Herb-alaska
Contributor
It is of course possible, but even a catastrophic floood wont soak you quite the way going through the ice would have so youd have a LITTLE time to identify the issue and get out of there and from what I understand she was on the surface and then went under?
In ~0c/32f water you are estimated to have about 15 minutes before you risk unconsciousness, the water in the antarctic might be even a bit cooler as its salt water though, so youre probably down to 5-10 minutes so if a big flood was the issue I think there would need to be panic/shock involved for such an experienced diver not to rectify the situation within that timeframe.
If she was at depth and had a flood like that I can see a wealth of issues with rectifying the issue though..
Proper undergarments will prevent a diver from having a extreme reaction to a seal failure I have had leaks in 35 degree salt water and was fine for the entire 70 minute dive most seal failures a leaks rather than full on floods so if the water was cold and she had a seal leak I would think she would have plenty of time end the dive and get back to ship. I am leaning toward medical but we will never really know we hardly ever hear the follow up