Fell exiting, recovered dead - St Brides Bay, Wales

[DandyDon]

Tragic diver death at St Brides Bay

The 2022 diving year got off to a tragic start yesterday (Saturday 5 February), with the news that a scuba diver died after slipping off rocks while exiting

www.scubadivermag.com

The as-yet-unnamed man, who is believed to be from Cardiff, was shore diving with two other men at the popular Pembrokeshire site. According to Dfyed-Powys Police, at around 11.35am, as the divers were exiting the water, the man slipped, fell and disappeared under the water.

A 999 call was made to the police, who contact Milford Haven Coastguard shortly afterwards, and a search-and-rescue operation involving RNLI lifeboats from Little Haven and Broad Haven, and St David's, a Coastguard helicopter from Newquay in Cornwall, Wales Air Ambulance and rescue teams from Dale and Broad Haven was launched.

The missing diver was located and brought to the beach at St Brides, but was declared dead after failed attempts to resuscitate him.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Not sure if this is what happened, but I cannot understand people who take their regulator out of their mouth before they are totally out of the water. One slip or wave, you are back in the water and no reg in mouth, suck in water and are in big trouble.

 

[DandyDon]

Not sure if this is what happened, but I cannot understand people who take their regulator out of their mouth before they are totally out of the water. One slip or wave, you are back in the water and no reg in mouth, suck in water and are in big trouble.

Yep, I guess that's a risk that many don't consider. Once on the surface, what's the need for the reg air? I remember one trip getting my home bud back into diving on the first dives after his certification. He spit his reg out on the surface but even tho the surface was not rough, he was having difficulties with his rental BC and choking on water. I told him "Put the reg back in your mouth" - twice, and was just about to drop his weights when he finally did.

Practicing dumping weights on the first dive of each trip is something I've adopted. I'd bet he was found with weights attached.

 

[dmaziuk]

Not sure if this is what happened, but I cannot understand people who take their regulator out of their mouth before they are totally out of the water. One slip or wave, you are back in the water and no reg in mouth, suck in water and are in big trouble.

I wonder though if it really makes that much difference: I should think most of us are capable of holding our breath for 10 seconds it takes to find the reg and bite on it (less if you just go for the octo). And conversely, if I fall back hard enough to knock the wind out of me so I can't do the above, then the fall likely knocked the reg out of my mouth too and I'm breathing water anyway.

That said, I am normally holding it in my mouth or in my hand until I'm fully out.

 

[Bob DBF]

Not sure if this is what happened, but I cannot understand people who take their regulator out of their mouth before they are totally out of the water. One slip or wave, you are back in the water and no reg in mouth, suck in water and are in big trouble.

I do it all the time, as I switch to a snorkel when on the surface. My reg is clipped off, and I can access and breathe off it while clipped.

What struck me was "...the man slipped, fell and disappeared under the water." Which would mean to me that the BC was effectively empty.

 

[Edward3c]

I’ve dived that site many times over the years. It’s considered safe for training, but is also good for marine life.

Taking regs out of mouths whilst walking out on shore dives is something I see a lot. If the wind is coming from a northerly direction it can creat large breaking waves. Which get funnelled as the bay narrows.

Diving in odd numbers increases the risk of ending up solo. We’re the other two so engrossed in what they’d seen they couldn’t help their buddy as he fell?

 

[DandyDon]

I should think most of us are capable of holding our breath for 10 seconds

I have survived many mistakes. I once got in the shallow end of a swimming pool at a family reunion with my snorkel gear without checking the drain valve, sucked in some water, started choking, panicked, etc. My cousins were laughing as I feared drowning in three foot of water.

That said, I am normally holding it in my mouth or in my hand until I'm fully out.

I've had boat captains chuckle because I kept mine in my mouth until I set down. Normally I make sure that I am safely in the boat or on dry land. I'd hate to choke in the water.

Diving in odd numbers increases the risk of ending up solo. We’re the other two so engrossed in what they’d seen they couldn’t help their buddy as he fell?

Been there, done that in that I didn't see the third one leave the walled spring. Not knowing where he was, I searched the 80-foot deep hole on my pony. He was at his car. I hate diving in threes.

 

[Pressurehead]

I've had boat captains chuckle because I kept mine in my mouth until I set down

Same here, in a pitching sea climbing a boat ladder with my 2nd stage in my mouth.
Just think, yeah giggle dickwit " I have been diving before your father was born, you have to make to my age".
Youth is wasted on the young.

 

[lermontov]

Especially important with ccr not to drop loop out of your mouth without closing - a fall back into water here is messy - plus if ive done a deco dive i'll keep breathing a higher po2 for a bit longer

 

[Steelyeyes]

Most of my dives have been shore dives, including back when I did the cold water drysuit thing. Here on Bonaire someone came up with a couple of videos on shore entry/exits. A couple of things I and my wife do that weren't in those videos are put your reg in your mouth when you're in ankle deep water. The other is unless it's a biggish surf (we're getting past the age for those so they're rare) we make sure to be positively buoyant before setting foot in the water. We also have necklaces so if we take a tumble we hopefully won't be searching for the reg if the landing causes it to pop loose.

We've been rolled pretty well a couple of times on exits when the surf catches us but with our regs in we just crawl out if that's what it takes. People forget that the water doesn't have to be deep to drown, and it only takes a couple of seconds.