Scuba incident/accident/Rescue via USCG Florida Middle Grounds 08/16/2018

[CuzzA]

Scuba incident/accident/Rescue via USCG Florida Middle Grounds 08/16/2018

Uncontrolled accent resulting in Tier 2 deco sickness (Edited version)
U.S. Coast Guard Clearwater medevac

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Coast Guard Medevacs Man Involved In Diving Accident

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — The Coast Guard medevaced a 49-year-old man Thursday, Aug. 16, from a fishing boat 70 miles north west of Anclote Key.

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a distress call via VHF-FM marine band radio channel 16 at 9:25 a.m. from a crew member aboard the 25-foot fishing boat, Awesome Angler. The crew member reported that Sean Haas, 49. suffered from a diving-related illness and needed emergency assistance.

A flight surgeon from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwaterrecommended Haas be medevaced and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from the air station was launched.

An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Clearwater was diverted to assist with communications and crew members aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station St. Petersburg also launched to assist.

The Jayhawk aircrew arrived at 11:05 a.m., hoisted Haas and medevaced him to Florida Hospital Orlando.​

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Lakeland diver warns of dangers of malfunctioning equipment

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LAKELAND, Fla. -- A Lakeland man who was on the brink of death a week ago following a diving incident in the Gulf is warning other divers of what they should look out for to stay safe in the water.

• Lakeland diver warns of dangers of malfunctioning equipment
• Sean Haas suffered the bends when diving last week
• Haas almost died due to corrosion built up in the servo valve

Sean Haas is now almost fully recovered.

Last week, Haas dove more than a hundred feet in the waters off Anclote Key when a piece of equipment that controls divers' buoyancy malfunctioned.

"I heard the air rushing and I grabbed my inflater again, but at that point, as I started letting air out, it was going in faster than I was going out," Haas said.

In less than five seconds he shot up to the surface and started losing feeling in his arms and legs.

"I'm in trouble, I think I got the bends," Haas recalled.

From there, Haas started having seizures. Others on the boat quickly radioed the Coast Guard which flew him to Orlando where he spent seven hours recovering in a hyperbaric chamber. Haas said doctors didn't think he would survive.

"The quick response from the Coast Guard and the doctors played a miraculous result in me being alive and the grace of God. So many things played a factor," Haas said.

Haas is now warning others of the potential life-threatening situation all because of a little valve.

"Due to corrosion built up in the servo valve, it caused it to malfunction in the open position," he said. "Service your BC. Check out all your equipment."

Haas said he used to check it every two years, but now plans on checking it every year.

Doctors said Haas can't dive for the next six months, but after that, he said he plans on getting back in the water.

"That's part of my life!" he said.
​

 

[CuzzA]

When's the last time you serviced your inflator? A good vinegar soak will go along way. Also a good reminder to practice disconnecting your inflator and oral inflating from time to time.

 

[clownfishsydney]

No way it can inflate at 27 m (100 feet) so quick you cannot detach it. It also will take a lot, lot longer than five seconds before you will have a dangerous situation, let alone shoot to the surface.

 

[ResortDiver850]

So what do you think happened?

 

[Wookie]

No way it can inflate at 27 m (100 feet) so quick you cannot detach it. It also will take a lot, lot longer than five seconds before you will have a dangerous situation, let alone shoot to the surface.

If he was in the Middle Grounds, he was spearing, or conducting marine biology, because that's all you do there. So he likely had a gun and a stringer that he had to do something with. Not too likely he would drop either, so he had one hand full of gun and fish on his stringer maybe in the way.

I can easily see him not getting both hands up to disconnect his inflator until he was on the surface.

 

[rongoodman]

The beginning of this thread appears to be missing.

 

[CuzzA]

The beginning of this thread appears to be missing.

I broke the post up in three segments from three sources. I first found the incident by chance from the YT video posted by TJ Haas. Then the two news reports.

 

[CuzzA]

If he was in the Middle Grounds, he was spearing, or conducting marine biology, because that's all you do there. So he likely had a gun and a stringer that he had to do something with. Not too likely he would drop either, so he had one hand full of gun and fish on his stringer maybe in the way.

I can easily see him not getting both hands up to disconnect his inflator until he was on the surface.

Being so far offshore helps maintain its beauty. Rarely is a tourist dive charter heading out there.

He may or may not have had his stringer clipped on to his BC. With the explosion of sharks out there I'm betting he was holding it. I would agree he probably was tasked with the gun and stringer, but I bet he didn't even think to disconnect the hose.

 

[CuzzA]

No way it can inflate at 27 m (100 feet) so quick you cannot detach it. It also will take a lot, lot longer than five seconds before you will have a dangerous situation, let alone shoot to the surface.

5 seconds certainty sounds like he's embellishing, but I'm sure he went up pretty fast.

 

[rjack321]

No way it can inflate at 27 m (100 feet) so quick you cannot detach it. It also will take a lot, lot longer than five seconds before you will have a dangerous situation, let alone shoot to the surface.

Oh this absolutely can happen. And an inflator in full "on" mode - especially if the female side on the BC hose is also a bit corroded and gunky can be difficult to detach. I have had slow leaks, sure no big deal disconnect. The only full power on leak was in classes. And you cant get it disconnected before the bubble is past the point of control.

While it doesn't say if he was in a single or a doubles, most tech classes teach you to shut down the right post (on doubles) while kicking down and dumping from the butt dump (on the left rear) because the oral inflator opening is not large enough to vent the gas that's already in the BC/wing, plus the gas that its trying to add, plus the expansion all at the same time. All while your fins are useless for helping to push you back down.

At 100ft via a LP hose you lose about 5cf of gas in a full flow mode in 5 seconds.
Life Ending Seconds • ADVANCED DIVER MAGAZINE • By Curt Bowen
Its 4 ATA so 5cf is about 1.25 cf of volume at that depth. 1.25cf is 35L. 2lbs of buoyancy per liter. So in roughly 5 seconds its not all that implausible that his BC was completely filled, or at least past the point of no return.