Scuabamau diving accident

[ggunn]

I'm fairly new to diving. I got certified in March and am currently finishing up my advanced PADI class. I am planning a dive to Cozumel in June and plan on doing some local dives here in Cali first. I have to say this thread and the stories attached have me seriously frightend and concerned. I am also astounded at the amount of speculation and gossip that is initiated by so many "experienced' divers!!

I hope Opal and company get better. I have no idea what happened to them from reading this thread....but I started doing some research and found this link to be fascinating. I'ts all bout how ocean currents work. Might be a good read to some here.

HowStuffWorks "How Rip Currents Work"

There is nothing to be frightened of. Despite the speculative nature of some of what has been posted, what is known is that a major contributor to the incident is that the divers involved were attempting a dive that was well outside the bounds of what a recreational diver visiting Cozumel will ever encounter on a guided trip.

True, there are always risks involved in diving - anywhere - but there are risks involved every time you cross the street. in either case, death is a misstep away, but keeping your wits about you and following your training mitigates the risk to a manageable level. It's never zero; a bus could run up on the sidewalk and take you out even if you are doing everything correctly.

We all share your concern for Opal, Gabby, and Heath and hope that they all recover fully. I am not, however, worried that the same thing will happen to me because I will never place myself in a situation with that much risk on a dive, no matter how experienced I get. YMMV.

 

[gypsyjim]

I'm fairly new to diving. I got certified in March and am currently finishing up my advanced PADI class. I am planning a dive to Cozumel in June and plan on doing some local dives here in Cali first. I have to say this thread and the stories attached have me seriously frightend and concerned. I am also astounded at the amount of speculation and gossip that is initiated by so many "experienced' divers!!

I hope Opal and company get better. I have no idea what happened to them from reading this thread....but I started doing some research and found this link to be fascinating. I'ts all bout how ocean currents work. Might be a good read to some here.

HowStuffWorks "How Rip Currents Work"

What Ggunn said.

The "down current" scenario discussed in the first days of the accident has since been eliminated. Misunderstanding, or error, I am not sure how that story got started, but simply not what happened.
Strong currents do at times exist, but not producing the results experienced by Opal, Gabi and Heath, rest assured.

They were doing a dive planned well outside recreational dive guidelines, and the accident appears to have been initially caused by nitrogen narcosis at extreme depth, and compounded by lack of adequate (or any) back up gas for such a deep dive. It was a risk laden dive, undertaken by very experienced divers, possibly as some sort of personal quest, that you will hopefully never find a reason to try doing.

Two very fine folks are in very serious condition right now, and a third was injured, and need all our wishes, help and prayers, but you need not be concerned that you will suffer such an experience as long as you follow normal recreational dive guidelines.

Enjoy Coz!!!

 

[cruiser]

...I have no idea what happened to them from reading this thread....

Here is a concise account of what happened in this particular incident:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/mishap-analysis/396425-cozumel-accident-9-4-11-facts.html

 

[boulderjohn]

I hope Opal and company get better. I have no idea what happened to them from reading this thread

If you go to the Accidents and Incidents forum and the Mishap Analysis section, you will see threads that describe it well. What happened to them was a consequence of their decision to do an extremely deep dive without adequate planning for safety. There were no currents involved.

....but I started doing some research and found this link to be fascinating. I'ts all bout how ocean currents work. Might be a good read to some here.

HowStuffWorks "How Rip Currents Work"

Rip currents are indeed very dangerous for swimmers. Please note that the report is talking about surface swimmers, not divers. If you understand what causes rip currents, and if you understand the physical geography of Cozumel, you will understand why they are not an issue there.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

I'm fairly new to diving. I got certified in March and am currently finishing up my advanced PADI class. I am planning a dive to Cozumel in June and plan on doing some local dives here in Cali first. I have to say this thread and the stories attached have me seriously frightend and concerned. I am also astounded at the amount of speculation and gossip that is initiated by so many "experienced' divers!!
HowStuffWorks "How Rip Currents Work"

Are you aware that there are Great White Sharks off the coast of Cali? Just a little 'Food' for thought..

PS. I've never seen them in Cozumel.

 

[redacted]

I am also astounded at the amount of speculation and gossip that is initiated by so many "experienced' divers!!

Much better to learn from the mistakes of others than to have to make them yourself. Unfortunately, information about scuba accidents is often hard to come by. So, what little information is available has to be extrapolated to support prevention discussion. "Speculation" is a fair term to describe what often goes on. I'm not exactly sure where you come up with "gossip". Are you referring to claims by some posters about past experiences that may or may not relate to the incident?

 

[vcblklion]

Much better to learn from the mistakes of others than to have to make them yourself. Unfortunately, information about scuba accidents is often hard to come by. So, what little information is available has to be extrapolated to support prevention discussion. "Speculation" is a fair term to describe what often goes on. I'm not exactly sure where you come up with "gossip". Are you referring to claims by some posters about past experiences that may or may not relate to the incident?

I was referring to earlier posts about down currents and inaccurate descriptions of what happened by people who were not there.

I appreciate the feedback. I am really looking forward to my trip to Coz. this is a big deal for me because I have been overcoming some personal phobias in order to dive. one of my fears is being caught in deep water without air. silly, I know, but a phobia nonetheless so stories like this feed the fear. Thanks for clearing up the facts and providing feedback!

 

[boulderjohn]

Quote Originally Posted by awap View Post
Much better to learn from the mistakes of others than to have to make them yourself. Unfortunately, information about scuba accidents is often hard to come by. So, what little information is available has to be extrapolated to support prevention discussion. "Speculation" is a fair term to describe what often goes on. I'm not exactly sure where you come up with "gossip". Are you referring to claims by some posters about past experiences that may or may not relate to the incident?

I was referring to earlier posts about down currents and inaccurate descriptions of what happened by people who were not there.

I think you must have missed the key post about the down currents. It was not speculation at all. One of the divers who was there, one of the victims, wrote a post in which he told the person who was supplying accurate information about the dive to "shut the f--k up!" He is the one who said that they were caught in a down current. It was quite some time before it became clear that he was not telling the truth and was instead trying to mislead the public about what really happened. The inaccurate description came from a diver who was there.

 

[redacted]

I was referring to earlier posts about down currents and inaccurate descriptions of what happened by people who were not there.

I appreciate the feedback. I am really looking forward to my trip to Coz. this is a big deal for me because I have been overcoming some personal phobias in order to dive. one of my fears is being caught in deep water without air. silly, I know, but a phobia nonetheless so stories like this feed the fear. Thanks for clearing up the facts and providing feedback!

At least one of those reports of down currents came directly from one of the 3 divers involved. It may well be what that diver thought was going on.

Mild currents are a common thing in Cozumel. Stronger horizontal currents are characteristic of a few site and all but unknown at others. Strong currents that sweep over the edge of a drop-off are rare but can be problematic on some sites where the walls have few hard features (outcroppings and ledges) to break them up and give the diver some shielding.

The goblins will go away with time and experience and you will be able to focus on the real potential problems you will need to manage. Enjoy.

 

[RonFrank]

I am planning a dive to Cozumel in June and plan on doing some local dives here in Cali first. I have to say this thread and the stories attached have me seriously frightend and concerned.

California has Much tougher diving conditions vs. Coz. The vis can be low, the water temps are generally 60f or less, there is often kelp, there are currents, and man eating sharks! :shocked2: Seriously, I think CA is some of the best and most advanced diving I've done at times. I've seen vis in the 10' range, and seen it 100'+.

Coz has down currents, and current in general, but the diving is drift, and the water is like gin! The vis is so good it can be deceptive. Watch you depth gauge, stay close to your buddy and DM, watch the air (the dives are deeper) and you will be fine. When you hit 750psi its time to start you ascent regardless of what the DM is doing. Let your DM know your low on air and going up.