Diver drowns in guided cenote dive

[decompression]

And the guide has to have/dive with full tech equipment I heard, so twinset with longhose.

But I wonder about what was the position of the guide when this happened?

Guides always lead.....

 

[iamrushman]

always sad news for the diving community....

 

[ZombieZombie]

I learned to dive after being inspired by a snorkelling trip through a cenote (Dos Ojos) near Tulum. I returned to dive with about 30 dives experience and having just completed my AOW that week. Despite claims that it was a cavern dive with a path to the surface above us at all times, there were quite lengthy periods where we were in tunnels and it could not be considered anything other than cave diving.

Our trip included a 14 year old girl who had just qualified OW that week- her parents were using scuba training as a form of child care.

However our guide was very good and gave excellent instruction and checked and counted all were still present with good frequency. The most experienced divers were at the back reducing the risk.

I could well imagine that the combination of a less attentive guide and someone who has just discovered that he suffers from claustrophobia while in a narrow tunnel could be a recipe for a serious problem. Turning back on your own half way through the dive would be a huge mistake. If feeling that you are running low on air (i.e. gone through more than 1/3 of the tank) before halfway could be a trigger to induce claustrophobia???

Having said all that- diving Dos Ojos cenote is probably my most memorable dive. It was an incredible experience.

 

[Jax]

I am reading that the Spanish guy failed to stay with the group. Han anyone else heard that?

 

[Ken Kurtis]

Guides always lead.....

Therein lies the rub.

Whether you're 1:1 or 4:1, unless the guide literally has eyes in the back of his head, a guide at the head of the line cannot possibly see anyone behind him/her. So that means they have to turn around to confirm everyone's there. How often should that be? Every 30 seconds? Every 10 seconds? Pick any time and you can still argue that a diver can get away unnoticed.

So hypothetically (JUST TO BE CLEAR, I'M NOT ADVOCATING THIS AS A REAL SOLUTION) let's put the guide at the BACK of the line so he/she can see everyone ahead of him/her. But now you've got a guest, possibly untrained in cave/cavern dives, leading the way. So that won't work.

Absent 1:1 side-by-side with the guideline in between them, there's not a good solution here. I know the few times I've done cenotes dives with one of my groups, I always take the rear position so the guide can lead and I can keep an eye on anyone who strays.

And maybe that's the answer. Require two guides for every uncertified group and have one at the front leading and one at the back watching for trouble.

- Ken

 

[ZombieZombie]

Ken-
That does sound like a workable idea. Obviously cave certified guides are fewer in number and this would bump the cost of operating cenote trips but what price safety? An extra 20% per diver? Cheap at twice the price.

 

[The Chairman]

@Ken Kurtis

That's how they do it at Bon Terre mines. They have no overhead, and yet they utilize a minimum of TWO guides. That should be a minimum for non-cave certed tourists.

 

[kafkaland]

Requiring two guides per group would also have another advantage: encouraging the guide to abide by the rules. If he's the only one, he can do basically whatever he wants, and the chances of his shop finding out that he took guests past the cavern zone into the cave are slim. But with another guide present, one would hope that the pressure to obey the rules is increased.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Requiring two guides per group would also have another advantage: encouraging the guide to abide by the rules. If he's the only one, he can do basically whatever he wants, and the chances of his shop finding out that he took guests past the cavern zone into the cave are slim. But with another guide present, one would hope that the pressure to obey the rules is increased.

Not necessary. The cenotes are pretty busy. They'd get caught by someone, and word would get back to the shop owner who wouldn't be pleased.

 

[scagrotto]

the guide didn't notice one of his customers leaving the group.

I think that under the circumstances that's a much better description than the article's reference to the diver straying from the group.

"Understanding Overhead Environments."

Sounds like something that should be an (abridged?) integral part of the OW course.