Missing diver found, dies - Farne Islands, UK

[archer1960]

Definitely a concern in terms of rapid ascent, but in terms of a catastrophic failure or a significant down current, dropping half or all the weight should be in the tool box.

I do pull my pouches (weight integrated BCD) when Im moving from tank to tank, and loading/unloading. Different motion though when wearing it than standing in front of it.

I generally take my weights out before I take off my BC (if I'm going to take them off at all), so in that case, the motion is the same.

 

[boulderjohn]

Now that we are in the usual "why don't divers in trouble ditch their weights?" mode of discussion, I decided to do a little investigation. From my files I pulled up the 2011 DAN report. I have attached it here in case someone wants to check my work and my judgment. The report has descriptions of 57 scuba fatalities. I went through each description to see the degree that weights were a factor. In most cases, they don't mention the weights, but it is easy to tell if they were a factor--in the case of the one who died after getting on the boat, for example, I judged weights not to be a factor. I believe that in all but a few cases, the divers died while still wearing weights. I wanted to determine how much of a factor that was.

As I read the reports, I was able to divide the fatalities into four groups:

1. The weights were clearly not a factor at all. This would include people who died after reaching the surface ( and without submerging again), people who were observed to have gone unconscious or dead while still under the surface or while ascending, people who were lost in caves, people who became entangled, etc.
2. It is possible but not too likely that it could have made a difference. This includes people who reached the surface, suffered a medical event that led to their deaths, and then submerged. I put them in this category on the theory that someone might have been able to save them had they stayed on the surface, but I also felt it was unlikely because they were probably incapacitated enough that they could not release their weights and would have died anyway.
3. People who probably could have been saved if they had dropped their weights. This includes primarily people found OOA on the bottom with their weights on.
4. People for whom so little information is known that you cannot put them into the previous categories.

So here are the totals for each category:

1. 42
2. 4
3. 7
4. 2

Conclusions:

1. In 74% of the cases, dropping weights would have made no difference at all.
2. Adding category #2 to #1, we see that in 81% of the cases, dropping the weights either certainly or likely would have made no difference.
3. In only 12% of the cases would dropping the weights likely (but not certainly) have made a difference. Even in the case of a diver who ran out of air on the bottom, there is no certainty that dropping the weights would have brought him safely to the surface.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I can't recall the last time I pulled out my weights while under water, but do it all the time on the beach, to lighten my load while walking back to the car.

This is slightly off topic but you say you pull your weights to lighten your load on shore dives to lighten your load...but you are still carrying the same amount of weight just in a different configuration. Am I missing something here?

 

[archer1960]

This is slightly off topic but you say you pull your weights to lighten your load on shore dives to lighten your load...but you are still carrying the same amount of weight just in a different configuration. Am I missing something here?

Yes, I didn't mention that I set the weights down and carry them separately up the hill to the car.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Yes, I didn't mention that I set the weights down and carry them separately up the hill to the car.

Well now that makes much more sense LOL

 

[Doogish]

Hey thought I would add to this as while I wasn't on the same boat as the missing diver we were doing the same dive location.

Forgot the name of the area we were diving (new to diving) but towards the end of the dive it turned into a drift dive so we put up the SMBs and rode it for a bit before the diver leader decided to start ascending early as he wasnt 100% sure where we were being taken by the tide once the vis dropped.

At the surface we were told there had been a Mayday call out for a missing diver so cancelled the rest of the dives to help search.

From what we heard on the radio she had ascended to say her buddy was missing then went back down to look, I think the tide and low vis may have got them separated so im not sure if weights were an issue, although not even sure this was true or just word of mouth over the radio since the news article doesnt mention it.

Spent ages looking on the surface as the water was dead calm (for the Farnes) so if she had got to the surface I think she would have been spotted, was hoping the news would provide more info as to what went wrong considering she got to the surface ok the first time apparently.

Sad way to end the week.

 

[SeaHorse81]

Now that we are in the usual "why don't divers in trouble ditch their weights?" mode of discussion, I decided to do a little investigation...

Really nice bit of analysis there, John. Thank you for taking the time and posting your results. I'd never have guessed that it actually shakes out this way. That's the beauty of looking at actual evidence rather than assuming what seems compelling (of which I am guilty more often than I'd care to admit).

 

[dmaziuk]

the case of the one who died after getting on the boat, for example

I do tend to be sceptical of people with numbers -- I wouldn't have posted #6 otherwise -- but I couldn't make this one up. What's worse, it is literally correct, too: the diver died with the weights still on.

+1: thank you for looking at the actual data.

 

[Edward3c]

I dont think my wife or I have practiced ditching weights since our OW certification. I agree though, we are going to start doing so on our check out dives.

The regulator is something I have drilled into her since day 1. They dont come out until we are completely off the dive platform.

From analysis of BSAC incident reports over a number of years our training for all grades was modified, in 2007, to include the removal of weights at 0.5m to remind divers how to do it.

Diver swims to the surface OOA, but can't get high enough to orally inflate BC, gets tired and sinks. Dropping the weights would have saved their lives. There was at least one case where the diver wasn't wearing ditch-able weights.