Persian wreck fatality - Bois Blanc Island, Michigan

[DandyDon]

Diver dies in Lake Huron near Bois Blanc Island : News : UpNorthLive.com

CHEBOYGAN -- A 62-year-old man, with no health problems and proper diving certifications, died while scuba diving east of Bois Blanc Island in Lake Huron on Sunday afternoon.
The diver experienced an emergency about 15 minutes into his dive, according to Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher Yaw of the United States Coast Guard.
He was about 160-feet under water on a technical dive to explore a Persian shipwreck site five miles east of Bois Blanc Island.
Joe Lavender, a co-owner of the boat that took the group out to the dive site, said he was stunned to hear the 62-year-old man who was qualified to do the technical dive had drowned.
“Everyone does their dive planning,”said Lavender. “Plan your dive, and dive your plan, which this was the case and it’s unfortunate this happened.”
Sergeant Randy Parros of the Michigan State Police Dive Unit said the diver might have been trapped underneath the wreckage.
“With these deeper dives and diving under shipwrecks, sometimes they become silty and visibility gets lost,” said Sgt. Parros. “Sometimes there are boards and other debris from the wreckage that might block a path.”
Michigan State Police investigators believe the diver suffered an embolism from coming to the surface too fast without depressurizing.
His crew brought the diver aboard the boat and found him unconscious and barely breathing.
The diver then went into cardiac arrest.
A crew from the Coast Guard Station St. Ignace responded to the incident. EMT's got into the dive boat where they gave the diver medical treatment.
The response boat escorted the dive boat to Cheboygan and the diver was taken to Cheboygan Memorial Hospital.
The diver was pronounced dead at the hospital.
PO3 Yaw said the dive vessel was taking friends on a dive trip and was not under charter at the time.
Michigan State Police is continuing its investigation.
The name of the diver has not been released by Michigan State Police.

 

[wgw04024]

Sergeant Randy Parros of the Michigan State Police Dive Unit said the diver might have been trapped underneath the wreckage.
“With these deeper dives and diving under shipwrecks, sometimes they become silty and visibility gets lost,” said Sgt. Parros. “Sometimes there are boards and other debris from the wreckage that might block a path.”

Wouldn't his dive buddy know whether he was 'caught' under a board?

 

[koozemani]

That's assuming he had a buddy.

 

[CMAN]

He had a buddy on the dive but the buddy stayed on top of the deck (because he wasn't comfortable penetrating the wreck) while he went into the hold. What happened inside is just speculation on the part of the State Police Dive Unit. The diver was very experienced with wreck penetration dives and I would guess that he may have had a medical issue that caused the accident, we will have to wait for the autopsy to see what that says.

 

[zrsteve]

Midland man dies in scuba diving accident in northern Michigan Tuesday, August 19, 2014, 11:15 am
Midland man dies in scuba diving accident in northern Michigan Matthew Woods mwoods@mdn.net Midland Daily News

A Midland man lost his life in a scuba diving accident Sunday off the coast of Hammond Bay in Presque Isle County in northern Michigan.
Timothy A. Troup, 62, died while on a dive on what is called the Persian Shipwreck in Lake Huron. Troup was part of a group of eight divers who launched from Cheybogan Sunday morning.

According to the Michigan State Police, Troup appears to have died while trying to ascend from the wreck, which sits in 160 feet of water. Preliminary reports suggest that Troup’s diving gear may have become entangled in the wreck or he may have had an unknown equipment malfunction, causing him to try to swim to the surface. The rapid ascension from such a depth may have contributed to the diver’s death.
“It appears to have been an equipment malfunction of some sort,” said Sgt. Jeff Gorno of the MSP post in Gaylord. Gorno said the incident took place just before noon on Sunday.
Gorno said some of Troup’s diving gear was left on the bottom of the lake, and MSP dive teams are attempting to recover the equipment today.
Troup’s death comes less than a week after a Minnesota diver died while exploring the Cedarville wreck in the Straits of Mackinac.
“Divers are a very careful group of people,” Gorno said. “It is unusual to lose two divers on the Great Lakes in such a short time period.”

 

[CMAN]

The info that I was told is that he did become entangled in some line while inside the hold. He removed his sling bottles and then removed his main tanks and untangled himself, then the wing started lifting him and he was unable to dump the gas and he couldn't let go because it was his only air source and he rode it to the surface where he was put on oxygen. The autopsy said he died from an embolism.

 

[wgw04024]

He would of removed the sling bottles and main tanks when he was inside the structure correct? After he becomes free, I'm trying to imagine how the wing starts to lift him. It seems he'd have to have his buoyancy under control before he would be able exit from the wreck.

Bill

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I did a quick google - here supposedly is a photo of the "Persian Wreck" - notice the hold is rectangular/square in shape - open (no hatch).