Diver Fatality off Ponce Inlet, Fl

[Crush]

I was curious how much air you would need to bounce to 115 ft, assuming no safety stop (assume you are and will remain below your NDL - perhaps not realistic, but let's assume). With a SAC of 0.9 cu ft/min, a descent rate of 60 ft/min, an ascent rate of 60 ft/min below 30 ft and 30 ft/min above 30 ft, 1000 psi in an 80 cu ft tank will allow you to bounce from the surface to 115 and back with 30 seconds on the bottom to inflate the victims vest. Assumed was that the unconscious victim would not be breathing off your tank.

The answer for how much air you need is surprisingly close to the rock-bottom guestimate for an 80: depth x 10 + 200 = rock bottom, or 115 x 10 + 200 = 1350 psi.

Yes, I know that rock bottom is not intended to calculate bounce dives, that it assumes 1 min at depth to work out your problem, and assumes two divers breathing on one air supply and includes a safety stop.

 

[TSandM]

Notwithstanding, and maybe I don't understand the diving protocols of that area, but having only one tank per diver among them, and not a single spare? And maybe it was their second dive of the day, but still, no spare tank(s)?

When we dive off our boat, the only extra tank that goes with us is O2. And when we dive off a charter boat, we bring only the tanks we need. I don't believe the charters carry any tanks of their own.

If the divers were low on gas, they made the right decision, even if they saw their unresponsive buddy on the sea floor. If you haven't done it, you don't realize how much work is involved in retrieving an unresponsive diver -- it blows your gas consumption to pieces. Far better to go back and retrieve him later, than to create another victim.

The real question here, in my mind, is how and why they get separated, especially long enough for him to die. Separation is both preventable and capable of solution; unresponsiveness at 115 feet generally isn't.

 

[clifftondiver]

Let me know when you get that "official" report.

I'm not looking for one. But if i was, I surely wouldn't trust a news article.

 

[Gatorshark]

More recent article:

Diver dies 40 miles off Flagler Coast - News

Why would the Coast Guard close their investigations if many questions were still unanswered?

 

[tcpip95]

My guess is that USCG is closing their investigation because of criminal investigation by Jacksonville Sheriffs Office. JSO will take the investigation to the end. Also, the fact that body was already pulled from the water when CG arrived probably didn't leave them with too much to do.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

Diver found dead off Flagler identified - News

Victim identified - not much other new information.

Since this was during lobster mini season, is it known if they were after lobster, or another reason for the dive?

 

[Scott L]

My guess is that USCG is closing their investigation because of criminal investigation by Jacksonville Sheriffs Office.

What law was broken?

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

When we dive off our boat, the only extra tank that goes with us is O2. And when we dive off a charter boat, we bring only the tanks we need. I don't believe the charters carry any tanks of their own.

I have not done any West Coast charter diving, but all charters I have been on have supplied all the tanks, and there has been at least one spare tank on every trip; Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Key Largo.

 

[Scott L]

I have not done any West Coast charter diving, but all charters I have been on have supplied all the tanks, and there has been at least one spare tank on every trip; Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Key Largo.

We carry at least two for a host of reasons when diving from a private boat. Charters usually have multiple extra cylinders on-board around here...

 

[SC_Hoaty]

News accounts can often be imprecise on the details (or flat out wrong), however there has been nothing in any of the accounts to suggest that this was a charter. It may be erroneous to assume a charter was involved.