New diver gets CO poisoning during OW training and gives up diving

[CanadaDan]

This is a post for new divers that may have experienced something similar to what is described below...

Was chatting with a client of mine in my antique store and diving came up (SHOCK ). She told me about her negative experience getting her OW cert. She managed finish the 4 dives but spent days recovering and even spent some time in an ER down in Mexico and hasn't dove since thinking it was too strenuous an activity.

She is a very fit young woman so I asked her what her symptoms were... vomiting, fatigue, headaches etc. Sure sounded like Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning to me.

After talking about that for a bit she was very relieved to have a likely cause and VERY excited to dive again but promised me she'd do a refresher AND ask for a CO report, borrow a tester etc (she doesn't have the money to buy gear never mind a tester of her own).

Don't give up diving... but do test your tank! It's not that fillers are out to get you but things do happen.

 

[Green Frog]

And make sure you are taking your instruction from a legit outfit, for more reasons than just this.

 

[Superlyte27]

A CO report is worthless about 20 minutes after it is generated. It means there was no CO at the time of sample. Ask Wayne at Amigos if things can change in an instant and pump 92ppm into your bank.

We are the only dive shop around that not only tests for OCA air quarterly but also has a real time CO monitor in line on my system that runs every second the compressor is running.

I built my fortune in liability protection, I damn sure ain’t gonna lose it to something as simple as a CO death.

 

[rhwestfall]

@Superlyte27 - your link in your signature is dead...

 

[lexvil]

This is a post for new divers that may have experienced something similar to what is described below...

Was chatting with a client of mine in my antique store and diving came up (SHOCK ). She told me about her negative experience getting her OW cert. She managed finish the 4 dives but spent days recovering and even spent some time in an ER down in Mexico and hasn't dove since thinking it was too strenuous an activity.

She is a very fit young woman so I asked her what her symptoms were... vomiting, fatigue, headaches etc. Sure sounded like Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning to me.

After talking about that for a bit she was very relieved to have a likely cause and VERY excited to dive again but promised me she'd do a refresher AND ask for a CO report, borrow a tester etc (she doesn't have the money to buy gear never mind a tester of her own).

Don't give up diving... but do test your tank! It's not that fillers are out to get you but things do happen.

I’ve had the same symptoms in Mexico but probably caused by tequila.

 

[CuzzA]

vomiting, fatigue, headaches etc.

Could easily be from co2, as well. Not uncommon for new divers to experience those symptoms due to poor buoyancy, environment and skip breathing.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I had CO poisoning once, it was horrible, one of the worst things I ever went through.
It took me three days to get over it and feel normal again.
The scary part about CO poisoning is that you can get out of the exposure environment still conscious but then end up getting overwhelmed and die later.

 

[davehicks]

Could easily be from co2, as well. Not uncommon for new divers to experience those symptoms due to poor buoyancy, environment and skip breathing.

Except nobody goes to the ER with a CO2 headache, as was the case in this story.

 

[Jeff_O]

Where is the device that has an automatic valve that test the air and closes it off when attempting to fill a tank if CO is detected. Oh, flying cars are not a reality yet?

The thing I found in the past was not quite as bad. But a death could have occurred. A shop had a kid in charge for a while with a compressor. He was supposed to add the special type of oil it used that the filters would extract. So paint thinner is not the same, but oh well.

The boat that chartered for diving had their tanks tainted. They tried washing and air fill and emptied over an over. Nope, this was not enough. On the boat I and my buddies should have refused to use the boats provided tank. They got oxygen after some diving, but this is outrageous.

I sniff the air that I get before I go diving. Though, no smell with CO, so a way to test is more involved.

A pony tank I had got tainted by the same shop. Then later I was back home and had Mr Hydro, not in business anymore I heard try to clean the pony tank. They Washed and Tumble the tank. Afterwards found out the wash was Mr Clean Floor Cleaner. That pony tank is scrap metal!

 

[CuzzA]

Except nobody goes to the ER with a CO2 headache, as was the case in this story.

Ha, people go to the ER for the common cold, hang nails and turkey sandwiches.

The thread is third hand information. A brand new diver could certainly suffer from the noob symptoms of being a bad diver and go to the ER for fear of something bad happening to them.

What was the ER diagnosis and treatment given to the new diver? That would answer some questions.