The following is what I know firsthand.
The four of us drove up to Bainbridge on Saturday morning. Bobby was diving an Inspiration Rebreather while instructing Adam on the use of a Drager Rebreather. Sean and I were diving Nitrox and just tagging along to get more dive time and check out a different quarry. I was the least experienced of the group with 30 dives and PADI Rescue / TDI Nitrox certification.
The first dive was without incident. However, the water level of the quarry was about ten feet low and the visibility was very bad, less than a foot in some places once the bottom was stirred up. Sean and I were buddies and we ended the dive early because the poor visibility. We were all familiar with quarry diving in low visibility, having spent many hours in Millbrook, but it just wasnt much fun. Bobby and Adam completed the training requirements for the dive.
After eating lunch during the surface interval we started the second dive. We moved to a different area of the quarry where we heard that visibility was better. The plan for the dive was that Adam would perform the required skills for the Drager Rebreather training and we would tag along. As a secondary goal we had hoped to locate the cement mixer.
We started out as a group with Bobby and Adam as buddies and Sean and I as buddies. We did a surface swim out to a buoy that we thought might mark the location of Cement Mixer. To give you an idea of the visibility we could not see the platform at 15 feet that the buoy marked until we started the descent. We descended below the platform to the bottom at about 40 feet. There was a thermo cline at about 25 feet below which the visibility was really bad, about five feet. At that point Bobby ran Adam through some skills while Sean and I looked around, we didnt go far because of the low visibility.
At that point Bobby signaled to Adam to join our buddy team and went off by himself. This was not unusual, as he was not only certified as a solo diver but also as a solo diving instructor. At the time I thought that Bobby had gone to find the cement mixer, since he was familiar with the quarry, and would come back and lead us to it. After some period of time we decided to go up to the platform where the visibility was better. We hung out on the platform working on skills until Adam called and end to the dive. We made a surface swim to shore and got out of the water about an hour after the dive started.
Bobby had three hours of life support at the start of the dive but we were concerned because it was unlike him to take off by himself for so long without telling us where he was going and when to expect him back. An hour and a half after the dive started the three of us agreed to consider Bobby as a lost diver.
We decided that for several reasons we should not attempt a search on our own.
1. Visibly was very bad and there were only three of us.
2. We did not know where Bobby was going in a big quarry.
3. The quarry operators had a boat to facilitate the search and were familiar with the quarry.
Sean remained at the entry point while I dropped Adam off at the top of the cliff as a spotter while I continued on to the office to notify them. They in turn notified the emergency response people and immediately sent down people to operate the boat to conduct a search.
When I got back to the entry point Sean had suited up and started out on the surface to look for Bobby. I started gearing up to join him but before I got in the water the quarry operators had the boat moving and we decided that since they were familiar with the quarry we should let them organize the search and assist in any way we could.
The surface search with the boat was unsuccessful. By that time the water rescue team had arrived. The plan was that the rescue team would search one area and a second team including us would search another area under the direction of the Quarry operator divers.
Before either team got in the water another instructor found Bobby on the bottom near the platform where we had been. I never got a chance to talk to him so I am not sure if he was searching or just happened upon him. Bobby was brought to the shore and Dr. Newman who had responded with one of the emergency teams led the efforts to resuscitate him to no avail.
Bobby was diving with an Inspiration Rebreather and redundant VR3 computers. We made sure that no one touched his equipment, which was taken into custody by the authorities for analysis.
We notified DAN on Saturday an requested that they worked closely with the Coroner to make them aware of any special considerations for the autopsy because Bobby was diving a rebreather..
The following is what I have heard but have not personally confirmed.
The autopsy was to be performed Monday. As of yet I have not heard that the results have been released.
Bobbys equipment was being inspected by the authorities with the cooperation of the Inspirations manufacturer. Again as of yet, I have not heard that the results have been released.
I do not believe that Adam is Bobbys step son as stated but they were very close and Bobby was his as well as our diving mentor.
My Speculations
I am not sure what happened but I believe that Bobby was unconscious before he knew there was a problem. I hope this was the case and that he did not suffer. This is speculation based on the fact that he had multiple alternate air sources that were not used and he was only 40 feet of water were he easily could have made an emergency ascent.
What Ive concluded so far
Do not dive solo! Even if you are willing to take the risk you should consider the effect that your accident will have on others, your family, other divers, the quarry or boat operators. Bobby was the most knowledgeable and experienced diver I know; if this could happen to him it certainly could to me.
Keep track of your buddy! If for whatever reason they go unconscious you only have five minutes to get them breathing again.
Ill keep you informed as I learn more.
MikeThe following is what I know firsthand.
