Search on for lost diver... New Smyrna Beach, FL

[Ironhed]

My heart goes out to the family. It has got to be hard to find closure when they can't bury their loved one.

TOM

the sad thing is he really didn't have any family, the one person reached simple replied "good" was his step father.

 

[Ed Palma]

the sad thing is he really didn't have any family, the one person reached simple replied "good" was his step father.

Are you saying that when contacted with the news, the step-father replied "Good!" ?:11:

 

[DandyDon]

the sad thing is he really didn't have any family, the one person reached simple replied "good" was his step father.

Sad case. So unfortunate.

I think you're probly right on his reasons for sinking - see too many of these, on close calls, and on this forum. My buddy & I are going to get in habit of grabbing weights prepared to ditch on every surfacing. Want to be in habit in case panic ever overrides us.

The water is pretty warm there. He'll probly float after a few days.

 

[Ironhed]

The water is pretty warm there. He'll probly float after a few days.

Not so sure of that, I was told he was a small guy maybe weighed 140 and was diving a steel 80 cf tank with 20 lbs of weight. that in my opinion is about 10 lbs or more than he should have had even with a wetsuit. I am not sure if he had a wetsuit on but I think he did. unfortunately instructors like to plant their students with lots of weight then they dive it for life. I started out with 20 lbs but i weigh 200 lbs. I now dive only 2 lbs with a steel and no wetsuit. with a 3mm wetsuit i add 4 more. the 2 lbs is to offset and trim out my pony rig. otherwise I could be diving 0 weight. that is with a stainless steel bp&w too.

 

[HilaryRN71]

My daughter and I are scheduled to take our last 2 dives this weekend to get our open water certificate. We live in Port Orange, just south of Daytona & north of New Symrna. After hearing about what happened my wife is scared to death that something like this will happen to us. I must admit I am a little concerned too. What would cause him to sink after he already surfaced? Is it possible that he ran out of air, made it to the surface but then was unable to manually inflate his BCD before he sank? My heartfelt condolences to his family.

Any number of things could cause him to have surfaced and slipped back under. The facts from dive accident analysis vary but close to 90% of victim's bodies are found with weights on. The ONE thing you can do to save yourself....GET POSITIVE AT THE SURFACE...by ditching weights and inflating BC...just is usually not done. (I am not drawing inference to this unfortunate event, I haven't read enough to know the whole scenario, merely answering the posed question by harleyxx) Other factors that could have contributed include an underlying health condition, such as heart attack or stroke, air embolus from surfacing too fast, etc. The cause of death is almost always listed officially as "drowning" because that is what is obvious on the autopsy, but it's a readily accepted fact by most divers that in many instances, drowning is only the outcome and often not the initial cause.

Harleyxx, diving is a wonderful and safe sport. Unfortunately...dive accidents do happen and sometimes with fatal consequences. I dive with my daughter that is 12 and her 10-year-old sister will be getting certified soon. The best thing you can do to keep yourself and daughter safe and enjoying the sport for years to come is "dive safely dive often." After open water, take Advanced Open Water. After you have a degree of confidence in YOUR skills, take Rescue diving. It's highly enlightening and a great course, especially if you are diving with your children.

Don't let the stories scare you away from a wonderful pastime and lifestyle. We discuss accidents so that we learn from them. Continue to practice what you've been taught in Open water, and build on that education. You and your daughter will have a blast.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks Hilary for adding that positive post for Harleyxx. I wanted to say something reassuring, but couldn't think of the right words. You did great.

I kinda' hate for new divers to get nervous about accidents, but then - that's better than jumping off the boat like I did when I was new with an attitude of "This is easy, nothing could go wrong." Diving is a reasonably safe sport, yet a potentially dangerous one without proper training, preparations, and even what-if planning.

First & foremost in any challenge: GET POSITIVE! If one ever feels a struggle or panic feeling at the surface, ditch weights now - think later.

 

[harleyxx]

Any number of things could cause him to have surfaced and slipped back under. The facts from dive accident analysis vary but close to 90% of victim's bodies are found with weights on. The ONE thing you can do to save yourself....GET POSITIVE AT THE SURFACE...by ditching weights and inflating BC...just is usually not done.

This site is Great!
Thanks for the advice to "Get Positive At The Surface"". It came in handy Sunday. I just completed my last dive for my OW certification and had an out of air incident. I had just was in only 15'-0 of water at the time but got to the surface and manually inflated my BCD. I never considered dumping my weights though. I wasnt tired so I had no problem staying at the surface while I switched to my snorkle @ got bouyant. It might have been a different story if I was tired. This site is great!

 

[DandyDon]

Yep, good to alway keep in mind - and drill on so it becomes instinct in case panic clouds thinking. One part that concerns me, tho....

This site is Great!
Thanks for the advice to "Get Positive At The Surface"". It came in handy Sunday. I just completed my last dive for my OW certification and had an out of air incident. I had just was in only 15'-0 of water at the time but got to the surface and manually inflated my BCD. I never considered dumping my weights though. I wasnt tired so I had no problem staying at the surface while I switched to my snorkle @ got bouyant. It might have been a different story if I was tired. This site is great!

(1) Get positive on surface. We bleed out air from our BCs as we ascend - more so from depth, and we need to reverse that as soon as we make the top.
(2) Orally inflate! I had to once when a connection came lose on my BC, and perhaps we should drill this, too - so it becomes natural, just in case.
(3) Ditch weights at first struggle. If panic takes over the mind, we may forget. I'm sure we lose divers this way. My bud & I are gonna drill on grabbing our weights with our right hand immediately - every time, to get in the habit, so we'll be in that habit in case of a BC failure and struggle.

 

[pupdiver]

Not so sure of that, I was told he was a small guy maybe weighed 140 and was diving a steel 80 cf tank with 20 lbs of weight. that in my opinion is about 10 lbs or more than he should have had even with a wetsuit. I am not sure if he had a wetsuit on but I think he did. unfortunately instructors like to plant their students with lots of weight then they dive it for life. I started out with 20 lbs but i weigh 200 lbs. I now dive only 2 lbs with a steel and no wetsuit. with a 3mm wetsuit i add 4 more. the 2 lbs is to offset and trim out my pony rig. otherwise I could be diving 0 weight. that is with a stainless steel bp&w too.

If the 20lb you state is accurate, he must have been dramatically overweighted. I can get down with about 22lb with a steel tank and a 7mm wetsuit, gloves, hood, etc. in California. And I am a fairly big guy.

 

[namabiru]

My buddy & I are going to get in habit of grabbing weights prepared to ditch on every surfacing. Want to be in habit in case panic ever overrides us.

That's not a bad idea, actually, especially since people with Integrated systems have a bit more work to do than those who are diving with belts.

If an emergency DID arise for those with Integrated, how long do you expect it would take for the person to ditch to get positive? Without factoring in the continually having to fight to stay up while ditching, what's a good estimate?