Fourth Diver this year dies at Gilboa

[trucker girl]

Mike- sorry- I removed that post because I didn't think my post was appropriate or on topic.

You saw it and quoted before I removed it. So- now I'm busted!

Thanks for not getting mad at me for posting it- I decided I didn't want to escalate any hard feelings. I am much more upset with the way the media exploits things anyway.

 

[CheddarChick]

Yikes, please people let's not jump to conclusions it is the diver op's fault. We have no idea what happened to the poor gal. In no way do I see this as a quarry fault, or dive op fault. We need to find out what truely happened. Diving, like motorcycling is dangerous. And we need to keep our community together so the Gov can't ban it as being too dangerous....

 

[MikeFerrara]

Mike- sorry- I removed that post because I didn't think my post was appropriate or on topic.

You saw it and quoted before I removed it. So- now I'm busted!

No problem. your point was valid and I should know better than to let myself get drawn into things like that.

Thanks for not getting mad at me for posting it- I decided I didn't want to escalate any hard feelings. I am much more upset with the way the media exploits things anyway.

The media does sensationalize things like this but, IMO, the dive industry down plays it. Rarely do the pertenant points get discussed unless we do it here. The death of Van Losh is a good example. He died of natural causes but that was after he had a problem, aborted the dive and his dive buddies left him on his own (according the the information I saw). We don't know if he could have been saved or not because his pals left him and didn't try.

It would seem like common sense that if there is any time when a diver shouldn't be left on their own, it's when they are having problems. Yet we see and hear about the EXACT same thing happening all the time. People just don't learn and we see the EXACT same mistakes over and over.

We don't know much about this most recent accident either but we know one thing...she was alone when it happened. Her dive didn't start out as a solo dive but it ended that way. This is definately a recuring theme. If the most basic aspects of team diving were more commonly put into practice some of these incidents might turn out very differently. At least there would be an eye witness. Maybe it wouldn't help but why don't we try it and see?

 

[wb416]

Now hold on a minute....most quarries (I'm from southwestern Ohio, years ago.... west of Cincinnati....quarry land nowadays) are steep sided and have a relatively small "bottom" where the true muck accummulates. Inevitably, there will be divers "falling" to the bottom and kicking it up.....even if training standards DO improve, it only takes one flailing around..... I'm just thinking of a way so when they do, they don't ruin vis for everyone else. Perhaps not applicable in all quarries. But isn't this what the platforms are built for? Think of a bigger platform. Or don't.
It's harder to ruin the vis in the ocean so coral head hopping isn't necessary.

Mike already has the largest platforms I've ever seen in a quarry.

 

[wb416]

I guess the question I have (which cannot be answered) is why is Gilboa experiencing this high mortality rate where as a similiar quarry like Portage is not experiencing the same issues? It really is a shame. I wonder how many folks were diving that day. Viz can go from good to zero quickly if a lot of divers are bouncing off the bottom.

It rained heavily on Thursday night and viz was marginal on Friday above 70ft.

Portage and Gilboa are NOT all that similar.

 

[BubblesUp]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070731/NEWS01/70731041

Cause of diver death remains unknown


GILBOA, Ohio — Two diver deaths in April were blamed on equipment failure; another in June, on health problems.

But it might be a bit more difficult to understand why a fourth diver in three months died Sunday at Gilboa Quarry, Putnam County Sheriff James Beutler said yesterday.

Authorities yesterday found no obvious problems with Rebecca Budd’s diving equipment, nor did an autopsy immediately suggest that the Ashland, Ohio, woman had health problems before she got to the quarry about 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

Final autopsy results are pending the outcomes of several tests ordered by the coroner, the sheriff said.

Additionally, the 54-year-old woman “was an experienced diver, so that doesn’t seem to be an issue,” the sheriff said.

Mrs. Budd arrived at the quarry with her husband, Thomas, and a group of about eight other people from Ashland. The group split up to explore the quarry; Mrs. Budd became separated from both groups. “Everybody thought she was with someone else,” the sheriff said.

She was pulled from the water after 11:30 a.m. and pronounced dead about an hour later.

The sheriff, a diver himself, ruled out any problems at the quarry, saying its owner strictly enforces the rules, even personally interviewing visitors who are doing deep-water dives.

In April, the deaths of two divers in icy waters was attributed to equipment failure and panic. Last month, a third death most likely was because of natural causes, the coroner has ruled.

 

[wb416]

I don't know if it's because the Blade has a diver on staff (BladePhotog), but they sure do seem to do the best job of reporting the incidents at Gilboa Quarry. Look at the first and eighth/ninth paragraphs for examples of how carefully they've covered the bases.... definitely lacks the sensationalism of some of the other local papers.

 

[BubblesUp]

Here's another related article. Bolding and highlights are mine.


http://www.wnwo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6861566


Quarry Deaths Spotlight Safety

(Putnam County)--Why are so many divers dying at the Gilboa Quarry?

This weekend saw the fourth death there in as many months.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Department says initial results show this weekend's victim, Rebecca Budd, drowned at the quarry.

But diving experts say the quarry is a one-of-a-kind facility where they practice an extraordinary sport that can pose extraordinary risks.

Bubbles floating to the quarry's surface show where scuba divers swim down below.

There, it can seem like another planet, surrounded by fish, floating through submerged buses and planes.

But diving experts say it can also be a dangerous place.

"This is a sport where if you don't know what you're doing, you could get yourself seriously hurt or killed," says diving instructor, Jim Richards.

Rebecca Budd died near a dividing wall between the shallow and deeper areas of the quarry.

The sheriff's department says there's no evidence that her death and the three others was related to the quarry or its safety practices.

The sheriff says they have no plans to shut down or restrict diving at the quarry. They say, and experts agree, that safety is a diver's responsibility.

"Mt. Everest doesn't kill people, people kill themselves because they do things they're not capable of handling," says diving instructor, Jeff Davis, "they push themselves beyond their boundaries."

They say when it comes to diving safety the odds are in your favor.

"There's an average of maybe 200 incidents, worldwide," says diving instructor Jerrie Struble, "when you figure that, it's actually safer than most sports."

At the quarry, divers fill out waivers and present certificates to prove they know what they're doing.

"It's gonna get reviewed by the staff and they're gonna make sure that's within your limits," says Richards. He comes here every weekend from Michigan, he says it's the best place to train his students.

"I can tell you, personally," he says, "that the response time for helping people is probably the best I've ever been associated with."

Before these recent four deaths in four months, the quarry had a total of four water fatalities since 1996.

Matt Trezza

7/30/07

Copyright © 2007 WNWO-TV, A Barrington Broadcasting Group station. Associated Press may have contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

[wb416]

Here's another related article. Bolding and highlights are mine.


http://www.wnwo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6861566


Quarry Deaths Spotlight Safety

There's a nice video news clip embedded in the link above.

 

[jtivat]

We don't know much about this most recent accident either but we know one thing...she was alone when it happened. Her dive didn't start out as a solo dive but it ended that way. This is definately a recuring theme. If the most basic aspects of team diving were more commonly put into practice some of these incidents might turn out very differently. At least there would be an eye witness. Maybe it wouldn't help but why don't we try it and see?

So if this is true how is that an agency's fault? I do agree training should be tougher but every PADI class I have seen or taught the buddy system is preached and practiced religiously. Also it is explained to the students that with out further training or at least lots more diving with more experienced divers they should not be diving to depths or conditions greater than what they trained it. In most cases I would say that is 40' or less and 70F or more. The fact is many people just don’t plain listen and think once they get that card they are invincible.