Scuba diver dies while exploring popular shipwreck, a third tragedy in the Florida Keys

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Snoopy?

 

[Manatee Diver]

Snoopy?

The ships unofficial logo of sorts. It is painted on the deck of a hallway on the O-2 deck.

 

[wgw04024]

I guess you'd need to read the previous posts for context....

Snoopy is a known section when diving the SG. This video makes it look even more confined than I remember it. :/


To me, this is at the least a judgement call if this is recreational diving. For me it certainly isn't if I'm in there with a bunch of strangers I don't know.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Very interesting. Had the opportunity to dive the C53 wreck in Cozumel. Was my first and only time being inside a wreck.

Dove it in sidemount and was ok for me. A little wide for some of the doorways.
In Flordia - would you typically see divers in a steel 130 cf 3442 tank?

Would be great for me to have a holiday in Florida and do some wrecks etc.

 

[RyanT]

In Flordia - would you typically see divers in a steel 130 cf 3442 tank?

No, was diving the Spiegel Grove last week. Typically, the boats were a mix of tech divers in doubles with deco bottles/rebreathers or recreational single-tank divers. The trip is a two-tank dive, so recreational divers do two short dives and the tech divers do one long deco dive.

 

[Saboteur]

My open water training (NAUI/YMCA) was in 1986. The training limit then was 130 fsw. We used tables (and 60 fpm ascent rates), which meant very short bottom times.

rx7diver

…with no safety stops

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I did many of my Trimix course dives on the SG. It is really a great tech dive. Big, lots to see, and not so crazy deep that you still get a nice, long BT with manageable deco on a selection of mooring lines. I've never done a rec dive on the SG but I would think those would be some pretty short dives. Doable, just not long dives. In comparison, many of the wreck dives off Morehead City NC are similar profiles and they dive those recreationally every single day (that they can get out).

 

[DanBMW]

Well, that makes you, me and one other notable member here who were all certified in 1986 by the now defunct YMCA. I thought YMCA was absorbed by some other agency, not NAUI ?

Not notable, but YMCA 1966 at 15.

 

[Johnoly]

... done a rec dive on the SG but I would think those would be some pretty short dives.

Yep, on a 32 mix I had enough time to scrub brush clean a single plaque over the side, touch the gun springs, look in the bridge windows and head back to the mooring line. About 25 mins bottom time and my Pro+2 'puter said 2mins til it was turning on the deco light ( I try to avoid doing that)

 

[Motoman4540]

It's a deep dive for rec divers unless you stay near the top. The article didn't say what skill level the deceased was, but it sure sounds like he went too far inside the wreck, got disoriented, his computer was probably going nuts regarding both NDL and gas consumption and he panicked (and clearly lost his dive buddy, if he had one), started sucking down more air as he panicked, and well . . . that was the end of that story. This is all speculation of course, because no one knows what happened down there, but it is an easily foreseeable scenario. I was diving a deep wreck last weekend at 110 ft on 32% hunting lion fish and I am an experienced diver (500+ dives, SSI divemaster) and almost hit my deco limits (< 1 min remaining) several times and had to go up somewhat to get some more bottom time. I can only imagine getting lost in a big wreck, tight space, silt kicked up, air going down, and even an equipment failure and all the rest could lead to a tragic outcome. Who knows? The diver could have even gotten nitrogen narcosis and really lost his ****.

Bottom line, overconfidence in one's ability can be lethal. Diving solo in a wreck can be more lethal, especially without a backup bottle. I will admit that I will dive solo with a group and do my own thing (generally macro photography or shooting lion fish). Not smart but within NDL, I can shoot to the surface if I recognize an emergency. Inside a deep wreck, nope.