Feb 19 2017 Cozumel diving fatality

[Brianh1]

We have just got back from Palancar where our boat assisted in the aftermath of a fatality. We assisted two divers who had found a dead female diver on the reef. Her power hose was disconnected and she appears to have got into trouble after using her air and surfacing alone

 

[Dan]

Sorry to hear that.

What do you mean by power hose? Hose to her primary 2nd stage regulator?

 

[Brianh1]

Sorry, power inflator hose, to her bcd

 

[SoFlaDiver954]

Any more details or link to an article? Seems more likely that she jumped in with the valve closed and had no way to get positive with the inflator hose disconnected. Who disconnects the inflator hose when they surface?

 

[Brianh1]

This only happened this morning.

Theory on our boat after talking to the people who found her, by accident, is that she accidentally dived with the hose not properly plugged in and then got into trouble when she surfaced and could not inflate her bcd. We will never know.

Many things are wrong here. Not checking her bcd surfacing alone etc etc

 

[DandyDon]

Dang, sad news for the decedent and everyone else involved. How would you like to have been one of the divers who stumbled onto the accident? I guess her dive boat was near and looking, but we don't have any news yet?

I have made a lot of dumb mistakes, but I have survived to learn a few things. One of which: FIRST DIVE, EVERY TRIP - practice reg recovery, mask clearing, and weight dumping. I am always surprised at how much I fumble just reaching for the releases, but I always want the idea to be active in my emergency reactions. I think most deceased divers are found with weights still secure.

 

[Steelyeyes]

Sad...

 

[scubafanatic]

I switched over to RED Miflex LP inflator hoses to make it easy to 'visual' that the inflator hose is actually connected. Not that I'm actually that absent minded, but it seemed yet another way to increase safety and prevent an oversight.

 

[Steelyeyes]

I check my tank valve open, check pressure, breathe from every air source, and inflate my BCD (even if I'm going to do a negative entry) before I prepare to exit the boat, or enter the water on a shore entry. It's been a habit for decades and it's never failed me.

 

[Brianh1]

I agree with the previous correspondent and yes, she still had her weight belt on. However we all make mistakes, on one of my dives this trip I rolled off the boat with my air off. Normally I, my buddy of almost 30 years, the dive master and often the boat captain would have checked. Luckily I had air in my bcd. One couple on the trip did a negative entry every time.