Diver fatality

[adshepard]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...
"... and a slew of buddy-dependent divers, who once they become separated are then in beyond their capabilities...

There are far too many divers that if it weren't for being with a buddy would have no clue in all but the easiest dive situations. Every diver should be experienced and able to handle any dive situation on their own. Unfortunately many aren't.

It's scary to see some of these buddy dependent divers in tougher dive areas.

DSDO

Alan

 

[Rick Inman]

I was raised diving the kelp beds of S. CA, and then went 20 years without doing any kelp diving. In September I spent 9 days in Monterey and made 17 dives. I dived Lovers, Monastery, the Breakwater, Lobos, McAbee, Ironing board reef and Carmel. But before I hit the water, I did a boat dives on the Monterey Express and hired a guide for 4 other dives. The Monterey diving was some of the best diving I've ever had! You had to be aware of local conditions and be experienced in surf entrees and exits, kelp, etc. But overall I found the diving conditions were not what I would call dangerous (which I'm sure can change with the ocean).
However, one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed is watching the myriad of new divers on a Sunday afternoon going in and out at the Breakwater. The way they all tripped around and bungled into their gear and each other was incredible. The only thing missing was the funny VW bug for them all to come piling out of. There was like maybe 6 INCHES of surf, and these guys were crawling 20 feet up onto the sand before standing up! I understand the Monastery crawl, but come on, this is the Breakwater!
Then one Saturday I made a dive at Lovers, north of the point. The surf was up kind of high, but I had no problem timing the sets and getting in and out easily. However, about 5 guys came in using the Monastery crawl and all got shoved around in the surf until their gear was scattered up and down the beach. They were exhausted, sandy and miserable. I talked to one of the guys who said, "Yeah, we dive here a lot."
I don't know, but I just wonder if the certifying agencies are not requiring basic skills that are specific to each region or area before handing out C Cards.
I hate to say this, and I know I'm asking for trouble, but although I saw some excellent divers (which I'm sure all who read this are), I've never seen so many bad divers in one location as in Monterey. Certainly never in Puget Sound.
Hey, I'm not the diver I wish I were and I've had the honor of budding above my level. But some of these guys in Monterey are a danger to themselves, and to me it's a wonder there aren’t more deaths.
And again, the Monterey diving is incredible!

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Rick Inman once bubbled...
... one Saturday I made a dive at Lovers, north of the point. The surf was up kind of high, but I had no problem timing the sets and getting in and out easily. However, about 5 guys came in using the Monastery crawl and all got shoved around in the surf until their gear was scattered up and down the beach. They were exhausted, sandy and miserable. I talked to one of the guys who said, "Yeah, we dive here a lot."
I don't know, but I just wonder if the certifying agencies are not requiring basic skills that are specific to each region or area before handing out C Cards.
I hate to say this, and I know I'm asking for trouble, but although I saw some excellent divers (which I'm sure all who read this are), I've never seen so many bad divers in one location as in Monterey. Certainly never in Puget Sound.
Hey, I'm not the diver I wish I were and I've had the honor of budding above my level. But some of these guys in Monterey are a danger to themselves, and to me it's a wonder there aren’t more deaths. ...

There are a whole lot of beginners here.

There are also a whole lot of visitors here.

There are as well, a lot of local dive shops that try to be ultra conservative with their fins-on entry and fins-on crawling exit training, that a lot of divers never learn a fins-off walking entry nor a fin-off walking exit.

Many of them never become comfortalbe with a fins-off entry or exit.

If that is what you observed, from your perspective, then its understandable that the divers here may have looked inexperienced.

Bear in mind as well, that the colder the water, and the stronger the currents, the more difficult the diving. The Pacific Northwest has some of the coldest waters and strongest currents around. That probably makes you better divers than the "warmer-water" California crowd.

 

[Rick Inman]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...


If that is what you observed, from your perspective, then its understandable that the divers here may have looked inexperienced.

I believe you are 100% correct.

Bear in mind as well, that the colder the water, and the stronger the currents, the more difficult the diving. The Pacific Northwest has some of the coldest waters and strongest currents around. That probably makes you better divers than the "warmer-water" California crowd. [/B]

The 20.00 is in the mail!

 

[spthomas]

Maybe we don't emphasize enough that diving in new conditions may require caution, or more training! I experienced this. After being certified for 21 years, and with 60 or so logged dives in the prior 4 years, I went diving for the first time since my checkouts 21 years before in cold water. I'd worn a wetsuit 1 time, on my OW checkouts in 1978, and here I was in 1999 with a 7mm farmer john (which was brand new) trying to dive in November in the midwest in 55 degree water. After trying to just get down for a while, I found I was very uncomfortable with the suit, with all that weight (I carry 2# in the Carribbean, and I had 18# and floated like a cork in that cold water with 7mm suit), and got overheated. All in all, it was not a good experience. So I bailed, let the rest of the group go ahead with the dive to 65', and I rested, and tried again another day. And I was very experienced, but just not in that type of diving. It's only now I'm used to colder water, wetsuits, and all that.

So it's not surprising to me that experienced divers have problems in new areas or new types of diving.

And this also brings up the two-edged sword of the buddy system. We should use buddies, but should not HAVE to have buddies. I hear the solo diving movement gaining strength, and I half-way agree with that. The half I agree with is all the advanced training and experience and redudant equipment they advocate to make yourself self-sufficient. The half I'm not as convinced about is the going solo in general. We should be self-sufficient, but still dive as a team. That's the best of both worlds, two self-sufficient divers watching out for each other!

=Steve=

 

[spthomas]

Maybe we don't emphasize enough that diving in new conditions may require caution, or more training! I experienced this. After being certified for 21 years, and with 60 or so logged dives in the prior 4 years, I went diving for the first time since my checkouts 21 years before in cold water. I'd worn a wetsuit 1 time, on my OW checkouts in 1978, and here I was in 1999 with a 7mm farmer john (which was brand new) trying to dive in November in the midwest in 55 degree water. After trying to just get down for a while, I found I was very uncomfortable with the suit, with all that weight (I carry 2# in the Carribbean, and I had 18# and floated like a cork in that cold water with 7mm suit), and got overheated. All in all, it was not a good experience. So I bailed, let the rest of the group go ahead with the dive to 65', and I rested, and tried again another day. And I was very experienced, but just not in that type of diving. It's only now I'm used to colder water, wetsuits, and all that.

So it's not surprising to me that experienced divers have problems in new areas or new types of diving.

And this also brings up the two-edged sword of the buddy system. We should use buddies, but should not HAVE to have buddies. I hear the solo diving movement gaining strength, and I half-way agree with that. The half I agree with is all the advanced training and experience and redudant equipment they advocate to make yourself self-sufficient. The half I'm not as convinced about is the going solo in general. We should be self-sufficient, but still dive as a team. That's the best of both worlds, two self-sufficient divers watching out for each other!

=Steve=

 

[aujax]

I guess the main difference between tech and commercial is support. Three things (besides profit motive, training and the activities performed underwater) distinguish these types of divers:

1. Umbillical air
2. Communications with the surface and other divers
3. Recompression chambers on board

Any one of these easily saves your ass from getting killed(Chowdhury covers these in the book)... So tech divers aren't really any more poorly trained, just kind of crazy for doing what they do without that kind of support, yes?

 

[simonk999]

The SF Chron reports today (or maybe yesterday) that the preliminary coroner's report is that death was due to a non-
diving related medical condition, though specific cause unknown. Arryhthmia a possible candidate. Also was noted that all victim's equipment was operating ok, and computer did not indicate an abnormally fast ascent.

-Simon

 

[Cudabait]

Hey, FreT,

I'm guessing my experience level is pretty close to yours. Could you give me an example of a routine dive day consisting of 10 to 17 dives? It would seem that a bunch of the doves would be very shallow, nail a fish, to the boat & back down again. At any rate, could you give us an example? Thanks.

 

[FredT]

Cudabait once bubbled...
Hey, FreT,
At any rate, could you give us an example?

On a long summer day.
0400 arrive @ dock and load boat
0500 clear Dog Key Pass at first light, roughly 15 miles from the dock.
0600 begin dressing for first dive..
0605 arrive at first rig.
Load gun.
Backwards roll either upcurrent from rig if freeboating, or tied off to the downcurrent leg.
Drop as quickly as possible to below the upper murk
Spend 30 seconds looking for something at the murk/clear interface, then another minute or so looking down for a suitable fish if there is nothing shallow.
Drop to first crossmember
Check out the nodes under it and and the riser bells for grouper.
Drop to second cross member, 100', or just above the lower murk, whichever is shallower.
Look down to identify stalking target.
Set up stalk.
exhale 50%, the start "freedive" to shot.
Complete stalk and shoot, inhale at the shot. ( My maximum for a shot is about 180'.)
Take fish to shallowest cross member ASAP, throat and gut. (This serves as a "safety stop.")
take fish to boat and get out.
0615 ice first fish
Run 15 to 30minutes to next rig.
Repeat drop/run procedure until fish boxes are full or daylight starts to run out.
Clear Dog Key Pass as the sun sets.
Dock about 45 min past sunset. Clean boat.
40 minute drive home.
2 or more hours spent butchering fish.
Shower and dinner
Bed.

BTW most of the guys I dive with out there consider red snapper under 30 inches, cobia or cuda under 4', and AJs under 3' as "babies". Shooting babies will get you ragged on all day. A fish that weighs over 50 pounds and takes 2 men to turn on the table is not "cleaned" it's "butchered."

FT