diver dies on the surface

[Diver0001]

I'm relating this story 2nd hand but there's something important in this story that I think needs saying:

Last weekend we (the LDS) lost a diver on a guided dive. (I didn't know him personally)

Since I wasn't there I'll keep it short and just tell you what I was told.

The diver in question had some trouble on the surface before the dive. He didn't have enough weight to descend so he and his buddy decided to return to shore (a short swim of 30-50 metres in good conditions) and sort it out.

They swam back to the shore on the surface and once at the exit the buddy (who hadn't been expecting a problem) turned around to see the victim some metres behind him face down in the water and motionless. He returned to the victim to find him unconscious. They removed him from the water, called the EMS and tried to reanimate him but to no avail. The way it was explained to me it sounds like everyone up to this point performed adequately.

He was taken to hospital where he spent several days on a heart/lung machine. At some point the doctors told the family that he was "brain dead" and they let him go. Cause of death was drowning.

Clearly the people involved are still very emotional about it so a balanced analysis will have to wait; however, almost immediately after the fact an astonishing fact surfaced, namely that the individual in question had been having fainting spells but he chose to keep it to himself....

The implication (and going assumption) is that he fainted while swimming back to the exit point and drowned as a result.

Now before we all crawl over each other to be the first to say that you shouldn't keep stuff like this a secret, I'll challenge you all to reflect on the things that *you* consider to be a 'calculated risk'.

I have examples myself. I'll admit to having dived with a hangover. I'll admit to diving when I was dead tired and abnormally stressed from my work. I'll admit to diving when I was sick, on allergy medication and using equipment I knew wasn't entirely functional. I've even (and recently) gone diving with a cold and even though was able to clear my ears the cold dry air made me cough myself "dizzy" at one point during the dive...

These are just illustrations to drive home a point that I hope we can all understand and relate to. The main point being that a 'calculated risk' isn't always seen to be as serious a threat as it is....

Do be careful and show good judgement about these things..... becasue sometimes life's lessons will kill you.

R..

 

[rigdiver]

You are so correct.

 

[ScubaLuuke]

well said

 

[HilaryRN71]

Very good point, Diver0001. I would suspect most avid divers would reluctantly conceed your point. "Fainting" spells is such a vague explanation, it can be from SO many things (I realize you're just beginning analysis and are relating what facts you have.) But from cardiac to diabetes to even seizures...none are a good mix with diving. Denial can be a VERY strong response, though.

I'm guilty of several of those....a get together with SB'ers the night before a dive (we all know rum flows freely). I've unhooked my LPI when I was having a slow leak on my safe second and manually inflated BC when needed. I dove many times and experienced alternobaric vertigo before I knew what it was. It's all just so sad...to lose anyone in this sport. We can analyze it over and over, and I think it's an inherently GOOD practice because knowledge is always of value. But that saddest part is that another husband/wife/mother/father/son/daughter has left behind a lot of broken hearts.

 

[Reef Man]

Very sad...and good points.... It is easy to convince ourselves we are OK to dive...that this couldn't happen to me...but....the results speak for themselves....My condolences to the divers loved ones and friends!!!

 

[aowdan]

i think everyone is correct.

i think that if you are going to dive (remember, we don't have gills and we are not made to live underwater) be honest and say " hey guys, today i don't feel well, or i'm still drunk from last night and i'm going to sit this dive out.

i've been there too. been diving when i shouldn't

those risks you can manage. if you have a medical condition, PLEASE go to a doctor to find out if it is safe to dive. it is Your life. no one elses. but you can affect many peoples lives by doing not so smart things, I know, I've been there.
dan

 

[Dive-aholic]

Thanks for the thought provoking post, Rob. I think most divers, if not all, have been diving a time or two when they shouldn't have been. I can think of a few occasions where I've done that. Many of them you already pointed out - tired, stressed, sick, dehydrated - but still went diving. Any of those conditions could have caused a black out. Something to consider...

 

[red_infinity]

It just goes to show that ultimately we're responsible for ourselves. Things like this should never be anyone else's fault but the person's. It's sad that this happened, but we really should take a look at ourselves and the things we do and determine where we should draw the line. It could be a lifesaver.

My condolences to everyone involved.

 

[Willie]

I believe we owe it to those we dive with regularly a full disclosure of medical history that may be significant. If you look at the medical forms, there are very few people who can answer 'No' to everything. Some 'Yes' answer would be considered minor by most, but others should at least be discussed with your dive partners. And any 'Yes' answer should be discussed with your doctor or, even better, a doctor who is also familiar with dive medicine. We may be willing to assume a risk that our dive partner is not.

Willie

 

[do it easy]

I don't see it that way. Diving, regardless of health, is a calculated risk. Safety is an acceptable level of risk. Yes, this guy maybe have been taking a higher risk than most divers, but by it's nature, the risks in diving can never be eliminated.

We all take a calculated risk when we enter an environment that is not life sustaining. I think it makes us feel better if we tell ourselves that we have the training, that we don't dive when hungover, that we have gas redundancy, that we service our regs annually, that we always do a pre-dive check, whatever. Maybe these things make diving as safe as possible, but let's not kid ourselves over words. Doing all these things still does not guarantee that we will return safely.