Student lost - Seattle, Washington

[sabrisi]

Like others have said, the Honeybear is a basically just a shallow hull. You would have to go out of your way to get stuck on it. Cove 2 is also a super calm dive site in general. Viz has been better than normal lately. It's not been bad at Cove 2 but it's super easy to silt up, and there are usually lots of classes there on Saturdays. pnwdiving.com

Sympathies to all involved, including the folks who recovered the lost diver.

 

[tsc]

Thousands of folks have learned to dive at this site, it’s about as easy as it gets in the puget sound for open water. It’s sad to hear another diver is lost, I’ll look for more details as they come out.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

When was the last one?

It has beem 5 years but I remember it distinctly as it happened at Cove 1. I was diving at Cove 3 but had left. A friemd of mine taught a class at Cove 1 next to the OW class that lost the 23 year old woman. He could have responded immediately with a fresh set of tanks but instead packed up his gear. Those were critical minutes. By the time he learned of the missing diver where the other shop were going back in, he had just finished packing up. I won't say that he would have saved her life but he might have.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I dove at Cove 2 early in the morning yesterday and visibility was very good for this time of year (close to 20 feet or so), but that could have changed during the day because there are a lot of classes in the cove. The Honey Bear is more of a flattened wreck at this point -- not a lot of entanglement hazards or penetration hazards unless you were to try to squeeze in under the stern. There are a few lines run around the cove that have some loops up off the bottom which could potentially be entanglement hazards, but it's generally considered a good site for inexperienced divers.

I was also there earlier in the day and concur completely. My student and I had a good look at the Honey Bear and it occurred to me then that it would be possible to wedge yourself under the stern. But there'd be no reason to try.

Current here is minimal, and we're in neap tides. Vis was great compared to what it's been; I told another instructor 20' after I placed my float. It's easy to get deep here, but that doesn't seem to be a factor in this case.

 

[OrcasC205]

If the class on Saturday night that lost the student was being run by the same shop that lost the diver 5 years ago (as I understand was likely the case,) it would be interesting to see what shop policies and procedures were changed following the previous death.

 

[rjack321]

If the class on Saturday night that lost the student was being run by the same shop that lost the diver 5 years ago (as I understand was likely the case,) it would be interesting to see what shop policies and procedures were changed following the previous death.

7:2 isnt a fabulous student instructor ratio (ie 4:2) but its not insane either. At least for this site and conditions

 

[Steelyeyes]

That depends on whether you mean divers lost or students lost.

We've lost four divers this year in the Puget Sound (that I know of.) Two are suspected to be medical issues, one (last week) was a solo diver in a current sensitive area, and now this one. If you're talking about students, I know there have been one or two others lost at Cove 2 in the last ten years -- someone else would have to fill in that history.

Edited to add: The last student death that I can find reference to was 5 years ago, also at Seacrest Park.
Student Pulled from Elliott Bay in Seattle

That's one I was thinking of.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

If the class on Saturday night that lost the student was being run by the same shop that lost the diver 5 years ago (as I understand was likely the case,) it would be interesting to see what shop policies and procedures were changed following the previous death.

Why do you say that? Same instructor 5 years ago lost an AOW student. Not sure if agencies have a 3 strikes/deaths you're out rule.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

7:2 isnt a fabulous student instructor ratio (ie 4:2) but its not insane either. At least for this site and conditions

6 other light beams is harder to account for than 3 or 4. Each instructor should have taken their own group of students. I'd never take 4 students myself in the Puget Sound. Max 3 for teaching team based diving.

Ratios allowed are broken for our waters.

 

[Dan]

I wonder if IPE (Immersion Pulmonary Edema) that could happen to predominantly women diving in cold water has something to do with it, as mentioned by @clownfishsydney in this thread: 10 Years on From Fatal Dive - Lessons to be Learnt