Equipment Near Drowning off Ft Lauderdale, full face snorkel mask

[Eric802]

My daughter and I were snorkeling at Mala in Maui and I found one, looked brand new, in about 25' of water. Brought it ashore and tossed it in the first trash can I could find.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I read the study you posted, and found it quite informative, especially since my "victim" checked all the boxes:

1. novice snorkeler
2. bought FFM due to the low price at Walmart
3. 26 year old female
4. very low BMI,
5. very small features, "small boned", skinny
6. poor or non-existent swimming skills (life jacket was a dead giveaway)
7. ethnic (African American or Black)

So based on the study, very good chance the mask did not fit right and she was not physically adapted to the exertion of swimming. And now looking back at her actions and reactions, good chance she was experiencing hypercapnia and/or hypoxaemia.

Jadairiii,

One of the things you could have done on the swim in is to tell her to breathe deeply. The reason for the CO2 buildup (hyercapnea) is that people are told that they can “breath normally” when using this type of full-face snorkel mask. By breathing deeply, she could have flushed off some of the CO2 that had accumulated inside the mask.

Great rescue, by the way. ‘Glad you were there.

SeaRat

 

[jadairiii]

One of the things you could have done on the swim in is to tell her to breathe deeply.

Great rescue, by the way. ‘Glad you were there.

SeaRat

Thanks. And I was, I also was able upon reaching her to get the mask up a little bit to flush it out. Those damn straps were a bitch! At a minimum those masks should have QR buckles, at least on one side.