Randy43068
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Ohio Scuba Diver Dies After Gilboa Accident
- Thread starter DandyDon
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Rocketmahn
Contributor
One thing that I totally don't agree with Mike and his staff about is the he allows instructors to use the deep side for AOW deep dives. Personally it would be much safer for them to use the shallow side and go to the tube area.
crpntr133 - I disagree.
With a AOW cert. I would hope that a diver has had instruction in, and an actual "deep" dive.
I hate it when I get teamed with an insta buddy on a cattle car and we are diving a 110' deep wreck and they have only one "deep" dive to 80'.
Most people don't even start to experience the effects of slight narcosis at 80'.
I think that it is much safer for an AOW student to do their first deep dive to 125' in a "confined space" like Gilboa vs. 12 miles out in the graveyard of the Atlantic with another diver that they just met and the nearest medical facility is an hour away...
Maybe see ya Sat at Gilboa - Poseidon is there for demo days!
crpntr133 - I disagree.
With a AOW cert. I would hope that a diver has had instruction in, and an actual "deep" dive.
I hate it when I get teamed with an insta buddy on a cattle car and we are diving a 110' deep wreck and they have only one "deep" dive to 80'.
Most people don't even start to experience the effects of slight narcosis at 80'.
I think that it is much safer for an AOW student to do their first deep dive to 125' in a "confined space" like Gilboa vs. 12 miles out in the graveyard of the Atlantic with another diver that they just met and the nearest medical facility is an hour away...
Maybe see ya Sat at Gilboa - Poseidon is there for demo days!
XF-15-Loader,
I was one of the other EMTs that worked the injured diver. He was definitely wearing more than 24 pounds of weight (I was one of the people who pulled him onto the dock, and I released his belt and BCD), I can tell you that. I don't know how much, but more than 24......more like 42. In addition to the 4 EMTs, we had 2 Paramedics and a couple of local fire fighters. It was an unfortunate accident.
A check of his equipment showed his tank was empty. His depth gauge read 50 feet, but his buddies didn't show that depth on their gauges, so we think he didn't reset his depth gauge before the dive. He wasn't wearing a computer or digital depth gauge, so we'll never know for sure how deep he was. We also don't know how long he was on the bottom before being found. The 3 divers that recovered and transported the diver to the dock did what they could, given the amount of weight the injured diver was wearing. Perhaps the only thing they could have done was to release the weight belt (I had no problem with that) to get the diver more buoyant, but I don't think that would have made a difference in the outcome.
There is nothing inherently dangerous about Gilboa Quarry. If you follow your training and stay within safe limits, you shouldn't have any issues. This wasn't the Quarries fault, nor the fault of the owner (Mike Williams). Unfortunately, many people who dive there are overly confident in their skills or foolishly unprepared for the conditions they encounter. As an instructor, I dive Gilboa pretty much every other weekend from May to November. I've logged several hundred dives there. It is one of the safest places to teach new students, which is why I take my students there.
My recommendation is to keep learning, dive within your limits, dive often in varying conditions and don't take foolish risks with your diving adventures.
Hope to see you underwater!!
Dave
I was one of the other EMTs that worked the injured diver. He was definitely wearing more than 24 pounds of weight (I was one of the people who pulled him onto the dock, and I released his belt and BCD), I can tell you that. I don't know how much, but more than 24......more like 42. In addition to the 4 EMTs, we had 2 Paramedics and a couple of local fire fighters. It was an unfortunate accident.
A check of his equipment showed his tank was empty. His depth gauge read 50 feet, but his buddies didn't show that depth on their gauges, so we think he didn't reset his depth gauge before the dive. He wasn't wearing a computer or digital depth gauge, so we'll never know for sure how deep he was. We also don't know how long he was on the bottom before being found. The 3 divers that recovered and transported the diver to the dock did what they could, given the amount of weight the injured diver was wearing. Perhaps the only thing they could have done was to release the weight belt (I had no problem with that) to get the diver more buoyant, but I don't think that would have made a difference in the outcome.
There is nothing inherently dangerous about Gilboa Quarry. If you follow your training and stay within safe limits, you shouldn't have any issues. This wasn't the Quarries fault, nor the fault of the owner (Mike Williams). Unfortunately, many people who dive there are overly confident in their skills or foolishly unprepared for the conditions they encounter. As an instructor, I dive Gilboa pretty much every other weekend from May to November. I've logged several hundred dives there. It is one of the safest places to teach new students, which is why I take my students there.
My recommendation is to keep learning, dive within your limits, dive often in varying conditions and don't take foolish risks with your diving adventures.
Hope to see you underwater!!
Dave
Last edited:
sanpedro
New
Bonecrusher & Rocketmahn,
Both very well said.....
I dive Gilboa quite frequently and we take alot of students there. Although it's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Cincinnati, it's by far the best training facility in the area. The staff is always very friendly and professional. The accidents that happen are definitely sad, but one needs to remember that they are accidents. Everyone who dives anywhere knows the inherent risks associated with our sport and, after the required training, makes an informed decision to participate. To ask, "what is wrong with this quarry", is to assume that the quarry itself somehow caused the accidents. In all cases, the cause was either -sadly- diver error or some type of medical emergency. Yes, even equipment malfunctions should be considered diver error. We are all (or should be) trained to handle any type of equipment issues that may arise during a dive. If we are diving above our training or experience level, then we have already broken one cardinal rule before the dive even begins.
I'm not trying to debate the accident in this thread or any other, just a general comment about diver practices. In defense of Mike and the rest of the staff at Gilboa, it sounds like they did an awesome job handling a very unfortunate situation. The media, on the other hand, seems to do everything in their power to over dramatize accidents like this and the general public ALWAYS gets the wrong idea. The last paragraph of the press statement about the accident stated that there have been such & such number of deaths at Gilboa in the last 4 years. No further eplanation - just left with the impression that the quarry itself and diving in general were the cause.
Both very well said.....
I dive Gilboa quite frequently and we take alot of students there. Although it's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Cincinnati, it's by far the best training facility in the area. The staff is always very friendly and professional. The accidents that happen are definitely sad, but one needs to remember that they are accidents. Everyone who dives anywhere knows the inherent risks associated with our sport and, after the required training, makes an informed decision to participate. To ask, "what is wrong with this quarry", is to assume that the quarry itself somehow caused the accidents. In all cases, the cause was either -sadly- diver error or some type of medical emergency. Yes, even equipment malfunctions should be considered diver error. We are all (or should be) trained to handle any type of equipment issues that may arise during a dive. If we are diving above our training or experience level, then we have already broken one cardinal rule before the dive even begins.
I'm not trying to debate the accident in this thread or any other, just a general comment about diver practices. In defense of Mike and the rest of the staff at Gilboa, it sounds like they did an awesome job handling a very unfortunate situation. The media, on the other hand, seems to do everything in their power to over dramatize accidents like this and the general public ALWAYS gets the wrong idea. The last paragraph of the press statement about the accident stated that there have been such & such number of deaths at Gilboa in the last 4 years. No further eplanation - just left with the impression that the quarry itself and diving in general were the cause.
CamG
Contributor
This thread has wondered form its original form and how it has morphed into a deep side critique I am more than a little concerned.
The incident took place on the shallow side and as far as has been reported was handled to the best of all possible rescues.
Please if we want to debate quarry policies lets do it on another thread where it is the topic.
I am not a mod nor wish to be one but the accident is still being investigated as the corners report has not been released as of yet to my knowledge.
I am not trying to bash or be picky about things but rather try to keep us on topic in respect to this incident.
CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!
The incident took place on the shallow side and as far as has been reported was handled to the best of all possible rescues.
Please if we want to debate quarry policies lets do it on another thread where it is the topic.
I am not a mod nor wish to be one but the accident is still being investigated as the corners report has not been released as of yet to my knowledge.
I am not trying to bash or be picky about things but rather try to keep us on topic in respect to this incident.
CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!
Randy43068
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kinda late to the party, Cam. 
CamG
Contributor
Yeah you are very right Randy.
CamG
CamG
Rocketmahn
Contributor
Death Of Scuba Diver Ruled Accidental
The death of a diver in the Gilboa Quarry has been ruled accidental.
An investigation following the June 11th incident has revealed 64-year-old Robert Fisher of Cincinnati ran out of air while he was 25 feet below water.
Putnam County Sheriff James Beutler says lack of experience appears to have contributed to Fisher's death.
A check of his equipment showed it was in proper operating condition.
At least five divers have died in the Gilboa Quarry since 2007.
A man was injured while diving there last weekend. 58-year-old David Rosech of Mt. Vernon accidently inhaled some water while surfacing. He was treated at a Lima hospital.
The death of a diver in the Gilboa Quarry has been ruled accidental.
An investigation following the June 11th incident has revealed 64-year-old Robert Fisher of Cincinnati ran out of air while he was 25 feet below water.
Putnam County Sheriff James Beutler says lack of experience appears to have contributed to Fisher's death.
A check of his equipment showed it was in proper operating condition.
At least five divers have died in the Gilboa Quarry since 2007.
A man was injured while diving there last weekend. 58-year-old David Rosech of Mt. Vernon accidently inhaled some water while surfacing. He was treated at a Lima hospital.
Very sad.
raven397
Registered
For what it's worth, a third-hand tale--my friend S has a friend who worked for the deceased guy, Mr. Wilson. the story S heard was that Wilson was a much-liked boss who retired two weeks before his death. The story S heard [she is a retired nurse] was that Mr Wilson died of a massive heart attack.
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