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

[victorzamora]

Correct me if I am wrong but the total volume of the lungs in females about Quero's size is on average about 4.5 liters. That 4.5 liters, however, is what she would be able to inhale with an extremely deep breath. I would think that the amount of water in her lungs would not have been more than 3 liters but I have had trouble finding a useful source for the physiology of drowning. It makes sense to me though as even if she was forcing water into her lungs, as if taking a deep breath, her passing would have likely relaxed the diaphram to return the volume to a resting 2 - 3 liters. That means she was at the most 3kg (6.6lbs) more negative at the bottom after passing away.

No, you're definitely right. My point was post-mortem, where she would've had probably 7lbs of "lift" replaced by water. My point wasn't that she wasn't overweighted....she was, simply by seeing the pictures of her wing on the verge of popping. My point was that she wasn't SO overweighted that it would've been impossible to surface. The diver that tried to recover her but couldn't due to insufficient lift had been assumed to mean she was WAY negative with a fully inflated BCD. My point was that this drastic negative buoyancy was more likely post-mortem and not THE cause. If she was neutral-ish with little/no air in her suit during the dive, then as the tank emptied that should've been more positive. If she was neutral, she should've been able to swim it up. The theory of her swimming upwards but struggling due to being 28# negative despite a fully inflated wing simply doesn't jive with me. She would've had air in her lungs if she went to swim up.

With a fully inflated BCD - if she was properly weighted - the extra 6.6lbs should not have left her on the bottom. She was definitely overweighted even with air in her lungs.

She was definitely overweighted, but not so much so that she couldn't dive the rig she had on....as proven by several other successful dives, and the successful completion of the MAJORITY of that dive. If she was able to swim around at the beginning, she should've been able to swim around at the end....especially 4-6# less negative than when she started.

 

[letterboy]

John,

The drysuit was not flooded. The vent *may* have been open which *may* have caused it to vent unintentionally during an ascent. It has also not been established that she tried to make an ascent. That idea may have come from a theory I suggested early on in the thread.

When the rescuers cut open the drysuit to apply the AED the undergarment and her chest were dry.

R..

I didn't think it was, in this case.

I have on more then one occasion I have started a decent with my vent open all the way. painful until I realize Wth the issue is....

as was said before, I think this may be the longest accident thread without mud slinging...

 

[merxlin]

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[gee13]

I didn't think it was, in this case.

I have on more then one occasion I have started a decent with my vent open all the way. painful until I realize Wth the issue is....

as was said before, I think this may be the longest accident thread without mud slinging...

Oh theres been a little mudslinging.. but the slingers have been a tad more civil than usual. Except the one that had to stir up Diver0001 personally yeah the discussion has been interesting.

Im just wondering if we will ever get close to some real closure.

Im sure everyone has had a few second thoughts about their past dive practices and hopefully modify to dive safer in future. What Ive learnt so far is that the perceived absence of danger is the real threat of danger.

 

[jake11]

This is so incredibly sad and cause for a lot of reflection on my part!!

 

[Zippsy]

She was definitely overweighted, but not so much so that she couldn't dive the rig she had on....as proven by several other successful dives, and the successful completion of the MAJORITY of that dive. If she was able to swim around at the beginning, she should've been able to swim around at the end....especially 4-6# less negative than when she started.

Yes, she was obviously able to dive the rig but with far too much air in her BCD and far too much weight added to her gear, IMHO (although I would not say 28lbs overweight and I don't recall anyone suggesting that much). I see a diver with what looks like a fully inflated BCD and a nearly empty tank toward the end of a dive and she's practically laying on the bottom. To me, that means earlier in the dive, she must have needed at least some lift - in addition to any she had at the time of the last photo - from her drysuit as well to compensate for the weight of the gas in the tank. I'm not a drysuit diver (and I know little about the gear) but I can understand why air in the suit may be used for buoyancy, in addition to or instead of the BCD. But I can not understand how it could be safe or appropriate that so much air is needed to offset weights worn that either the drysuit or the BCD alone could not give enough buoyancy to lift her. Also, aren't we taught that if we are properly weighted, we will have very little or no air in our BCD at the safety stop when our tank close to empty and relatively more buoyant (or less negatively buoyant)? Adding air at the surface is what makes us comfortably float. If Quero's BCD was fully inflated at 3 meters and she was laying on the bottom, the loss of buoyancy in her lungs explains about 7lbs but not the whole difference.

 

[scubadada]

Sorry if I missed it in the 74 pages, where is the specific information from the dive buddies that was promised long ago when they could get it together?

 

[DandyDon]

Sorry if I missed it in the 74 pages, where is the specific information from the dive buddies that was promised long ago when they could get it together?

I suspect they don't want to be quoted, questioned, abused, thrashed, etc. by distant Monday morning quarterbacks...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sorry if I missed it in the 74 pages, where is the specific information from the dive buddies that was promised long ago when they could get it together?

Given some of the speculative posts and the earlier attempts to place blame for this accident on the dive buddies, I doubt they'd want to set themselves up for the inevitable abuse and second-guessing they'd be subjected to.

And I doubt the investigation is complete yet, so it would probably be unwise for the dive buddies to post anything at this point.

In any event, I don't recall seeing such a promise made ... and I've been following this thread since the beginning. In fact, I'm not sure any of the dive buddies have even posted here.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Croomrider]

In any event, I don't recall seeing such a promise made ... and I've been following this thread since the beginning. In fact, I'm not sure any of the dive buddies have even posted here.

I think it was Clownfishsydney that was going to try to get info and permission from the buddies to post. I assume he didn't get that permission!

Mike