Diver Missing, Jacksonville FL

[boulderjohn]

Except that many of those are survivable. A heart attack leading to losing consciousness and an ambulance ride may not kill you, but the same event at depth will. I do not discount deaths from medicals events at depth as nondiving.

That is certainly correct, and I do not discount them as non-diving at all.

 

[Biotech Diver]

"When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."

If you look at DAN fatality reports, medical events are by far the biggest category for scuba fatalities. Then there are the cases in which a diver's body is found with no clear cause of death--a medical event is still most likely the cause, but there is no way of knowing.

A friend of ours is dealing with the grief of having her 41-year old son, fit and with no record of serious health issues whatsoever, die of a heart attack. He was driving the car, passed out, and never regained consciousness. (His son in the passenger seat prevented the accident.) It is rare that a young, fit individual can succumb this way, but it happens.

I see that you are frustrated by claims of medical events shutting down discussions on causes of scuba fatalities. I am frequently frustrated by the opposite. In thread after thread after thread, I see speculation on possible bizarre circumstances leading to the diver's death, when to me the description fairly screams "medical event."

The problem with that metaphor is that the hoofbeats are the only things people are hearing. They are not hearing wings flapping or dogs barking.

 

[johndiver999]

I think what sets this accident apart from a lot of typical recreational fatalities is the fact that this occurred when spearfishing and the diver was apparently completely consumed by sharks.

The potential for a shark attack while actively spearfishing has to be 1000 fold higher than a typical recreational scuba dive, not to mention this was many miles offshore, rather than a tourist type dive site that sees lots of activity.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Apparently the Uscg may have misunderstood the crew that found Timmy's gear. One of which is a marine biologist. View attachment 670892

Everything except the wetsuit being in an 8-ft circle on the bottom points to it all arriving in the same spot at once. By reports he was last seen at the safety stop; if something had happened in the water column the lighter stuff at least (mask and glove) would have drifted farther away. So he went from the safety stop to the bottom without losing much if any gear, and except for the wetsuit it seems like everything else was almost unscathed. That would mean a shark taking him to the bottom before his friends noticed without shaking anything loose (no struggle or dropping anything) or doing major damage to the BC ... or medical event and sinking unmolested.

I'm not sure what's meant by his speargun being "unloaded;" no shaft in the gun, shaft clipped to the side, or shaft in the gun but bands not cocked? He had an unused powerhead, so if a shark was involved he was incapacitated before he could use it (and again, without dropping the gun or getting anything but the wetsuit torn up). A fired gun might suggest shark; a gun with the shaft in it not.

 

[uncfnp]

The problem with that metaphor is that the hoofbeats are the only things people are hearing. They are not hearing wings flapping or dogs barking.

It is a medical reference. Hoofbeats could be either horse or zebra. Horse the common. Zebra the exotic. The solution to a (medical) conundrum is more likely the usual than the exotic. But it is more interesting to explore the exotic and always stays in the back of the mind since it is something we very much would not want to miss.

So we consider the Zebra but most always see horses.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

I don't disbelieve them, I am just curious as to how they might arrive at that explanation as most probable.

People often see what they want to see.

 

[johndiver999]

Everything except the wetsuit being in an 8-ft circle on the bottom points to it all arriving in the same spot at once. By reports he was last seen at the safety stop; if something had happened in the water column the lighter stuff at least (mask and glove) would have drifted farther away. So he went from the safety stop to the bottom without losing much if any gear, and except for the wetsuit it seems like everything else was almost unscathed. That would mean a shark taking him to the bottom before his friends noticed without shaking anything loose (no struggle or dropping anything) or doing major damage to the BC ... or medical event and sinking unmolested.

I'm not sure what's meant by his speargun being "unloaded;" no shaft in the gun, shaft clipped to the side, or shaft in the gun but bands not cocked? He had an unused powerhead, so if a shark was involved he was incapacitated before he could use it (and again, without dropping the gun or getting anything but the wetsuit torn up). A fired gun might suggest shark; a gun with the shaft in it not.

Seeing him on the safety stop (and perhaps with no fish on a stringer) would tip the scales toward medical event, that is why I wondered if they heard his PH go off, which would suggest he had a fish with him.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Seeing him on the safety stop (and perhaps with no fish on a stringer) would tip the scales toward medical event, that is why I wondered if they heard his PH go off, which would suggest he had a fish with him.

According to what was posted he had a powerhead on him, but it was unused.

 

[Bob DBF]

I'm not sure what's meant by his speargun being "unloaded;" no shaft in the gun, shaft clipped to the side, or shaft in the gun but bands not cocked?

I don't know the usual procedure in Fla, but I have my speargun "unloaded" as in rendered safe before I get to the safety stop near the boat to prevent an accident.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

I don't know the usual procedure in Fla, but I have my speargun "unloaded" as in rendered safe before I get to the safety stop near the boat to prevent an accident.

Yes, handing up a speargun that's got a shaft in it and bands cocked is a big no-no here too. The question is whether "unloaded" means that or that the shaft was gone.