The Last Dive's Chrissy Rouse -- would he have survived today?

[Henryville]

I found myself wondering, if they had found the line, why didn't they go back down for the deco bottles? They might have drown going for it, but I think I would take drowning over dying bent, if I got to have a clear head about it.

They had to be too panicked to consider going back down for anything. Especially with Chrissy having trouble with his regulator mouthpeice.

Very good question, you have to assume that the narcosis and panic kept the son from even contemplating going back, and the father, even if he thought of it, proved by his behavior that wouldn't leave his son no matter the consequences.

Out of curiosity, I ran their dive on V-Planner. The deco they should have done to emerge clean is truly staggering. I can't imagine blowing off that much deco and surviving under any circumstances.

 

[DBailey]

<snip>
Out of curiosity, I ran their dive on V-Planner. The deco they should have done to emerge clean is truly staggering. I can't imagine blowing off that much deco and surviving under any circumstances.

I have been curious about that. Based on their actual bottom time (and I think a couple assumptions), I would like to know what their deco obligation was.

 

[RIOceanographer]

I have been curious about that. Based on their actual bottom time (and I think a couple assumptions), I would like to know what their deco obligation was.

According to the book Shadow Divers their deco obligation was two and a half hours. Their originally planned deco, had they not blown their profile, was 60 minutes.

 

[rawls]

I have dove air to the same depths as Chrissy and his father did. It's something many of us have done in the past. It isn't smart but it happens.

But

Would Chrissy have lived today if treatment was different? He may have survived that accident but I considered them to be reckless and I would imagine they would have found another way to kill themselves.

Could Rouse have survived today...No way...
I think Al, as he many times does, makes some great points...Many divers were doing deep dives on air back then. Chatterton and Kohler were diving air in the beginning and I think, I may be mistaken, that Richie didn't start diving trimix until toward the end. So I don't really buy the diving on air as a part of the problem. They could have been diving trimix, yes. Would that have changed a heck of alot considering the rate of their ascent from 230 feet? I believe their recklessness killed them. Like Al says...they would have found another way to kill themselves... It is nevertheless a very sad story when anyone dies diving. I really find it distasteful when anyone mentions a "Darwin" moment. We are human and we all make mistakes. Unfortunately the Rouses made one that cost them their lives.

 

[rawls]

I do not think Chrissy would have lived if he had gotten bent today.

If you watch Deep Sea Detectives you will notice that Chatterton and Kohler (The guys who did identify the sub) are almost always wearing rebreathers (even in Loch Ness). This technology might have saved the Rouses, but if they could not afford trimix for a weekend, I doubt they would have coughed up over $5000 each for rebreathers.

Chatterton and Kohler do wear rebreathers at times. But "almost always" is a pretty big exaggeration....

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello readers:

In addition to disseminated intravascular coagulation, all of the biomacromolecules of the blood were subjected to the denaturing forces of the blood-gas interface at the suface of the many bubbles.

Without immediate recompression – of some sort – the pair were essentially doomed with that dissolved nitrogen load.


Don’t Let It Get Lost - - -

As the thread gets longer, my long posting on the physiological aspects of this dive could be missed by many readers. It was on page 5 on 3- 11-06.:14:

Dr Deco :doctor:

 

[rawls]

Hello readers:

In addition to disseminated intravascular coagulation, all of the biomacromolecules of the blood were subjected to the denaturing forces of the blood-gas interface at the suface of the many bubbles.

Without immediate recompression &#8211; of some sort &#8211; the pair were essentially doomed with that dissolved nitrogen load.


Doc...Is is it possible in the father's case that his death, happening so quickly upon surfacing, could have been the result of gas getting into the pumping chambers of the heart and causing v-fib secondary to interruption of pressure gradients inside the ventricles, as opposed to CVA or MI.

 

[scubajane]

I have read them all (my favorite is Shadow Divers!) but the Last Dive is the book that I remember....
What I took most from this book, is how our interpersonal relationships affect our diving. Do you dive with your siginificant other or your child? Can you leave the emotional issues associated with your relationship aside when you dive? Are you competetive.....over bearing....protective......how does this affect your family dive partner...
The Rouse's should not have been diving together......"one up" upon each other...too many egos.......no real trust......neither would call a dive......including the last one...

 

[joshua.d.vise]

I am actually reading "Shadow Divers" now, and just got through the part describing their deaths. I was curious whether or not it would be possible to put some kind of strobe light or visual aid that would alert them to the location of their stage bottles? I am very new to diving, and this technical stuff is way beyond my abilities at the moment, but I am just curious.

 

[bakodiver391]

I am actually reading "Shadow Divers" now, and just got through the part describing their deaths. I was curious whether or not it would be possible to put some kind of strobe light or visual aid that would alert them to the location of their stage bottles? I am very new to diving, and this technical stuff is way beyond my abilities at the moment, but I am just curious.

Yes, It's very common among wreck divers to use strobes, usually on the up line a couple of meters above deck level to improve visibility. Deco bottles are dropped right at the tie-in point of the up line, so you find your bottles and the up line at the same time and place.