Injured Diver - Pensacola 4/9/11

[Hetland]

Sometime around 10:00am we heard the Coast Guard on the VHF hailing a 24ft white Sea Pro and later Proline boat (it was the same boat, but both descriptions were used). The boat had an injured diver on board, and it was headed into Pensacola Pass. We were unable to pick up the boater's end of the conversation.

I just picked up a rumor: the diver went OOA around 100fsw but got to his buddy at some point and shared air up to 15-20ft and then lost consciousness

Anyone have any additional information?

Note: You can't post the NAME of the injured until it has been published elsewhere, so if you know the person, please don't post it hear until confirmed.

Thanks

 

[GLENFWB]

It is sad to say that the diver died last night. He lived just down the street from me. Details are still a little sketchy. Please pray for his family.

Sometime around 10:00am we heard the Coast Guard on the VHF hailing a 24ft white Sea Pro and later Proline boat (it was the same boat, but both descriptions were used). The boat had an injured diver on board, and it was headed into Pensacola Pass. We were unable to pick up the boater's end of the conversation.

I just picked up a rumor: the diver went OOA around 100fsw but got to his buddy at some point and shared air up to 15-20ft and then lost consciousness

Anyone have any additional information?

Note: You can't post the NAME of the injured until it has been published elsewhere, so if you know the person, please don't post it hear until confirmed.

Thanks

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Damn, always sad to hear about a diver passing

 

[Ron Parker]

My God Bless the deceased diver. My sincere prayers go out to his family and friends.

 

[sontek]

Its always sad to lose a diver

 

[MRXRAY]

Very sad. What I've heard are third and fourth party, but I will say that I am concerned of the circumstances that led to his death. I'll say what I heard but it raises more questions than provides answers. No info here is guaranteed accurate:

Diver OOA at 100' but may have been either a gauge malfunction or was in Deco. Apparently the diver showed something of a blacked out gauge to his buddy or something like that. The divers then shared air to 15' to do a stop? Not sure if it was for safety or obligated deco. At some point during the stop the divers decided to go back to each others own regs and the OOA diver chose to abandon the stop and head to the surface.

The deceased divers buddy said that the ascent rate was high the entire way to the surface as his computer was alarming them to slow the ascent. Not sure on the final ascent from 15 feet if the diver bolted or ascended slowly.

Apparently the injured diver was alive on the surface and was swimming to the boat (Current was moderate where we were at during the early morning, but picked up later in the day) and was kicking like crazy to get to the boat. The injured diver was brought on board and was soon noted to be purple and bloated (?).

The coast guard met the boat on the way back to port but would not allow the diver to be transported to the CG boat and the boats went to the Pensacola CG station where a life flight helicopter was waiting. The diver was alive when put on the Helicopter but died later.

I did not here if issue was dive related (AGE) or maybe a cardiac event. The deceased diver I'm told was 50ish.

 

[airstream]

Condolences...situations like this are always a learning experience for those left behind. Let none of us take safety and situational awareness mildly. DIVE SAFE FOLKS!

 

[cmufieldhockey8]

My thoughts and prayers are with the deceased's family

 

[SandyRobinson]

Always tough to lose a fellow diver. My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Prayers to the family