Fantasy Island Roatan Accident March 09

[ScubaSteve]

Sorry....maybe I should have spelled out...Arterial Gas Embolism

Steve--

Did you mean "age" as in how old a person is, or "AGE" as in acute gas embolism?

I had read it stood for Arterial but I definitely could be wrong. This really has no significance....my point was there is sometimes a secondary cause of death named......it is irrelevat what I chose for my example.

 

[dmoore19]

My point was not dependent on whether or not those were real possibilities so I could care less if it is a possible cause of death or not. As stated, it was just an example.

Sorry, [-]getting[/-] feeling old today and took it wrong.

 

[jon m]

i knew what you meant, Steve..
btw- two divers did get bad air @ Cocoview several years ago. one was a divemaster, one a guest, both perished. nobody else had symptoms. so bad air is a possibility, the tank should have been checked. it would be the first thing I would want checked, anyway...

 

[Ursus]

CajunDiva,

I don't mean to sound terse but please ease up. My comment on FI was not intended to offend you. I am simply reiterating a common statement made by a number of divers and locals while I was on my trip in Roatan. I have no previous experience in Roatan, and as such no particular bias. The Cocoview setup is definitely tailored to divers with the gear lockers/bays and shorediving. That said, FI has a beautiful private lagoon with a stuning beach in front worthy of a post card. I have no set loyalty or benefit from any position as to who is better. While I was there one diver from New England area was acknowledged for his achieving his 3,000th dive of which he had completed 600 at Cocoview...I guess he either doesn't like change or gets a hell of a discount.

Unless you have been back since the earthquale (sometime in late June or July), you should be prepared for the changes to the reefs. It was a bit heart renching to see the devastation. Apparently, the reefs in the area took the hardest blow from the earthquake. There are giant sections missing from Neuman's Wall And Cocoview Wall as well as collapse of sections of reef throughout area. There is no rhyme or reason to the damage. You'll get an opportunity to see the very bedrock of the reef that hasn't been exposed in 1000 years or so... Have a good trip.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Sorry, back to the reputation of Fantasy Island Resort, my wife and I stayed there for a week in May and dove all week.

It appears that many renovations have been done and we quite enjoyed our stay. The room was clean, quiet and comfortable, and the service was excellent.

More pertinent to this discussion is that we found the dive operation to be first class and very safely run. We had a bent diver on our trip and she was dealt with in a swift, safe and professional manner.

I would not hesitate in diving with them again, and plan to do so in the next year or two....

 

[DandyDon]

I am very sorry for your loss Coryedwards and thank you for posting here...

All Concerned,
It was my husband, John, who died. The autopsy ruled it a drowning.

That is the common ruling for scuba deaths regardless of cause. I do hope you are able to obtain more information.

His heart was fine. We were diving with Nitrox. We were on the surface swimming to the dive boat. My husband called me and said he needed my oxygen (was he disoriented???) I gave him my octo, we made it to the boat, he was taking off his fins to get in when his eyes rolled back in his head and he stopped breathing....

Was the nitrox mix off???? Can that cause confusion and disorientation??

I couldn't begin to guess what actually happened, but as to the mix - y'all analyzed your tanks I presume...?

I have received no notification of an on-going investigation.

My concern now is with the safety at Fantasy Island. The boat driver was not equipped to help me get John back in the boat. He did not know CPR. He did not know where the first aid kit was nor how to use any of the equipment in the kit.

That is indeed distressing. I wonder sometimes if we should be quizzing & testing the crews ourselves.

1995 was a long time ago, things do change. Despite your frustration on that trip, due to the time since, I dont believe this is relevant.

Not in the least.

I am sorry for your loss.

I was at Cocoview a month ago. The operations were great and the divemasters on the boats were top notch. They even broke out the O2 for someone having some sea sickness issues. As to Fantasy Island...it looked deserted for the entire week. Only a ouple of times during the course of a week did I see any signs of life at the resort. Fantasy Island is known for the property having fallen into disrepair. If you are going to dive on that side of the island then Cocoview is clearly the diver's choice.

If you want to argue about the two resorts elsewhere, I'll play - but not here. I've only been to FIBR twice but loved it.

The fact that only one person died and others were not sick does not necessarily prove that the air was not bad. For example, several years ago when 2 people died at Cocoview due to bad air, a whole lot of other people did not become sick or die. All of the tanks do not necessarily have the exact same composition of gases in them or subject to the same contaminants as others were exposed to, in addition to different people being more or less sensitive to exposure to contaminants.

I have no idea if bad gas was a factor at all in this case. However, I don't think it can be definitively ruled out.

That's correct on every point, except that a family member told me that the Texan tourist's wife was ill. Some CCV fans have started a rumor that the Texan got in trouble and took out the DM with him but what little evidence has been allowed out on that case does not support that at all. It was most likely Carbon Monoxide but I won't go on about that case here. I test all of my tanks for CO now, wherever I dive.

True enough. But the possibility of bad air is highly doubtful. There are so many other factors that have not even been mentioned. We know absolutely nothing about the dive or the physical condition of the diver. It is irresponsible to even attempt to place blame when there is absolutely no indication that bad air was a factor.

Correct, TY!

 

[Ayisha]

That's correct on every point, except that a family member told me that the Texan tourist's wife was ill. Some CCV fans have started a rumor that the Texan got in trouble and took out the DM with him but what little evidence has been allowed out on that case does not support that at all. It was most likely Carbon Monoxide but I won't go on about that case here. I test all of my tanks for CO now, wherever I dive.

I was told quite matter of factly by a local instructor that the deaths at Cocoview were due to improper compressor maintenance leading to "bad air", though there has been a hush about it. I was also taken to the deceased DM Tulio Gomez's u/w memorial in Roatan. I didn't see one for the unfortunate deceased Texan client, but there may have been one somewhere. It was very chilling to pay respects there and a reality check of what can happen...

I do not recall hearing about any sicknesses on that dive, but I read that info years ago, so I may have forgotten. Even if there were 2 deaths and no sickness reported, let alone one sick diver, there were many divers on that dive with tanks filled at the same place who were not sick and did not die. Carbon monoxide poisoning or hydrogen sulphide poisoning (or who knows what else) does not seem to be an all or nothing death trap, just as nitrogen, oxygen and helium affect people differently, even the same person on different days.

 

[CajunDiva]

I was told quite matter of factly by a local instructor that the deaths at Cocoview were due to improper compressor maintenance leading to "bad air", though there has been a hush about it. I was also taken to the deceased DM Todd Gomez's u/w memorial in Roatan. I didn't see one for the unfortunate deceased Texan client, but there may have been one somewhere. It was very chilling to pay respects there and a reality check of what can happen...

If we're paying respects, it might as well be to the correct person:

That would be TULIO GOMEZ...rest in peace Amigo!

 

[DandyDon]

I was told quite matter of factly by a local instructor that the deaths at Cocoview were due to improper compressor maintenance leading to "bad air", though there has been a hush about it.

I got the same story from a Texas Inst who was there shortly before that accident. It seems the Nitrox compressor was the problem as well as part of why others were not hit. The rules here were different then and CCV fans upset about the DM were too upset about that sad loss for much to be said about the rest of the story. The disruptions were so strong between those of us who wanted to hold CCV to their promise to release all info and those who wanted to mourn the DM that the thread was pulled. Then the Passings forum was created for condolences. CCV kept the story secret of course as it was their negligence.

I was also taken to the deceased DM Todd Gomez's u/w memorial in Roatan. I didn't see one for the unfortunate deceased Texan client, but there may have been one somewhere.

I very much doubt it.

It was very chilling to pay respects there and a reality check of what can happen...

I do not recall hearing about any sicknesses on that dive, but I read that info years ago, so I may have forgotten. Even if there were 2 deaths and no sickness reported, let alone one sick diver, there were many divers on that dive with tanks filled at the same place who were not sick and did not die. Carbon monoxide poisoning or hydrogen sulphide poisoning (or who knows what else) does not seem to be an all or nothing death trap, just as nitrogen, oxygen and helium affect people differently, even the same person on different days.

Still that is true, and two tanks from the same compressor may not get the same mix of the problem. That's why I test every tank. I received a few PMs about the tester I use: Pocket CO - Miniature Carbon Monoxide Detector and Dosimeter Phone them about the scuba model; it's fine to use my name if you'd like.

 

[JTemple]

Disclaimer: I AM A CCV FAN!

If you want to argue about the two resorts elsewhere, I'll play - but not here. I've only been to FIBR twice but loved it.

If one hasn't been to both resorts, one can't argue their merits with any level of authority. If one tries, others will recognize the argument as mere bubbling.

That's correct on every point, except that a family member told me that the Texan tourist's wife was ill.

It has been 4 years now, but I'm fairly certain Randy's wife was not at CCV. But I will stand corrected on this fact by anyone with the authority to do so. I won't accept a correction from you, I give no weight or credit to anything you have to say with regards to CCV. I am also completely unaware of anyone else at the resort being ill after the accidents. (You may recall I was there.) Doctors were called in, any and everyone who wished to be examined was given the opportunity, no one else was reported as being ill. Why you continuously chose to spread toxic bubbles such as this, I will never understand. (Please don't take that as an invitation to explain it to me.)

Some CCV fans have started a rumor that the Texan got in trouble and took out the DM with him but what little evidence has been allowed out on that case does not support that at all.

Over the last 4 years since the accident, you have grabbed by the reins every opportunity presented on SB to bubble on about the resort in the most negative way possible, with innuendo and great malice, making statements which cannot be backed up by anyone but yourself, and not even then since, as you said, you haven't been there. But you persist. Your persistent bubbling is annoying.

WHAT RUMORS WHERE? That has got to be the most ridiculous thing you have said yet. I have close ties to a great majority of these CCV fans you have so easily maligned here just now, and not one of them, or any of the other CCV fans for that matter, has asserted this rumor. Unbelievable. Mere bubbling.


In closing, my apologies to coryedwards for this rant.
My sincerest condolences for your recent loss.