Unknown Search on for missing wreck diver - Lake Michigan

[Hiszpan]

It was a recovery operation before his wife even called for help.

Firefighter recovery diver in this state are on air and can't go into deco without a chamber on-site. And there are also limited numbers of them. The ROV and sonar were to allow them to know exactly where the body was so they wouldn't have to wander around with mere minutes of NDL time to search for his remains. Yes it took time, resources and money. But it also reduces the risk to those responsible for his recovery and having a second injury or fatality in the process of a body recovery is to be avoided at all costs.

I would like everyone, especially @Angelo Farina to read the above procedures used in US and compare with those used in Italy as expounded during the recent discussion about the „Bayesian” yacht’s sinking. The differences are visible.

 

[Nosmosis]

It was a recovery operation before his wife even called for help.

Firefighter recovery diver in this state are on air and can't go into deco without a chamber on-site. And there are also limited numbers of them. The ROV and sonar were to allow them to know exactly where the body was so they wouldn't have to wander around with mere minutes of NDL time to search for his remains. Yes it took time, resources and money. But it also reduces the risk to those responsible for his recovery and having a second injury or fatality in the process of a body recovery is to be avoided at all costs.

Also - the depth of the SS Wisconsin is at 130'. Municipal dive teams will only dive to 100 feet. They then start to call in other folks then for recoveries - sometime guys at the dive shops. With the wrecks too, if the diver had penetrated the wreck, fire/police dive teams are not trained for penetration.

 

[Jared0425]

Also - the depth of the SS Wisconsin is at 130'. Municipal dive teams will only dive to 100 feet. They then start to call in other folks then for recoveries - sometime guys at the dive shops. With the wrecks too, if the diver had penetrated the wreck, fire/police dive teams are not trained for penetration.

Some are, some are not. We trained on the Charles Price, Regina, and the Daniel J. Morrell. Michigan State Police also has a technical dive team, though they don't have extensive training for wreck penetration.

 

[Nosmosis]

Some are, some are not. We trained on the Charles Price, Regina, and the Daniel J. Morrell. Michigan State Police also has a technical dive team, though they don't have extensive training for wreck penetration.

I was just quoting what I heard from some of the guys that were involved.

 

[Jared0425]

I was just quoting what I heard from some of the guys that were involved.

It certainly varies. There's been several conferences from 2006 to today about dive teams in highly scuba trafficked areas being trained in technical areas and having the equipment available.

 

[Micko1974]

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanation!

Yes, safety first for all rescue divers.

 

[rjack321]

That boat isn't meant for the big water. Pontoons are for small lakes not the inland seas.

As mentioned above, OSHA requires a chamber and other resources on site. On our side of the lake, we have a large vessel that has a Mojave ROV ready to go at any time. It's just a matter of assembling the crew and anchoring before the unit can be deployed. Other public safety teams have their equipment able to be rapidly deployed. We do have a portable decompression chamber, but it would take a day to rig to the large dive boat.

Sadly it only takes about 3 minutes for brain death in a drowning situation. No matter how "fast" first responders are on scene the chances of reviving a diver are very slim. The only really hope relies on your buddies and crew.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I would like everyone, especially @Angelo Farina to read the above procedures used in US and compare with those used in Italy as expounded during the recent discussion about the „Bayesian” yacht’s sinking. The differences are visible.

Yes, firefigfhters of various countries use different procedures.
Not ony for scuba diving, I remember a visit of French firefighters when I was being training at the Capannelle Training Center in Rome.
They used different types of "hook ladders" and we compared our climbing methods, which were quite different!
Here the Italian way of using the "hook ladder":

Here instead the French way, entirely different:

 

[Jared0425]

Sadly it only takes about 3 minutes for brain death in a drowning situation. No matter how "fast" first responders are on scene the chances of reviving a diver are very slim. The only really hope relies on your buddies and crew.

There has been two situations in the last 30 years were divers have been trapped on a great lakes wreck where it was several hours before a rescue was conducted. One was on the Regina in 2000 where two divers got lost and silted out in the bow. The one diver was still alive and bottles were given to him through a porthole, but when extraction time came, he ran out of air and drowned in the wreck. The next more famous one was on the wreck of the Cedarville. Diver got lost and then trapped himself behind fallen debris in panic. Same situation with bottles being handed into a port hole over a two hour time span.

On the Regina, a seaeye ROV was used to try and locate the victims. If a Cedarville repeat happened again, our ROV would hopefully be able to locate the diver before his supply runs out. We would be able to get him on surface supply air for the time being.

 

[Hiszpan]

There has been two situations in the last 30 years were divers have been trapped on a great lakes wreck where it was several hours before a rescue was conducted. One was on the Regina in 2000 where two divers got lost and silted out in the bow. The one diver was still alive and bottles were given to him through a porthole, but when extraction time came, he ran out of air and drowned in the wreck. The next more famous one was on the wreck of the Cedarville. Diver got lost and then trapped himself behind fallen debris in panic. Same situation with bottles being handed into a port hole over a two hour time span.

On the Regina, a seaeye ROV was used to try and locate the victims. If a Cedarville repeat happened again, our ROV would hopefully be able to locate the diver before his supply runs out. We would be able to get him on surface supply air for the time being.

That is terrible - first a hope for the diver as the extra bottles are handed over and then a drowning. And twice the same mistake? I wonder what exactly went wrong that the air supply did not last - someone forgot to pass more bottles for the diver or the diver used up more gas than it was calculated before they extracted him/her?
I have to search through the forums, there might be threads about those two accidents.