Lake Travis diver missing - Austin, Texas

[DandyDon]

There are also large plecostomus in Lake Travis.

Rarely obtaining 24 inches in size.

 

[Jglo27]

So sorry to hear about that. Condolences to his family. A good reminder not to dive alone.

 

[bradmond]

It is? Please explain. I don't see a connection to this tragic death and solo diving.

 

[SlugLife]

It is? Please explain. I don't see a connection to this tragic death and solo diving.

Not sure if you were responding to me or the other guy:

At least they found him. Nothing useful in the article from an accident analysis perspective. Solo-diving and OOA would be my first wild guess based on the lack of info.

I didn't explain in detail, because it's a vague wild guess. To be more specific, my guess is he was solo-diving, without having any proper experience, equipment, or training. I have nothing against solo-diving, and do it all the time.

Reading between the lines on the articles, it appears the diver was solo-diving. You don't hear references to any other divers in the article, and it vaguely sounds like his family was at the beach while he was diving in the water.

I might also guess that he wasn't properly prepared for solo-diving in terms of training, experience, and equipment. Taking the 100-dive baseline for a solo-diver, someone with that much experience would find almost nothing about this site challenging. There is some fishing-line in the area, but nothing too severe, and mostly not near the diving-park. Visibility is not great, but usually better than zero. Navigation can be accomplished by going up-hill, down-hill, or there's always just-surfacing. Probably not a medical incident based on age. At 60ft, he shouldn't have been narced, or run through air that fast, and CESA is possible if risky or scary.

I personally don't blame solo-diving itself, but rather, this looks a little more like someone diving beyond their limits.

 

[Bob DBF]

I might also guess that he wasn't properly prepared for solo-diving in terms of training, experience, and equipment.

According to some, quite probably you as well, I'm not properly prepared for solo diving, even though I've been doing it since my first dive in 1962.

There is some fishing-line in the area, but nothing too severe, and mostly not near the diving-park. Visibility is not great, but usually better than zero. Navigation can be accomplished by going up-hill, down-hill, or there's always just-surfacing. Probably not a medical incident based on age. At 60ft, he shouldn't have been narced, or run through air that fast, and CESA is possible if risky or scary.

There was no mention of entanglement by the recovery team. Added to your workup of a benign diving environment, along with the fact that panicked divers usually head for the surface, makes me think it was a medical event, possibly a @DandyDon CO issue.

As for age, my brother died at 20, no alcohol, no drugs, no underlying conditions, an autopsy found no cause for death, other than he was no longer breathing.

 

[SlugLife]

According to some, quite probably you as well, I'm not properly prepared for solo diving, even though I've been doing it since my first dive in 1962.

Add redundant-air to that list, and I'm sure you're as-prepared or more-prepared than I am, regardless of whether you've taken a class or not.

 

[happy-diver]

I take more redundant air than most, but all in the same tank

Heaven is running a compressor or few ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

So sorry to hear about that. Condolences to his family. A good reminder not to dive alone.

Yeah mate have a read around the place, see if you can broaden your experience

 

[Bob DBF]

Add redundant-air to that list, and I'm sure you're as-prepared or more-prepared than I am, regardless of whether you've taken a class or not.

There is plenty of redundant air on the surface. Due to my advanced age, I will now take a 19 when at, or below, recreational limits, or I'm about to do something particularly stupid.

 

[dmaziuk]

Yeah mate have a read around the place, see if you can broaden your experience

Nah, just repeat after me: Two is One and Shearwater is His prophet.

 

[Island23]

Likely an OOA event. I dive there, with 100s of experiences. For that place, new divers unprepared, without management training. That place requires more than just a quick dip, it's the deepest lake in the entire state & used to be up to 190/220 ft deep.

The fishing line, you'll have to cut or traverse, depends on, where he was but the lines, require line management. Faulty regs could be the reason or a 2nd pulled or knocked out of the mouth can lead to drowning.

It depends, when you go but I've never seen catfish that big before there. Myth but the fish are bigger than in most places.