Instructor & student injured on rapid ascent - Lake Constance, Germany

[Steph75]

Mein Deutsch ist schlecht, however the chatGPT translation is a little better imho than google translate (but need somone with better German to validate, still not perfect as it screwed up the DCS stop sentance as pointed out above):

Meersburg, February 24, 2023, 2:03 p.m.

Diving instructor has to be resuscitated after accident in Lake Constance Rescue operation in Lake Constance near Meersburg: a diving instructor and his student had to ascend to the water surface by means of an emergency ascent. They did so without the necessary decompression stops, which immediately became noticeable to the instructor.

A boat of the Water Police Lake Constance. The Water Police were also involved in the diving accident. This is an archived image. | Image: Cuko, Katy

A 55-year-old diving instructor and a 38-year-old diving student completed a training dive on Friday in Lake Constance near Meersburg to a depth of about 50 meters. During the ascent back to the water surface, difficulties arose, which led to a joint emergency ascent without complying with the necessary decompression stops, according to the Einsatz police headquarters in Göppingen.

Upon reaching the water surface, the diving instructor noticed the first signs of a so-called decompression sickness. As a result, he became unconscious and had to be resuscitated by the rescue personnel and police officers from the water police, according to the report.

The recovery of the diver at the scene of the accident proved to be very difficult and could only be accomplished with the help of the fire department and a crane. Both the resuscitated diving instructor and his diving student are currently being treated in the hospital in Überlingen for further treatment. There is a pressure chamber there where diving diseases can be treated. The investigation into the cause of the accident is being conducted by the Water Police in Überlingen.

The translation is correct in meaning.
To get into the water, you have to go down a narrow stone staircase without a railing (about 1 floor below is the water's edge). Since Lake Constance currently has a rather low water level, the entrance and exit is currently somewhat difficult. For the reasons mentioned above, the crane was probably used to bring the diver from the water surface up to the normal street level.

 

[Mod63]

Update has a picture of the site.

 

[Vicko]

Wonder what reasons except panic would cause a team with a minimum of 6 working regulators to shoot up.

 

[Steph75]

Unfortunately, the dive instructor passed away two days ago.

 

[boulderjohn]

Wonder what reasons except panic would cause a team with a minimum of 6 working regulators to shoot up.

Perhaps there was an additional medical problem for either of them requiring an ascent. Perhaps the student lost buoyancy control and the instructor tried but failed to stop it. Perhaps the student had some kind of an issue forcing him to go to the surface. We don't have enough information to hazard a guess.

It is interesting that we do not hear about medical issues the student may have had after that ascent.

I once had to do a direct ascent from that depth because of a student medical problem. Fortunately the issue arose during the descent, so we had not been down long enough to have a DCS problem.