local Cozumel diver death April 2006

[maggs_the]

we didn't want to push for information, but last week a diver was picked up by a Dive Paradise boat after being found on the bottom. we were coming in from our dive and the paramedics were attempting CPR but the diver was not revived. he looked to be late 20's and in pretty good shape. i don't know what protocol is for that type of situation, so we were hesitant to ask too many questions for fear of being inconsiderate. we heard thru the rumor mill that he was a local guy and they thought he had vomited in his regulator at depth and did not purge his reg before inhaling causing a chain reaction that lead to his drowning.

it was heartbreaking to not see him cough and sit up after they worked on him so long. lucky for me, we had left by the time his wife got there. she was naturally hysterical and i would not have been able to keep my composure should i have witnessed that. it was difficult enough as it was.

whether we have the correct information or not, it did start discussions amongst the divers as to what we could do should we encounter a situation where we have vomited at depth. supposedly my regulator can compensate (seems i remember hearing something about "you can even vomit in this reg" and i didnt understand the importance of it at the time), but would i think to purge my reg and keep a flow of air bubbles so that as my body reflexively inhales, i inhale wet air instead of just seawater?? i dont know... i hope i can think that clearly.

 

[Christi]

I haven't heard anything about this.

There was a local guy swimming last week who drowned. I wonder if the body recovered was his and the rumor mill spun things into a diver death.

Was the victim you saw in Scuba gear?

Is the above scenario a possibility based on what you saw?

As far as your question about vomiting into your regulator...YES...if you need to get sick underwater then definitely vomit into your regulator...otherwise you will drown. It's a good idea to actually HOLD the reg in your mouth while vomiting as well...there is no other option if you are sick under water unless you can restrain yourself and allow yourself to do a safe ascent...without holding your breath of course. Your OW instructor actually should have covered this with you.

 

[maggs_the]

very well could be the case.. we didn't ask too many questions and it is surely possible for the rumor mill to have churned

i tell you what tho, i have been doing a bit of researching on vomiting underwater because of it

 

[rjack321]

Whatever you do, don't aspirate vomit. The acid will basically destroy your lung tissue.

Small quantities of seawater, while not beneficial, will do less damage than vomit.

 

[TSandM]

It's possible to vomit through a regulator (or so it is said -- I luckily haven't had to do this), but I can easily imagine that you could end up with something occluding the regulator as a result. But that's one of the reasons for having a secondary regulator, and it's a good skill to practice switching between the two, so that if anything goes wrong with your primary, there's no stress involved in changing regs.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I think it might be a good idea to change to your octo if you ever have to vomit through your main and call the dive.

 

[L.A.Dave]

The very few times I have hurled as an adult while ill, I must say, it is one of the most unpleasant experiences I have encountered on dry land.....I can't imagine doing it while diving.....

 

[sasscuba]

we didn't want to push for information, but last week a diver was picked up by a Dive Paradise boat after being found on the bottom. we were coming in from our dive and the paramedics were attempting CPR but the diver was not revived. he looked to be late 20's and in pretty good shape. i don't know what protocol is for that type of situation, so we were hesitant to ask too many questions for fear of being inconsiderate. we heard thru the rumor mill that he was a local guy and they thought he had vomited in his regulator at depth and did not purge his reg before inhaling causing a chain reaction that lead to his drowning.

it was heartbreaking to not see him cough and sit up after they worked on him so long. lucky for me, we had left by the time his wife got there. she was naturally hysterical and i would not have been able to keep my composure should i have witnessed that. it was difficult enough as it was.

whether we have the correct information or not, it did start discussions amongst the divers as to what we could do should we encounter a situation where we have vomited at depth. supposedly my regulator can compensate (seems i remember hearing something about "you can even vomit in this reg" and i didnt understand the importance of it at the time), but would i think to purge my reg and keep a flow of air bubbles so that as my body reflexively inhales, i inhale wet air instead of just seawater?? i dont know... i hope i can think that clearly.

Just finished diving with Dive Paradise last week. It was a swimmer that drowned down by Punta Sur swimming off shore....did not hear anything about a diver.

 

[likelite]

Was he swimming alone? You know, there's a reason there's a one-up, one-down rule...shallow water blackout is a lot more common than people think.

 

[sasscuba]

Was he swimming alone? You know, there's a reason there's a one-up, one-down rule...shallow water blackout is a lot more common than people think.

No he was a large man, local about 300 pounds, and was swimming with family off Punta Sur. There are some really nice beaches on the south end buy dangerous surf!