MBT must have pulled the thread about the death. I didnt see anything related to it on their forum. Which makes sense because of the inaccurate reporting by the media and the "rumor mill"
From this mornings paper.
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/NEWS01/608220329/1006
Death was not diving related
Heart attack claimed life of Oriskany diver
Amy Sowder
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The Pensacola man who died Saturday minutes after diving the Oriskany suffered from heart problems, and his death was not dive-related, his wife and a medical official said Monday.
Chester "Chet" Alan Robinson, 55, was the owner of KAOZ, a North W Street shop that specializes in tattoos and body piercings, and had been diving for more than 40 years.
Lyndia Robinson, the victim's wife, and a co-owner of the shop, said the death was not because of a diving accident.
"It was a beautiful dive, but his heart just couldn't take it," she said. "This was not Oriskany-related at all."
Jamie Thompson, an investigator for the Medical Examiner's Office, said Robinson suffered cardiac arrest after boarding a recreational boat and removing his scuba gear about 1:30 p.m. She said an autopsy was not performed.
"He was an avid diver for over 40 years," Thompson said. "He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He probably shouldn't have been diving."
The Oriskany is a decommissioned aircraft carrier that was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico about 24 miles southeast of Pensacola on May 17. So far, there have been no fatal diving accidents.
Thompson said she had learned that Robinson had a stent placed in his heart to relieve blockage in February and recently had stopped taking his medication because he didn't like how it made him feel. His doctor had advised him not to dive, she said.
Robinson, who was with two companions, complained of chest pain and then collapsed on the boat, Thompson said. One friend drove the boat back toward Pensacola while the other contacted the Coast Guard.
Despite CPR attempts, Robinson remained unresponsive, Thompson said.
A U.S. Coast Guard boat met the boat, and Robinson was pronounced dead at the Coast Guard station at Pensacola Naval Air Station.
During the weekend, agencies gave conflicting reports about which one was handling the investigation.
The Oriskany is in federal waters, which the U.S. Coast Guard regulates, but Saturday and Sunday, Coast Guard officers said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was in charge of the investigation.
Commission spokesman Stan Kirkland said Monday his agency doesn't investigate scuba diving deaths. The local Coast Guard spokesman did not return calls Monday.
Scuba diving shops in the area have been flooded with calls from concerned people nationwide, said Jim Phillips, part owner of MBT Divers on Navy Boulevard.
"The rumors have been swirling," he said. "Just like with any dive, as long as you take your certification courses and follow instructions, you should be fine. Unfortunately, Chet's time came up, and it happened to be while he was diving."
