Lessons to be learned-Death in Palau

[Albion]

She could have been diving WAY over her head and still ascended if it were not for that reef hook attached to her BC.

She could have been at 40m in a raging current, mask off, panicked, dropped weight belt and embolised on the way up - fact remains she was diving beyond her ability

If you read through this thread you will see anyone who has dived with a reef hook explaining it is actually quite a useful device, the nay sayers have never used one and never even seen one. If you dont like Reef hooks dont get one and stay away from the areas where diving with one is useful.

The fact she was hooked to the reef may have prevented her ascent, however the most likely cause is that she was diving out of her "depth" and panicked. Importantly had not been properly evaluated by the DM's as to the level of supervision she needed. IE let her dive with buddy, direct supervison by DM or not let her dive at all. She could just as easily been at 40m in a raging current, mask off, panicked and dropped weight belt then embolised on the way up - ascent is not the best solution in diving that is a golden rule, if you have a problem you need to fix it down there.

I dont know the numbers of divers who dive Palau every year, thousands proabably, but this is one instance of a reef hook used improperly which resulted in a very unfortunate accident.

 

[Albion]

Should a dive operator screen passengers more thoroughly? This is the unanswered question.

Depends what level of screening you are talking about. Some LOB's sit down with the divers at the start of the trip check their cards check their experience, recent dives etc. You cant always be certain just from looking at a card. The weaker divers were then asigned in small groups with a DM for the first few easy dives to assess thier sterenths.
on a boat i sometimes DM on we carry about 28 passengers. We carefully check who has the experience, who we know and share out the potential weaker divers between the DM's. im sure this must be common practice elsewhere, but i have also dive in areas where if you turned up with a OW card and zero dives you could still be thrown into a 40m dive with a similar buddy

 

[detroit diver]

Let's not get confused here. The depth was 40 feet.

The reef hook is quite a useful device if you don't care about hacking up the reef, but that's another story.

The dive ops obviously didn't think she was diving beyond her ability. And neither did she. So while she "may" have embolized on her way up, she "may not" have embolized either. But being locked onto a rock underwater, she really didn't have a choice, did she?

Yes, the problem is with the reef hook and the fact that she was locked onto it and to a fixed base. She was trained for everything else. In fact, one could argue that she knew she was in trouble and thus dropped her weights to ascend-as she was trained-, but didn't/couldn't think this to it final conclusion.

This is one instance of a fatality using a reef hook-brought here because a friend of mine was at the scene. Just because others don't post their experiences to Scubaboard doesn't mean they don't happen.

She could have been at 40m in a raging current, mask off, panicked, dropped weight belt and embolised on the way up - fact remains she was diving beyond her ability

If you read through this thread you will see anyone who has dived with a reef hook explaining it is actually quite a useful device, the nay sayers have never used one and never even seen one. If you dont like Reef hooks dont get one and stay away from the areas where diving with one is useful.

The fact she was hooked to the reef may have prevented her ascent, however the most likely cause is that she was diving out of her "depth" and panicked. Importantly had not been properly evaluated by the DM's as to the level of supervision she needed. IE let her dive with buddy, direct supervison by DM or not let her dive at all. She could just as easily been at 40m in a raging current, mask off, panicked and dropped weight belt then embolised on the way up - ascent is not the best solution in diving that is a golden rule, if you have a problem you need to fix it down there.

I dont know the numbers of divers who dive Palau every year, thousands proabably, but this is one instance of a reef hook used improperly which resulted in a very unfortunate accident.

 

[jepuskar]

Over a year later and still going strong........

 

[Matthew]

The dive ops obviously didn't think she was diving beyond her ability. And neither did she. So while she "may" have embolized on her way up, she "may not" have embolized either. But being locked onto a rock underwater, she really didn't have a choice, did she?

Do you really believe she could have managed a safe ascent in such state of panic? Obviously she wanted to go up because she couldnt breathe as she had already inhaled water, and her intention would be to get her next breath at the surface, so she would not be breathing on the way up. Her best chance was to regain control of herself, particularly her airway. Remember, she had AIR. If she was able to do so she might even find it easy to unclip herself and ascend, or even wait for help.

Yes, the problem is with the reef hook and the fact that she was locked onto it and to a fixed base. She was trained for everything else. In fact, one could argue that she knew she was in trouble and thus dropped her weights to ascend-as she was trained-, but didn't/couldn't think this to it final conclusion.

She was not trained well in handling the loss of her mask. Assuming that she wasnt using a reef hook, and she lost her mask and inhaled water, at 40 ft and in a strong current, with a regulator in her mouth and air in her tank. What are her choices?

 

[triton94949]

...
Yes, the problem is with the reef hook and the fact that she was locked onto it and to a fixed base. She was trained for everything else. In fact, one could argue that she knew she was in trouble and thus dropped her weights to ascend-as she was trained-, but didn't/couldn't think this to it final conclusion...

That, together with the additional factor of separation from her buddy. In that sense it was a double failure, and those are the kind that are sometimes fatal.

The divers must have been instructed to clip the reef hook lines to their B/C D-ring first? Otherwise it seems like it would have pulled loose out of her hands the second she secured it to the reef, strong current and all?

Bad plan, bad current, bad day.

She did go down fighting however. Dropping the belt seems to have indicated that. You have to admire that kind of courage.

 

[Albion]

dropped her weights to ascend-as she was trained.

Pray tell us, which agency includes this in their training?????????

 

[triton94949]

Pray tell us, which agency includes this in their training?

Alb, its true. Most agencies teach a form of EBA (Emergency Buoyant Ascent).

 

[Albion]

Pray tell us, which agency includes this in their training?

Alb, its true. Most agencies teach a form of EBA (Emergency Buoyant Ascent).

really, I was only taught to remove at surface

 

[Matthew]

Alb, its true. Most agencies teach a form of EBA (Emergency Buoyant Ascent).

But only as an extreme last resort when OOA, without a buddy and to deep for an ESA, never for anything else.