Indiana woman dies diving Vandenberg - Key West, Florida

[DandyDon]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article239364098.html

A woman from Indiana died Thursday morning at a Key West hospital after scuba diving a popular shipwreck off Key West.

The woman, Rebecca Butler, 59, was diving from a local dive boat around 10:30 a.m. with her husband during a 100-foot dive on the USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

She went into distress during the dive, according to a sheriff’s office incident report, and was taken to U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West.

From there, she was taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center, where doctors pronounced her dead.

The Vandenberg was intentionally sunk in May 2009 to be a dive tourism attraction six miles off Key West.


The 523-foot-long ship served as both a U.S. Navy and Air Force vessel. It used to monitor the NASA space launches in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s off Cape Canaveral.

It rests in 140 feet of water within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, according to the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

Butler’s death is the second dive fatality on the Vandenberg since August.

 

[Kimela]

So sad.

 

[spoolin01]

Don't like to see these stories about senior divers checking out. I've been hoping for a long career in this zone...

 

[Steve_C]

Deep dives put more stress on the body even if you do not feel it. I have scaled back my depth a bit for that reason. (I am 74)

 

[DandyDon]

Don't like to see these stories about senior divers checking out. I've been hoping for a long career in this zone...

I think that a primary reason that we see senior age diver accidents is that there are more senior divers than junior.

 

[spoolin01]

I think that a primary reason that we see senior age diver accidents is that there are more senior divers than junior.

Well I'd like to think that, but there's that whole other angle, as Steve_C alludes to.

 

[ReadyTo Dive]

My deepest condolences to the family, so very sad.

I had my closest “almost didn’t make it back” dive on the Vand. myself. I had pretty much accepted that that day was going to be my final day alive. There was another diver on the boat who said he had over 100 dives on her and had never seen currents so swift there before. I was 38 at the time and in excellent physical condition.

Just wanted to say that it is not a site to be taken lightly when the currents are ripping and the water is green/low viz. The shop I went out with did not put a DM in the water, obviously I have no idea if that was the case here or if that would have had any impact whatsoever. Again, I’m so sorry it turned out this way for this poor diver and her family.

 

[aviator8]

My deepest condolences to the family, so very sad.

I had my closest “almost didn’t make it back” dive on the Vand. myself. I had pretty much accepted that that day was going to be my final day alive. There was another diver on the boat who said he had over 100 dives on her and had never seen currents so swift there before. I was 38 at the time and in excellent physical condition.

Just wanted to say that it is not a site to be taken lightly when the currents are ripping and the water is green/low viz. The shop I went out with did not put a DM in the water, obviously I have no idea if that was the case here or if that would have had any impact whatsoever. Again, I’m so sorry it turned out this way for this poor diver and her family.

what happened on your dive? It could be a learning experience to some.

 

[AfterDark]

Don't like to see these stories about senior divers checking out. I've been hoping for a long career in this zone...

Very sad, my condolences to the family and friends.

I'd rather checkout diving than rotting away in nursing home. This year starts my 52nd year of diving not a bad run so far!
I don't do much deep diving these days, as a matter of fact I don't think I went deeper than 40FSW last year. Not really planned but I've been trying to get good pictures of small critters in shallow water so no deep dives.

 

[Catito]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article239364098.html

Cardiac related?