Unknown Panic on Tenneco Towers - Florida

[DandyDon]

From a Reditt post...

I was diving today on a charter at Tenneco Towers off Ft. Lauderdale, and the current was ripping. They tied into the wreck and we dropped down the sunken oil rig at about 115 ft (Tenneco Deep, but not the deepest one).

Within seconds of hitting the bottom, this guy who came alone and was paired with the DM panicked and tried to bolt for the surface. The DM managed to stop him, but the guy was in full panic, he wouldn’t take air, just lost it and then went unresponsive at over 100 ft.

They got him to the surface fast and did everything by the book, but he never came back. Rescue boats got there after about 20 min and took him to shore. They wouldn’t tell us what happened after, so I don’t know, but I just wanted to share because it shook me... Be careful out there guys. We aren’t sure what happened exactly, but we are all tech divers with backups of backups. We could fixed any problem he had, but he panicked and he's likely not going to be okay because of it...

 

[Rollin Bonz]

Same incident?

Medical Thread 'Miami Diver injured'

Yesterday at 10:40 PM

Not many details but this occurred today. They say Ft Lauderdale but they have Miami Dade Fire Rescue transporting to Aventura Hospital.

Diver hospitalized after being found unresponsive near Fort Lauderdale: Coast Guard

A diver was taken to the hospital Sunday afternoon after he was found unresponsive while in the water in Fort Lauderdale, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

www.nbcmiami.com

• luscioman
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Accidents, Incidents, & Near Misses

 

[chrisjur]

Same incident?

Medical Thread 'Miami Diver injured'

Yesterday at 10:40 PM

Not many details but this occurred today. They say Ft Lauderdale but they have Miami Dade Fire Rescue transporting to Aventura Hospital.

Diver hospitalized after being found unresponsive near Fort Lauderdale: Coast Guard

A diver was taken to the hospital Sunday afternoon after he was found unresponsive while in the water in Fort Lauderdale, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

www.nbcmiami.com

• luscioman
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Accidents, Incidents, & Near Misses

yes, Same incident.

 

[chrisjur]

I was on the boat. Details are still unknown about root cause. It was not a simple "panicked diver" incident, but perhaps a medical issue underwater that caused the panic, although I will not speculate beyond that. The boat was mostly filled with CCR, Open Circuit tech, and experienced AOW divers. The victim in question was an experienced diver whom I have seen on boats several times in the past, diving single tank with a large camera rig.

All I can add is that the crew response was excellent - almost textbook in nature. The diver was swiftly brought to the surface, safely brought onto the boat, and emergency procedures were administered smoothly and immediately (CPR, AED, emergency O2, coordination with emergency authorities, etc.), all while simultaneously recalling ten other divers who were in the water.. The Coast Guard performed an extensive assessment of the vessel while it was still anchored, later declaring that it was fully compliant. The charter operation, Diver's Paradise in Key Biscayne, should be commended for its excellent crew, training, and modern, fully-functional emergency equipment.

One day later, there have been few details released. An update was provided by WSVN a few hours ago:

A 40-year-old diver was rescued and rushed to the hospital after experiencing a medical emergency near the Haulover Inlet in Northeast Miami-Dade. The Coast Guard's swift actions played out last night when they received a distress call from a dive boat positioned just outside of the Haulover Inlet, alerting them to a diver in distress, as WSVN reported.

According to the dispatchers, "Be advised we just received a call from the Coast Guard receiving a diver down on a dive boat just outside of Haulover Inlet." The man lost consciousness while surfacing and, upon the Coast Guard's arrival, was retrieved from the water and life-saving measures were performed on shore before he was transported by ground to Aventura Hospital. During the operation, "It’s one diver. They are performing CPR," said a dispatcher, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. However, at the time of reporting, the man's current state was not made public, as noted by WSVN.

 

[boulderjohn]

It was not a simple "panicked diver" incident, but perhaps a medical issue underwater that caused the panic, although I will not speculate beyond that.

That was my immediate thought. The description is almost exactly the same as a case I know that was precipitated by a heart attack.