Scuba diver dies after being found floating at Kurnell, NSW, Australia

[gypsyjim]

She had a 9 hour red eye, according to her Facebook page. And went diving right after she arrived. I don't think that was the ill-fated dive,though.

It was not.

Reading back through old posts I see that Quero was in Sydney by Oct 1, and the accident didn't happen till at least her fourth dive, roughly a week later.

 

[Zippsy]

I'll ask those buddies that do it to me. Maybe they are in awe of my nav skills and figure if they stick close they won't get lost. I just thought they were exceptional buddies. I still think she would have been better off with a buddy like that (post 237)

That may well be true but most people that give up their dive, just to follow their buddy around and watch them take photos are usually paid babysitters or, possibly, complete novices who are afraid of separation by more than a meter. That does not describe a normal buddy system, IMHO.

 

[tracydr]

As I mentioned before, my experience with dry suits is dated and I never used a tri-laminate one. However the last picture really catches my eye. If I saw a diver in a thick wetsuit, on a deep dive with the BC filled to that extent, I would think nothing of it. However, it is my understanding that the whole benefit of the incompressible suit material is that your buoyancy does not change with depth... assuming you keep the suit inflated to a uniform amount at various depths....

So if my understanding is correct..would not this situation (with the BC seemingly full at depth) elicit a response from a reasonably observant and more experienced dry suit divers along the lines of: "why the heck are you wearing so much lead?"

That would seem to be more useful input than "hand holding" in 18 ft of water. Is this a red flag or am I off base?

Very good point. I noticed how much her BC was inflated on the bottom, too. Also, could it be that she was having to dive with her BC fully inflated, due to being overweight and never made it to the surface? That her BC was fully inflated on the bottom and for some reason, something kept her from the surface? Maybe our assumption that she surfaced, fully inflated and sunk is wrong. Maybe she was going around on the bottom so fully inflated ( overweighted) that the BC was found the way she was actually diving it? And she never even made that final ascent for some reason.

---------- Post added October 13th, 2013 at 07:51 AM ----------

That is the same 1st dry suit experience I had except I was diving MA / RI. Dry suit diving just isn't that complicated especially for an experienced and accomplished diver. I don't have the unsuit anymore but I still have the manual.

View attachment 168779

Was that a neoprene drysuit? From what I've heard, its easier to manage the bubble in a neoprene drysuit so actually easier to learn how to use.
I also had a difficult time with my drysuit. I'd say it took me 10 dives to be relatively comfortable with the buoyancy. I still don't feel as comfortable in my drysuit but I haven't had much chance to dive it since I've been down for 6 months with a medical problem. But, Marcia and I commiserated together about how we both felt like brand new divers due to the drysuit issues. I also added far to much weight at first to make up for the difficulty that I had with ascents and managing the air in the suit. It looks like she may have done the same.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Yes the unisuit was made of 7mm wetsuit material, except for the hood which was 3 mm (which always seemed incredibly stupid to me). I'm not sure if the bubble is easier to manage, but the dry suit itself compresses just like a wetsuit, so you have to manage the air in the suit AND the "normal" suit compression issues with a unisuit.

 

[al248005]

The 30/30 tropical suit DUI sells is a trilam suit. I can agree with Tracy, after having 80 dives in a wetsuit I had my buoyancy nailed down really good. Then I got my drysuit...WOW. I felt like a complete newb all over again trying to figure it out. Pretty much had to blank out all my buoyancy rules I had in my wetsuit and start from scratch. One of the pictures above shows her with tank weights on a steel tank with a bp/w. I'm still trying to understand why she had weights on her tank band with a steel tank. I don't even put any weights on my tank band with an aluminum tank. I want all of my weight at or below my hips to help with the air in the feet.

 

[tracydr]

I am diving a trilam suit. I'm still not completely happy with my control of the bubble and descents/ascents. I'm also doing a lot of experimentation with undergarments. It's quite a challenge to find a warm enough undergarment that isn't so lofty or bulky that my suit doesn't fit. Issues similar to what Quero was having. And, having to do these adjustments on a special dive trip when you can't play around in the pool, well, that would have been even harder. I can totally understand why she was determined not to miss dives, despite not being able to obtain the proper undergarments I would likely make a similar choice,to try and "make do" with local resources,rather than miss out on diving.
My drysuit course was on a trip to Catalina, with pool session prior to the trip. I was so frustrated with my first four dives that I nearly put the thing on eBay. It was by far the most frustrating thing I've dealt with since I was certified, 18 years ago.

 

[AfterDark]

That may well be true but most people that give up their dive, just to follow their buddy around and watch them take photos are usually paid babysitters or, possibly, complete novices who are afraid of separation by more than a meter. That does not describe a normal buddy system, IMHO.

And I never posted it did, just that she would have been better off with a buddy like that at least for that last dive. I don't pay my buddies and don't need baby sitting.

 

[diverrex]

The 30/30 tropical suit DUI sells is a trilam suit. I can agree with Tracy, after having 80 dives in a wetsuit I had my buoyancy nailed down really good. Then I got my drysuit...WOW. I felt like a complete newb all over again trying to figure it out. Pretty much had to blank out all my buoyancy rules I had in my wetsuit and start from scratch. One of the pictures above shows her with tank weights on a steel tank with a bp/w. I'm still trying to understand why she had weights on her tank band with a steel tank. I don't even put any weights on my tank band with an aluminum tank. I want all of my weight at or below my hips to help with the air in the feet.

This is not at all unusual. In my drysuit configuration I dive with 4 lbs in each of 2 ditchable pockets on my waist, 2 lb each in two pockets on my tank, steel plate and steel tank. Keeping all your weight at your hips might help keep air from getting to your feet but also may have you less than horizontal which is often best acheived by spreading your weight.

What I am having a hard time understanding is why she had so much weight. Does anyone know how much it all added up to? Did she have a steel plate? Or if it was a travel rig wouldn't it likley be a alu or platisc plate? Was she using a steel tank. I think I remember posts of 26 lbs being carried. That plus steel tank plus possibly more from a plate seems very high.

 

[Zippsy]

And I never posted it did, just that she would have been better off with a buddy like that at least for that last dive. I don't pay my buddies and don't need baby sitting.

Great, then I think we are all on the same page. I think a bunch of people, including me, believed your original post was implying that her buddy was supposed to be doing that type of dive on that day and failed to. Let's chalk it up to a misunderstanding and move on.

 

[Diver0001]

She had a 9 hour red eye, according to her Facebook page. And went diving right after she arrived. I don't think that was the ill-fated dive,though.

If I've got the timeline right then she arrived in Sydney on Tuesday or Wednesday and the fatal dive took place on the following Monday. It doesn't sound to me like fatigue played a role.

R..