Scuba diver death in Rochester NY

[EastEndDiver]

In all of last year, there was one death due to bad air.

If you don't like the stats, complain to DAN.

Terry

But there was one last year and I believe three the year before.I am just curious how could these deaths been prevented by the diver? Please elaborate on that.It's not the stats I have problem understanding it is you claiming they can all be prevented.

There still has not been any "facts" brought forth about this accident from any "authority" and yet you still insist this could have been prevented by coming up with his buddy.We don't even know if he was diving with a buddy or what the cause of death was.The facts of the entire scenerio are vague and so far the depth has been 140 then 104.When the true facts do emerge then maybe some light can be shed on this unfortuante occurance.

 

[eriediver2002]

Thanks! It's nice to be appreciated. In this incident, the death would have been prevented if he had surfaced with his buddy.

.

Terry

Not true. You shouldn't conjecture & speculate to an event that you have no clue as to what really happened:no

You're going by what the "media" has released & of course we know how accurate they are

 

[ageddiver]

It does little good to argue with the sanctimonious armchair diver who fits the facts (or makes them up) to support their closed-minded point. If you want to learn from the mistakes of others you have to first have an open mind regarding the facts, while also recognizing that diving entails a degree of risk regardless of the precautions one takes.

There are a set of best practices (training and experience being key) that definitely improve ones ability to handle difficulties underwater, but no matter what you do **** WILL happen due to an inability to prepare for every eventuality. The only real way to avoid risk in diving is to never dive. Ditto for driving.

If you break down every incident I'm sure you'll find some way it could have been prevented, but the fact is that nobody has the ability to prepare for everything so the best you can do is prepare for the most likely scenarios. Does this fit the "don't dive alone" case? The jury's still out, since not enough info. is included. I can think of several scenarios that would have resulted in essentially the same conclusion whether a buddy was present or not - given the known (or unknown) facts here.

 

[Web Monkey]

But there was one last year and I believe three the year before.I am just curious how could these deaths been prevented by the diver? Please elaborate on that.It's not the stats I have problem understanding it is you claiming they can all be prevented.

I know you're trolling and nit-picking, but I'll bite anyway. "Only get air from a facility that does regular, scheduled air quality testing and compressor maintenance."

There still has not been any "facts" brought forth about this accident from any "authority" and yet you still insist this could have been prevented by coming up with his buddy.

It was right in the newspaper article. His buddy left him and surfaced to get something. If he came up with his buddy, he wouldn't be on the bottom dead. Facts don't get much plainer than that.

However it doesn't really matter. The fact is that he was found dead and alone, which means that he was either diving with a buddy who left him, or was diving solo. In either case, it's a clear violation of the safety protocols taught by all the recreational certification agencies.

You can dance around all you like, but the guy is dead. If he had followed his training and surfaced with his buddy, he almost certainly would be alive. Buddy separation is almost always the first step down a bad road.

Terry

 

[RS]

Wouldn't a diver with a problem have a much better chance of survival if a good buddy was there to assist?

There, I finally edited it to say what I meant!

 

[StanS]

It is always sad to hear about any diver fatality . About the part of whether anyone should dive alone is up to that individual . I have been diving a very long time and I have logged more than my share of dives . Most of my diving is deep and I usually dive alone . About the only time I dive with someone is when I am filming and need a diver in the scene . I have had my share of emergencies over the years and have had to deal with them myself. I feel much better that way plus I do not have to worry about saving someone else . There are divers out there that should always dive with a buddy but it is my right to dive alone and to enjoy my freedoms by myself .

 

[RS]

Yep. Agreed.

A sincere question here: out of curiousity, what procedures and backup do you use on a solo dive to counter risks a bud might mitigate?

 

[StanS]

Training is the best place to start but there is nothing better than plain old experience . The next thing is the epuipment you use . It must be reliable as your life depends on it . Redundacy is also a key factor . Double scuba tanks with redundant regs and isolation valves . Even my wing is redundant with two bladders . I wear two knives and a pair of trauma sheers for entanglement . We also will carry a spare mask . Penetration reels ,lift bag and a surface maker bag are also carried . All this gear and you had better know how to use it properly . I also fill all my own tanks and also do my own gas mixing . This includes testing my gas mixtures . All the tanks and regs I use are oxygen cleaned and are all serviced by myself . There is and old saying that we have used since I started diving " There are old divers and there are bold divers but there are few old and bold divers "

 

[RS]

Thx StanS. Experience is a good teacher. That's why I won't consider solo for years to come. Lot of things to experience.

But would you say that there may be certain events that you may have a better chance of survival if a good buddy was there with you and that the choice to dive solo is just accepting that the chance of these events occuring is so slight that it is an acceptable risk?

 

[StanS]

There is always the unknown factor but I will end with if you do choose to dive with a buddy they should be equal to you in experience . Make sure you know your buddy and his equipment as well as you know your own . Good luck and always enjoy your dives .