San Diego Dive Fatality 9-29-09

[crispix]

...apparently panicked at the surface when he and his equipment were entangled in kelp.

For people unfamiliar with San Diego diving, especially in the Point Loma area, getting tangled in kelp is not only common, I'd say it's downright inevitable if you dive around it.

Underwater, the kelp forests are stunning, some of my favorite dives. On the surface, it's a tangled mess. It's possible to get entangled beneath the surface as well as at the surface.

Kelp breaks easily when bent. Pulling it does nothing. Getting out of it is just a matter of removing a strand at a time, breaking when necessary. Like many scuba situations, the solution is to stop, think, breathe ...

 

[Teamcasa]

...The president of Dive San Diego, which ran the excursion, tells San Diego 6 that
the man was a certified diver,
but apparently panicked at the surface when he and his equipment were entangled in kelp.
He reportedly was fighting the dive master who was trying to help him.
"He took off his buoyancy compensator which had his scuba tank on board and as soon as he did that, likely he submerged,
because he still was wearing his dive belt," said lifeguard Lerum.

Panic, brought on by entanglement no doubt started this horrible chain of events.

I'm also quite sure the DM did not just stand back and watch the man drown. But for me, this just reinforces the need to discuss what the kelp diving experience is like. Having dived San Diego and many other kelp sites here in California, I can tell you first hand that even now, I have to stop, relax and think when krawling in the kelp.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It is also a time to keep your buddies very close. Diving in kelp off of Monterey, I was fortunate to have an instabuddy who had experience in diving it. He was a new diver but his 25 dives in it and my none but being an experienced DM worked well. We both knew that the best way to be able to assist the other was to be CONSTANTLY aware of where each other was. As a result we were usually half an arms length from each other and frequently bumping elbows. Coupled with the surge and less than stellar vis it was a strategy that worked very well. Even on the surface we had planned that if anyone fell behind the other would wait and if needed assist. Neither of us did but at the end of the first dive I got to help in my first ocean rescue when an AOW diver who had never been in 7 mil before got himself in a bit of a fix. The suit, kelp on the surface, and cold water freaked him out. He came up about 75 yds from the boat yelling for help. His buddy was nowhere to be seen. I saw the Dm jump in about the time we reached the ladder. I told my buddy to stay put and headed out behind the Dm on the surface. I met him about 50 yds out towing the new distressed diver and we both brought him in. The DM towed as I stripped his gear, First thing I took were his weights. Then just loosened everything up til we got close enough that I felt ok with taking his fins and undoing everything on the bc so it was acting as a raft. Got him back on the boat, a little O2( more as a placebo than anything) and he was fine. But it still bugged me that his buddy was nowhere to be found for another 10 minutes when he surfaced and wondered what all the commotion was. These were instabuddies as well but neither took the time to make a plan, verify each others skills, experience, and training. As a result there was a potentially dangerous separation that never should have happened. I wonder what the outcome would have been had the three in this case stayed together? Probably alot different.

 

[fisheater]

Panic, brought on by entanglement no doubt started this horrible chain of events.

I'm also quite sure the DM did not just stand back and watch the man drown. But for me, this just reinforces the need to discuss what the kelp diving experience is like. Having dived San Diego and many other kelp sites here in California, I can tell you first hand that even now, I have to stop, relax and think when krawling in the kelp.

Another thing: For those of you non-Northern California divers, you'll often hear about how easy it is to break kelp by bending the stipes (stalks). That true fro giant kelp, but NOT for the much tougher bull kelp you'd encounter in our waters. With bull kelp, you'll need a good cuttin device, preferably more than one.


Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Teamcasa]

Another thing: For those of you non-Northern California divers, you'll often hear about how easy it is to break kelp by bending the stipes (stalks). That true fro giant kelp, but NOT for the much tougher bull kelp you'd encounter in our waters. With bull kelp, you'll need a good cuttin device, preferably more than one.

Very true.

 

[wiseguy1]

The diver was from Tucson, AZ. He was 46. He was a police officer with the University of Arizona Police Department. He left behind a wife and a one year old baby. While I do not believe he was affiliated with my local dive shop (Desert Divers), I know that some of my colleagues did know him (diving in the desert is a small community). If you would like to know his name, then go to www.kgun9.com . Please keep his friends and family in your prayers.

 

[ItsBruce]

Keep in mind that kelp is only a passive annoyance. It may seem like it wants to reach out and grab you. But, it doesn't. It just sits there. You get entangled in it. So long as you have air in your tank and keep breathing, no matter how wrapped up you get, you are okay. Just breath and unwrap, break or cut.

 

[ItsBruce]

As far as removing one's BCD and what I consider ANOTHER important practice.

There may be times when you have to ditch your weights and BCD. This might include towing a distressed diver. (For those who don't know about this, take a Rescue Course.) Properly inflated, your BCD will float for a long time and will most likely be recovered. As such, have identifying information on it.

BUT, here is the kicker: Most people who have a noise making device, such as a whistle, have it on their BCD. Thus, they can't make noise while towing the victim. I wear a second whistle on a necklace under my wetsuit. I am unlikely to ever part with it on a dive. I also have a spare car key on the necklace. That is so that if I have to ditch my gear to tow a distressed diver to the beach, I can get into my car to phone for help or drive the victim to help. (Imagine diving a deserted beach, towing a distressed diver ashore after ditching your gear and realizing you've ditched your car key, too.)

 

[Bronson]

I wish to know more as this is sad to lose a diver. THe procedure to remove BCD is what i experienced on a RIB. The crew or buddy pull gear on board and you kick up and pull yourself onboard. I use integrated weights so i had no problem maitaining buoyancy. But reg is the last thing to leave my body.

 

[openmindOW]

Panic, brought on by entanglement no doubt started this horrible chain of events.

Teamcasa, you are a terrific diver and an excellent conributor here on ScubaBoard. Thank you for your contributions. But I have to respectfully disagree with this statement in your post.

We do not know necessarily know what caused this tragedy. Entanglement is certainly a possibility, as this Thread suggests. But do we really know what happened? The diver was 47 years old, correct? One cannot discount the possibility of a medical condition as a contributing factor.

It is good that we are discussing entanglement in kelp forests. I am learning more about kelp just by reading this.