Fatality off Bald Head Island - NC

[DandyDon]

I am sorry about the loss of your friend. I was not there, but this to me is an obvious oxygen toxicity seizure.

I really wonder where in the hell you get your "obvious" conclusion?

I have read the report by aheavyD and while it does give lots of answers it leaves me with more questions. The mix being a major one since it appears to be an oxtox to me.

Is he with you?

Oxtox might have been a possibility for all I know, it's often hard to say what the cause is, but since his dive bud says his maximum PPO was under 1.4 - not likely at all.

This article quotes cause of death as an embolism. Diver identified in second fatal dive off Wrightsville Beach coast | StarNewsOnline.com That doesn't seem to fit the dive described, but unless the article is just completely wrong...

On Thursday afternoon, 59-year-old Donald Zantop, a veterinarian from Maryland, also died in the same area after a 70-minute dive. An autopsy concluded the cause of his death was an air embolism, or an air bubble trapped in a blood vessel.

 

[Jax]

Good Lord, where does all this OxTox talk come from? The immediate ascent would reduce the ppO₂ the further he ascended. I suggest the key is the purging of the reg into the mouth.

As for the autopsy report and the air embolism -- Can anyone state the difference in symptoms between IPE and AGE???? Both are bubbles in the lung fluids . . .

 

[fpsndiver]

I have never allowed anyone exceeding ppO2 limits to conduct a dive while I was crew, nor would I dive alongside someone whom would. I did sit someone out who brought too rich of a mix. I am a Police Officer, good inference catch. Those specific divers I referred to dive from private boats, but I know this activity does take place on charters. Again, it was a simple question of an important omission of your story. The question still remains.

 

[aHeavyD]

Good Lord, where does all this OxTox talk come from? The immediate ascent would reduce the ppO₂ the further he ascended. I suggest the key is the purging of the reg into the mouth.

As for the autopsy report and the air embolism -- Can anyone state the difference in symptoms between IPE and AGE???? Both are bubbles in the lung fluids . . .

You got me where all the ox tox came from. We were diving under 1.4 ppo2. It was also the first dive of the trip.

I don't think anything has to do with the purging of the reg. His problem started before the purging of the reg. Someone even stated why I allowed it. My buddy had a problem. If him pressing the purge would have keep him alive or happy I was all for it as I knew the air pressure of both our tanks. I knew he would run out before the surface and I still had the supply to give to him if he was still responding to it. I think what ever happen. His mind was still alive and he felt he could not breathe. I assume his last attempt to breathe was to pressure the purge button. I've never seen anything like that happen or has the both of us trained for using the purge button for anything except clearing the reg and shooting lift bags. I know his regulator breathes at much deeper depths with him having no problems.
As for the air embolism it would have been automatic. We were doing a decompression dive and his body never decompressed went he went to the surface. He would have been bent if he was still alive.

 

[CaptJT]

Is he with you?

Oxtox might have been a possibility for all I know, it's often hard to say what the cause is, but since his dive bud says his maximum PPO was under 1.4 - not likely at all.

This article quotes cause of death as an embolism. Diver identified in second fatal dive off Wrightsville Beach coast | StarNewsOnline.com That doesn't seem to fit the dive described, but unless the article is just completely wrong...

Right now? If he was he would be alive and thus no need for this thread. The oxtox is what appears to have happened, the air embolism occurred most likely during the ascent. That is the cause of death not the cause of the accident. Two different things entirely.

 

[aHeavyD]

I have a hard time understanding why anyone would let someone purge their tanks dry, I have not heard of any agency teach that for a rescue. I'm not an instructor but some of you instructors answering here at the end can help me out with that.
Dive safe out there

He pressed his own purge button. I think he died after he pressed and his body went stiff holding the button in. I know his hand on the rope was stiff as I had to also pull his hand up as he was holding it. When the air ran out he was still holding the reg with the purge pressed in. I never have trained that way or know anybody that has. If he was holding it in I was hoping he was breathing. I really didn't care about it. What he did was take another task off of me while trying to raise him. I was more interested in getting us both to the surface in a controlled accent. If the accent caused the embolism why didn't I get one? It was caused due to the both of us being in a decompression dive. He went to the surface and got bent. I swam back down to do my decompression so I wouldn't get bent.

 

[CaptJT]

If the accent caused the embolism why didn't I get one?

While I don't have all the answers and no one will. One in full seizure could not breathe.
If there is a difference between you two, one was breathing the other was not.

 

[DandyDon]

Right now? If he was he would be alive and thus no need for this thread. The oxtox is what appears to have happened, the air embolism occurred most likely during the ascent. That is the cause of death not the cause of the accident. Two different things entirely.

I was referencing the other poster who joined for one day to say it was Oxtox, but neither of you seem to have any reason for this claim - none at all, so why pursue it?

 

[ahava]

One in full seizure could not breathe.
.

Where did you get this info from ??? Someone who has had a heart attack and dies does not breathe.

 

[CaptJT]

I was referencing the other poster who joined for one day to say it was Oxtox, but neither of you seem to have any reason for this claim - none at all, so why pursue it?

I'm not pursuing it, it just jumps out at me. Having seen a couple it fits. While everyone flies the 1.4 and under flag no will say the mix which causes another flag to raise. Oxygen Toxicity is caused by exposure to oxygen at partial pressures greater than those to which the body is normally exposed. If in fact he was diving 1.4 for the long duration of the dive could have still caused it. Often in the tech world you will hear things like if the sun and moon are in position for "you" it could happen. Many have dived with a ppo of 2.0 and higher they did not tox, it wasn't their day to happen. For others it happened much lower. Each person is different.