Incident at White Star Quarry, 6/9/09

[bamamedic]

While I would probably make a quick descent on 300psi to rescue a diver who's location was known, I would never ask anyone to do something outside their comfort zone. 300psi is definitely not enough gas to make any kind of a search, and I could completely envision an anxious, excited diver attempting a rescue attempt to burn through that 300psi very, very quickly.

On a slightly different note, does anyone have news of that diver? How are they doing?

 

[timegan]

300psi is definitely not enough gas to make any kind of a search, and I could completely envision an anxious, excited diver attempting a rescue attempt to burn through that 300psi very, very quickly.

Thats perfectly true bamamedic......"very,very quickly" is the key point. Down, recover, and UP. Hell you got 300psi....the person on the bottom has NONE..(that is being used)...the quick part is for them more than anything.

 

[sabbath999]

Oh good grief...!

I guess I'd better start Ebaying.

OK... let me know when your camera gear is on there

 

[sabbath999]

I would definitely drop to 90 feet on 300 psi if I thought I knew exactly where the diver was.

I couldn't do that. I do not possess the diving skills to do that, nor the SAC. I have never freedove, have only been that deep or deeper once in my life, and I simply couldn't get down to 90, spend ANY time at all there and make it back with any reasonable expectation of not getting seriously hurt or dead.

The 40 feet? Absolutely, that I would try... CESA's from 40 are something that are well within my training and ability (especially since I know going down that I will probably end up CESA on the way back up...)

I just don't have a good enough SAC to get me down to 90 and have air left to do ANYTHING but come right back up CESA.

I've never claimed to be a good diver, and know nothing of freediving, but I do know my limitations. That is outside of them, I would simply get myself hurt or dead...

Five years and a thousand dives from now, ask me again... but as a guy who has been certed less than one year and has well under 100 dives? I couldn't do it.

 

[DandyDon]

Whether any diver can do 40 ft on 300 psi or on breath hold is an individual call. I'd do the 300 psi dive; if I had to decide on a breath hold, I'd think looking for gear would be more rewarding use of precious seconds.

More relevant question? Where was the divers buddy? Why did s/he not stick with the diver, bring up, dump weights if needed? We are probly not going to get those answers.

My suggested Take Away Info on this is the same as on most of these threads...

Stick with your buddy, especially on descent and ascent.

If there is a problem that cannot be reasonably resolved below, grab your buddy's BC and ascend.

Don't leave your buddy unless the above fails.​

My home bud and I discussed this thread at dinner last night. He likes for me to stay with him on descent as he has problems getting down; I do. He is bad on ascending without close buddy contact - more of a meet-you-on-top idea; trying to break him of that. My current nag is "I'll stay with you on descent; you stay with me on ascent and between; agreed?

 

[marshalld3]

While I would probably make a quick descent on 300psi to rescue a diver who's location was known, I would never ask anyone to do something outside their comfort zone. 300psi is definitely not enough gas to make any kind of a search, and I could completely envision an anxious, excited diver attempting a rescue attempt to burn through that 300psi very, very quickly.

On a slightly different note, does anyone have news of that diver? How are they doing?

The diver injured at White Star on June 6th is still recovering at Toledo Hospital. She is off of the ventilator, walking with assistance and involved in physical therapy.

I would to again thank everyone who helped with her rescue.

 

[bamamedic]

Thanks for the update! Glad to hear she is doing well, all things considered. Best wishes for her speedy recovery.

 

[DandyDon]

The diver injured at White Star on June 6th is still recovering at Toledo Hospital. She is off of the ventilator, walking with assistance and involved in physical therapy.

I would to again thank everyone who helped with her rescue.

Glad to hear, and hope for the best.

You happen to know how this happened exactly? Altho some of our tones may sound rough, we really do want to learn from these so as to prevent similar accidents.

thanks again!

 

[qrpc]

A bounce dive to 40' on 300psi in 30' viz might not be a problem.
But, what did the potential rescuers know before they dove?

At many sites, diver in distress on the bottom will kick up a lot of silt
reducing viz to nothing. Also, whatever caused the diver to have problems
could be a problem for the rescuer too. For example, a new diver getting
caught on some line from a wreck-reel and panicking could create a massive
entanglement hazard to go along with the low visibility and panicky rescuee.
What seems like a simple bounce dive from the surface might not be that simple.

While I applaud anyone who is willing to take the risk and go, I wouldn't second
guess someone who decides not to. They are a better judge of their capability
than I am.

I also would imagine a leader who tells his team to go with that little air may
face some significant legal liability. Luckily that issue is pretty academic. It
would be a rare case that a rescue team would show up with near empty tanks,
and by the time they use what they brought, it will have probably long since
become a recovery effort.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

A bounce dive to 40' on 300psi in 30' viz might not be a problem.
But, what did the potential rescuers know before they dove?

At many sites, diver in distress on the bottom will kick up a lot of silt
reducing viz to nothing. Also, whatever caused the diver to have problems
could be a problem for the rescuer too. For example, a new diver getting
caught on some line from a wreck-reel and panicking could create a massive
entanglement hazard to go along with the low visibility and panicky rescuee.
What seems like a simple bounce dive from the surface might not be that simple.

While I applaud anyone who is willing to take the risk and go, I wouldn't second
guess someone who decides not to. They are a better judge of their capability
than I am.

I also would imagine a leader who tells his team to go with that little air may
face some significant legal liability. Luckily that issue is pretty academic. It
would be a rare case that a rescue team would show up with near empty tanks,
and by the time they use what they brought, it will have probably long since
become a recovery effort.

My understanding from reading the initial posts regarding this accident was:

The "potential rescuer" was on the surface, was calling for help, had 300 lbs, may have been the victim's buddy. This diver refused to go back down with "only" 300 lbs.
Visibility was reported as "excellent" for that site, about 30'.

I don't think anyone has faulted the diver for refusing to go back down, because he was apparently a newly certified diver.

The thread has centered on whether it was safe or not to bounce down 40' in this particular case; and based on the conditions described (40' depth, 30' viz, diver on surface apparently directly above the victim) it is not a high-risk bounce.

I do agree that if any of those conditions were different (low viz, victim's position not known, etc.) that 300 lbs would most likely not be enough.

Best wishes.