One dead at Cow Springs - Live Oak, FL

[Whitrzac]

Unlikely on both counts.
Don't think diver would be floating around in the cave, but even if he was, unlikely a lever attached to a loop hose would get pinned down somewhere to cause it break.

There's no "then attempt to get to a reg" after trying to close a DSV, closing a DSV means you cut off gas supply to you, so, getting to a reg is a thought that precedes the thought of closing the DSV.
You make the decision to close the DSV AFTER you made de decision to go open circuit, and you make a decision to go open circuit because you NEED to get off closed circuit, not being able to close the DSV doesn't eliminate the NEED to get off of it, whether you can close it or not you shouldn't keep you from spitting it out of your mouth.

Whether he NEEDED to bailout or not is speculation, I don't think there's enough information to know that.

One reg deployed and the hand on the hose coming from the other isn't enough information to say he was bailing out?

 

[Pavao]

One reg deployed and the hand on the hose coming from the other isn't enough information to say he was bailing out?

Read what I wrote again, but a little slower this time

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Whether he NEEDED to bailout or not is speculation, I don't think there's enough information to know that.

Interesting thought. Symptoms of IPE mimic a lot of other potential illnesses, maybe even some associated with rebreather failures. Perhaps he thought he needed to, but didn't? That is, there was nothing wrong with the CCR, but he thought there was because of IPE?


Though I suppose if it's harder to suck on the CCR, then getting off of it if you have IPE seems like a good plan.

 

[Pavao]

Interesting thought. Symptoms of IPE mimic a lot of other potential illnesses, maybe even some associated with rebreather failures. Perhaps he thought he needed to, but didn't? That is, there was nothing wrong with the CCR, but he thought there was because of IPE?


Though I suppose if it's harder to suck on the CCR, then getting off of it if you have IPE seems like a good plan.

I said in the earlier post, I believe IPE was the root cause and bailing out was a wise choice in that case, specially given he was so close to entrance and not having enough oc gas couldn't be a concern, so, if IPE was indeed present, difficulty of breathing would be alleviated (if not for in his mind anyway) by going oc.
And clearly he did bailout, there's no question there.

 

[kensuf]

came disconnected under pressure? maybe it wasn't pushed in correctly to start?

In my case it was a gas switch done wrong. However, I know someone that bumped a collar, which popped his QC6, while going through a restriction.

 

[lermontov]

Whether he NEEDED to bailout or not is speculation, I don't think there's enough information to know that.

if not it makes the death even more tragic - unfortunately theres no access to the computers information so we cant tell what po2 or Mv reading the cells were showing - does anyone know if he's had a history of IPE or shown symptoms

 

[PfcAJ]

In my case it was a gas switch done wrong. However, I know someone that bumped a collar, which popped his QC6, while going through a restriction.

Yea I’ve bopped qc6 just right and had it come apart, too. It’s a thing.

 

[Pavao]

if not it makes the death even more tragic - unfortunately theres no access to the computers information so we cant tell what po2 or Mv reading the cells were showing - does anyone know if he's had a history of IPE or shown symptoms

I wouldn’t read too much into that sentence, I myself think it’s unlike he did not need to bailout, I think he did need to and tried to do it.
But I don’t think it has to do with the contents of the loop. If it did it’d be a case of either hypoxia or hyperoxia, but either of the 2 I don’t think would lead to the cascade of events that it did.
The scenario with IPE I believe is more in line of what happened after the decision to bailout was made.

Diving with a CCR in the condition he did and the necklace reg I think is the take away from this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at the time of bailout the CCR was actually functioning just fine, not suitable for diving, but functioning correctly. This is all speculation on my part.

 

[billgraham]

It sounds to me like he tried to bail out, and the knob on the BOV popped off leaving it partially closed, bailout reg # 1 got caught in the line and he never made it to #2. I've had a few where the little button/lever screws into the barrel of the BOV so this makes sense.

 

[John the Pom]

Obviously there isn't enough information to tell what happened; but the fact that someone attempted a bodged-up repair on a damaged CCR with, apparently, little understanding, sounds like a massive red flag to me.

I'm an engineer, so I'm all for doing field repairs and making do, but you have to acknowledge when something is out of your area of expertise. Someone attempting a temporary repair on a safety critical system without, apparently, realising that they don't know what they are doing, raises a serious question mark about their entire attitude to safety.