Diver drowns in fishing net - BC Canada

[DandyDon]

Fishing net claims life of Port Alberni scuba diver

A Port Alberni man is dead after becoming entangled in a fishing net during a scuba dive in the harbour.

RCMP Staff-Sgt. Kevin Murray said the 42-year-old man was diving in Alberni's Harbour Quay when he surfaced briefly, and called out to his wife that he was in trouble, at about 8:50 p.m. Sunday.

As she called police, he surfaced once more but then went under and was not seen again.

The Coast Guard, which had been docked in Port Alberni, immediately responded to the distress call in an inflatable boat and found the man tangled in a fishing net behind the Port Boat House.

"The Coast Guard members were able to pull up the net which had the diver it and pulled it to shore," Murray said. "When they brought him out the water he was unconscious and not breathing."

Attempts by paramedics to revive the man were unsuccessful. He was taken to West Coast General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The man was reportedly an experienced diver and it's not known how he got tangled in the net, or who the net belonged to.

"It isn't uncommon to have nets in that area," he noted. "It's open seas for gillnetters."

The Coast Guard remained on the scene Monday.

Murray said the man's name is not being released at the request of his family.

 

[cruiser]

Speculation here, but if he made it to the surface, could he have stayed on the surface by inflating his BC and dropping his weights?

 

[wedivebc]

There was some confusion on the local news as to whether he was doing a sport dive or a working dive. Anyone have any more details?

 

[DandyDon]

Speculation here, but if he made it to the surface, could he have stayed on the surface by inflating his BC and dropping his weights?

Such is all too often forgotten by divers in panic. Another story did say he was on scuba. http://www.theprovince.com/news/die...fishing+during+Island+dive/5189189/story.html

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I wonder if it's possible that the net was large/heavy and -- even without weights (if they were ditched) -- he could only "fight" the heavy net just enough to surface and call for help?

Obviously I don't know, and indeed, maybe he didn't ditch his weights, but I'm just thinking about how large and heavy some nets can be, and thinking how perhaps one could "power up" briefly with fins/adrenalin but not be able to stay up, even un-weighted.

(Although I have read where sometimes divers in trouble surface, don't drop weights, and re-submerge, so I know what you mean.)

I suppose it's also possible that he couldn't ditch his weights even if he wanted to, depending on how the net was oriented.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

Speculation here, but if he made it to the surface, could he have stayed on the surface by inflating his BC and dropping his weights?

Agree this would have probably been his best response after trying to remain calm and cut himself free.

As an aside comment, I was playing with my gear in Barbados recently. It surprised me how hard I had to blow to orally inflate the wing (admitedly I have a steel backplate with no additional weights and was in a 3mm wet suit)

I am not convinced that I could have orally inflated if very out of breath or near panic. This like every other skill needs practice after your OW course.

 

[BKP]

I seem to see many divers lately (perhaps I'm just missing it) not carrying any kind of cutting device, whether a knife, shears, or Trilobite type cutter. Not sure if this is becoming a trend (those of us that dive Lanier, here in Atlanta, tend to be conscious of this due to all the possible fishing line entanglements -- and typically carry redundant cutters).

Was there any mention of the absence of a knife?

 

[Hatul]

That's what I was wondering, was there any attempt to cut the net, drop weights, inflate BC. How much air did he have, and what was the depth of the bottom?

Adam

 

[DennisS]

I've been wrapped up in my 1/8 float line, it's a pain to untangle from buckles, valves etc. I can't imagine getting wrapped up in a net. Every time you free one thing, valve, octopus, fin strap, tank/harness buckles, something else gets snagged while the net wraps around you tangling you more. Certain nets were designed for entanglement and they do their function well. If it was weighted to the bottom he probably didn't have too many options except, keep cutting. Missing one string from one mesh would be enough to hold him down. My WAG is, he fought to the surface taking out the slack and tightening the net to the max before it pulled him back down.

 

[iztok]

Well dropping weights wouldn't be much good if those too are caught in the same net. They would still drag one down.