dive gear out of the water, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Troyer said the couple were walking in the water while carrying their equipment because beach residents are known to call police about trespassing "the minute they see a diver on the beach."

Sargent had been under water about 45 minutes by the time a rescue team with Gig Harbor Fire District No. 5 found him.

He died at Tacoma General Hospital.

Troyer said Sargent and his wife each had about 200 hours of diving experience.

---

Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.tribnet.com

that is a real shame and very sad.

 

[H2Andy]

i just read a report that says the diver had taken off his gear and was walking with
his wife when she slipped. he went in to help. she inflated her BC, then he went under:


"Wayne Sargent, 48, had removed his gear and was walking with his wife in shallow water when she slipped into a deep spot. Sargent helped his wife up and then went under and didn’t come back. She later was rescued by boat. The couple walked in the water to avoid trespassing on a private beach. . . .

The couple finished their dive Saturday afternoon off Sunrise Beach. They walked in waist-deep water carrying their gear to avoid coming out on a private beach. Residents call police when they see divers in private areas, according to local police.

Sargent’s wife, Kathy, slipped into a deep spot, Courtney Sargent said. He pulled her back up, and she inflated her life vest. That is when he went under.

Nearby residents rescued Kathy Sargent. About 45 minutes later, a rescue team found Wayne Sargent. He died at Tacoma General Hospital."

here's the full article:

http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=78514

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I stopped by our local shop on my way home from work, and one of the staff said he was there during the rescue ... he didn't specify in what capacity.

According to what he told me, the story above is essentially correct, except that the only gear the husband and wife had removed was their fins. That would square with common sense, as it'd be very difficult to walk up the beach carrying your gear in your arms ... it's about 200 yards with an elevation gain of over 100 feet.

At any rate, the wife, for some reason, slipped out to where the water was over her head ... I've done this dive many times and walked where they would have been .... and there are no natural "deep spots" as the story suggests. But there are some places where the slope is steep enough to take you by surprise if you're not paying attention. At any rate, when she went under, her husband also did ... attempting to help her. She had the presence of mind to inflate her BCD and put her fins back on. Her husband never surfaced.

I also want to post something from another forum where this is being discussed. I asked ... and received permission from the person who wrote this to cross-post it here. Normally I don't do that, but I believe that it pertains directly to comments made during the course of this discussion.

Richard Moller is one of the residents of that beach ... he's also a diver ... these are his thoughts ...

First of all my heart goes out the divers wife and family.

Second
As most of you know Sunrise beach was donated to the Park system by The Moller family to whom I am related.

This property was homesteaded by them around the turn of the century. The Moller clan still ownes and lives on 2/3rds of the land between the park to just past the prime diving area (Remember if it was'nt for them there would be no Park).

In the beginning they never squaked at beachcombers and others who wandered off Park property onto theirs. However you have heard about how a few bad apples can ruin it for everyone.

Thats exatly what happed over time. Kids lighting bonfires, leaving graffitti & trash. Divers having class on the beach under peoples decks & on bulkheads, boats tying up to private bouys & quite a few divers have ventured down private driveways and started unloading gear so they don't have to walk as far (Most driveways have gates on them just now because of that).

The list goes on and on. So you can imagine after many years they all have a short fuse when it comes to people on the beach.

I just wanted you to know they were not always like that.

Who knows with enough sugar they might eventually sweeten back up.

Or if you can wait about 30 years myself and my cousin will control most of this property (Unless it gets sold or I become a grouchy old fart) and I plan on gearing things up to bring in divers.

I've even gotten the finger and or rude comments from boat and beach divers a couple of times and all I was doing was catching some sun in a lawn chair or just watching the water.

My father and uncle (Who live down there) heard the first shouts for help and called 911 and went to help. They were on the beach after having dug some clams earlier. I havent got the full story from them and some neighbors but they agreed the newspaper stories were scewed. They thought the couple was waiding very close to the edge of the drop off just before it happened.

Sincerely
Richard D Moller Jr
Padi Open Water Cert
Gig Harbor, WA

 

[H2Andy]

this is just such a tragedy, any way you look at it

 

[Taucher]

while the outcome is truly sad, my opinion is that the divers, not the property owner(s) were at fault. too many people today want other to be financially responsible for their own stupidity or indescressions. Stop blaming others for our own actions. The only people who ever benifit in these instances are the lawyers. The divers will still be dead, the property owners will still own the property. Each of us is responsible for our own actions. Personally I would much rather be arrested for tresspassing and make my case in court, than be dead. And all the money in the world will not make my wife and children miss me any less.