cdiver2
Contributor
By Rick Gershman from the St petersburg times
Weeki Wachee___Deep below an algae coverd pond. Eagles Nest is considered one of the most breathtaking underwater cave systems in the world. Its intricacies have alternately been described as challenging and dangerous.
Judi Bedard never made it to the dangerous part.
Bedard, 48 a registered nurse at Tampa Genral Hospital, was pulled lifeless from the waters at Eagle's Nest on Sep 11. She was resuscitated and remains in critical condition at Gainesville hospitle.
The state and wild life conservation commission on Wednesday reeased its findings on what happened when Bedard and boyfriend Rudy Banks of Williston, both experienced cave divers, entered the water.
It was a standard recreational dive on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Shortly after 4:30 pm they began a fairly normal descent, said the 52 year old Banks.
Divers must breathe different mixtures of gas at different depths, so Bedard breathed from a tank of pure oxygen untill she had descended abot 30 feet. Then she switched to nitrox, a combination of oxygen and nitrogen.
About 130 feet down she switched to her primary tanks, which were supposed to contain a blend of oxygen, nitrogen and helium appropriate for that depth.
They didn't.
Banks realized something was wrong with Bedard, who switched back to her nitrox tank. The two began there ascent, according to witnesses statements to the commission.
This is supposed to be a gradual procces, since ascending too fast can cause decompression sickness, also known as the bends. It also can cause a gas embolism, the presence of bubbles in the blood stream that obstruct circulation.
But they diden"t have that kind of time. An error in Bedards tank mixtures left her breathing almost all helium and almost no oxygen.
At 100 feet, she was unconscious.
At 60 feet, she"d stopped breathing.
According to Bedard"s friend and neighbor, Tom Lenfestey,
Banks was left with a terrible choice: If he ascended rapidly, the trauma to Bedard"s oxygen starved body could be enormous. If he diden"t she certainly would die from a lack of oxygen during the gradual ascent.
Banks, too risked decompression illness with an immediate ascent.
He brought her right up anyway.
He knew (he might get) the bends, which is very painful, but you can deal with it, Lenfestey said. "he had to do that".
Unfortunately, "it was the ascent that began a kaleidoscope of challenges, and injuries under which she now struggles," which included arterial gas embolisms, diving expert Gregg Stanton, who had just completed a dive with abuddy at Eagles Nest, said in a statment to the commission.
On the surface, Bedard had no pulse. Her eyes were open, blood and foam poured from her mouth.
Banks got the attention of Stanton, formerly Florida State Universitys diving saftey officer, and his diving buddy, James Garey, who serves, on the university of South Florida"s diving control board.
Garey flagged down Dan Pelland, a Spring Hill resident who happened to pull up to Eagles Nest to shoot photographs, Garey used Pelland"s phone to call 911, and Pelland helped Banks perform CPR on Bedard.
Stanton and Garey lauded Bank"s actions to resuscitate Bedard, but Stanton noted that Eagles Nest remote location and unpaved entrance made any potential recovery far more problematic.
"That the victim was brought back to self-breathing condition is a tribute to MR Banks, Stanton wrote. "His cool perseverance working with everyone brought results beyond expectations."
However, the medical response " hampered by limited supplies and transport options Stanton said.
Taking the victim in on a backboard in (a sport utility vechicle) with no iv drip was surprising, but necessary, while the ambulance and helicopter waited at the edge of the forest. A good 30 minutes- probably more- could have been saved and better EMS care could have been available had a recovery plan been in place for the Eagles Nest dive site.
Fish and Wildlife investigator Stephen Farmer agreed with Stanton and Garey that three elements contributed toBedard becoming injured that day at Eagles Nest dive site.
The gas was not properly mixed in her tri-mix tanks.
The tanks were not properly analyzed to ensure the right proportions of gasses.
The isolation valve-an attachment to the manifold that connects the two tanks-was incorrectly left closed and never checked to ensure it was open.
Banks who declined to speak with the Times, told investigators he mixed Bedard"s tanks.
However the experts said, that doe"s not absolve Bedard of responsibility for her equipment.
"At the site -before the dive- I do not believe Ms Bedard checked the contents of her breathing gas. UUltimately it is the responsibility of all divers to test there own breathing gases." Staton wrote.
Had she tested the isolation valve, she would have caught that the tanks were not evenly pressured.. and probably would have looked for further problems, leading to her canceling the dive... I conclude that she did not complete the saftey drills as per the proper protocols"
Banks remains disconsolate after the accident. Lenfestey said, spending almost all of his time at the hospital, Shands at the university of Florida.
Doctors were supprised Bedard rurvived the first 24 hours following the dive, Lenfestey said. Her kidneys failed and her heart stopped several times following her removal from a hyperbaric chamber to treat the embolisms.
It's a tough reality for friends and fellow divers who know Bedard as full of life.
She's high entertainment, just great to be with, Lenfestey said. She's full of well everything
Weeki Wachee___Deep below an algae coverd pond. Eagles Nest is considered one of the most breathtaking underwater cave systems in the world. Its intricacies have alternately been described as challenging and dangerous.
Judi Bedard never made it to the dangerous part.
Bedard, 48 a registered nurse at Tampa Genral Hospital, was pulled lifeless from the waters at Eagle's Nest on Sep 11. She was resuscitated and remains in critical condition at Gainesville hospitle.
The state and wild life conservation commission on Wednesday reeased its findings on what happened when Bedard and boyfriend Rudy Banks of Williston, both experienced cave divers, entered the water.
It was a standard recreational dive on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Shortly after 4:30 pm they began a fairly normal descent, said the 52 year old Banks.
Divers must breathe different mixtures of gas at different depths, so Bedard breathed from a tank of pure oxygen untill she had descended abot 30 feet. Then she switched to nitrox, a combination of oxygen and nitrogen.
About 130 feet down she switched to her primary tanks, which were supposed to contain a blend of oxygen, nitrogen and helium appropriate for that depth.
They didn't.
Banks realized something was wrong with Bedard, who switched back to her nitrox tank. The two began there ascent, according to witnesses statements to the commission.
This is supposed to be a gradual procces, since ascending too fast can cause decompression sickness, also known as the bends. It also can cause a gas embolism, the presence of bubbles in the blood stream that obstruct circulation.
But they diden"t have that kind of time. An error in Bedards tank mixtures left her breathing almost all helium and almost no oxygen.
At 100 feet, she was unconscious.
At 60 feet, she"d stopped breathing.
According to Bedard"s friend and neighbor, Tom Lenfestey,
Banks was left with a terrible choice: If he ascended rapidly, the trauma to Bedard"s oxygen starved body could be enormous. If he diden"t she certainly would die from a lack of oxygen during the gradual ascent.
Banks, too risked decompression illness with an immediate ascent.
He brought her right up anyway.
He knew (he might get) the bends, which is very painful, but you can deal with it, Lenfestey said. "he had to do that".
Unfortunately, "it was the ascent that began a kaleidoscope of challenges, and injuries under which she now struggles," which included arterial gas embolisms, diving expert Gregg Stanton, who had just completed a dive with abuddy at Eagles Nest, said in a statment to the commission.
On the surface, Bedard had no pulse. Her eyes were open, blood and foam poured from her mouth.
Banks got the attention of Stanton, formerly Florida State Universitys diving saftey officer, and his diving buddy, James Garey, who serves, on the university of South Florida"s diving control board.
Garey flagged down Dan Pelland, a Spring Hill resident who happened to pull up to Eagles Nest to shoot photographs, Garey used Pelland"s phone to call 911, and Pelland helped Banks perform CPR on Bedard.
Stanton and Garey lauded Bank"s actions to resuscitate Bedard, but Stanton noted that Eagles Nest remote location and unpaved entrance made any potential recovery far more problematic.
"That the victim was brought back to self-breathing condition is a tribute to MR Banks, Stanton wrote. "His cool perseverance working with everyone brought results beyond expectations."
However, the medical response " hampered by limited supplies and transport options Stanton said.
Taking the victim in on a backboard in (a sport utility vechicle) with no iv drip was surprising, but necessary, while the ambulance and helicopter waited at the edge of the forest. A good 30 minutes- probably more- could have been saved and better EMS care could have been available had a recovery plan been in place for the Eagles Nest dive site.
Fish and Wildlife investigator Stephen Farmer agreed with Stanton and Garey that three elements contributed toBedard becoming injured that day at Eagles Nest dive site.
The gas was not properly mixed in her tri-mix tanks.
The tanks were not properly analyzed to ensure the right proportions of gasses.
The isolation valve-an attachment to the manifold that connects the two tanks-was incorrectly left closed and never checked to ensure it was open.
Banks who declined to speak with the Times, told investigators he mixed Bedard"s tanks.
However the experts said, that doe"s not absolve Bedard of responsibility for her equipment.
"At the site -before the dive- I do not believe Ms Bedard checked the contents of her breathing gas. UUltimately it is the responsibility of all divers to test there own breathing gases." Staton wrote.
Had she tested the isolation valve, she would have caught that the tanks were not evenly pressured.. and probably would have looked for further problems, leading to her canceling the dive... I conclude that she did not complete the saftey drills as per the proper protocols"
Banks remains disconsolate after the accident. Lenfestey said, spending almost all of his time at the hospital, Shands at the university of Florida.
Doctors were supprised Bedard rurvived the first 24 hours following the dive, Lenfestey said. Her kidneys failed and her heart stopped several times following her removal from a hyperbaric chamber to treat the embolisms.
It's a tough reality for friends and fellow divers who know Bedard as full of life.
She's high entertainment, just great to be with, Lenfestey said. She's full of well everything
