Tobermory Fatality this weekend

[Tripp]

I'm confused. Mr. Liptak died in 2014. Did someone else die under similar circumstances in Aug 2019? Of course, we can still try to learn from it either way...

 

[Marie13]

I almost called off my first dive in cold water and thick neoprene. Just trying to put on my BCD was incredibly difficult and almost sent me into a panic attack at being so constricted for the first time. I can certainly see how that might escalate into something much worse. I hope friends and family can heal as time passes.

I’ve posted before of seeing experienced warm water divers, unused to all the neoprene, be unable to make dives off my local Lake Michigan boat. I’m always telling people who aren’t used to cold(er) water diving to get used to a 7mm at the quarry or a pool before diving one on the Great Lakes for the first time.

 

[rhwestfall]

I'm confused. Mr. Liptak died in 2014. Did someone else die under similar circumstances in Aug 2019? Of course, we can still try to learn from it either way...

No, that was a link that someone quick, and incorrectly thought was the story (hence the comments about little coverage as it isn't turning up).

 

[rhwestfall]

I’ve posted before of seening experienced warm water divers, unused to all the neoprene, be unable to make dives off my local Lake Michigan boat. I’m always telling people who aren’t used to cold(er) water diving to get used to a 7mm at the quarry or a pool before diving one on the Great Lakes for the first time.

The fatality here last Saturday in the Niagara River involved "master divers whose adventures included the Caribbean and Hawaii" (per the news story).... They got in over their heads/experience here....

 

[Marie13]

The fatality here last Saturday in the Niagara River involved "master divers whose adventures included the Caribbean and Hawaii" (per the news story).... They got in over their heads/experience here....

I’m experienced with cold water, but not current. Niagara River? Nope.

 

[Stoo]

I'm confused. Mr. Liptak died in 2014. Did someone else die under similar circumstances in Aug 2019? Of course, we can still try to learn from it either way...

Similar, but different. If I recall the incident with Mr. Liptak, he was on the surface, kicking hard to make it back to the boat against a strong current. He suffered a major heart attack as a result. (I'm going from memory, so take this with a grain of salt.

 

[LDScoob]

I'm confused. Mr. Liptak died in 2014. Did someone else die under similar circumstances in Aug 2019? Of course, we can still try to learn from it either way...

Read my posts in this thread. I was there. Nothing to be learned other than be up on your health/fitness and accurately assess your suitability to dive so your friends and acquaintances don't have to watch you receive CPR and hear your death rattles on a boat deck.

It's all there in the PADI Guidelines for Recreational Scuba Diver's Physical Examination... People just need to follow it and stop checking NO's on all the waiver forms.

 

[84CJ7]

Not to say that the cold water gear was specifically a contributing factor but I learned that a 7mm wetsuit needs to be a one piece henderson hyperstrech or other brand equivalent and if you need a farmer john style two piece suit you should be in a dry suit. You also need the thinnest hyperstretch hood and gloves that will keep those parts warm. I would cancel a dive if I had to do it in regular neoprene now, WAY too spoiled by the nice stuff. The exception to that is the 3mm shorty I wore in the caymans, at that thickness and without arms and legs it doesn't matter.

I dive so much easier now that I'm not fighting with my equipment and shed a ton of weight which made a night and day difference in my buoyancy and overall dive effort.

I can also say that having finally dove in a warm tropical location (Grand Cayman) anyone certified down there should be considered uncertified up here. Its so ridiculously comically easy to dive with that kind of visibility and lack of heavy gear and weight that its not even the same sport. That would add a ton of stress for someone, especially someone trying to keep up with a group.

I can also say that despite looking like I am in really good shape I know my cardio (as in heart and lung performance) is lacking and extended exertion leaves me more beat up than it should. I've been fixing that on a treadmill lately as I intend to get back into diving next year (this year has been full of interfering issues). I know a lot of people that appear to be in good shape but don't get their heart rate up to workout level for at least a half hour a day as recommended.
Cardio is a big deal when diving, more so than weight even I would think especially under water.

 

[Ayisha]

Not to say that the cold water gear was specifically a contributing factor but I learned that a 7mm wetsuit needs to be a one piece henderson hyperstrech or other brand equivalent and if you need a farmer john style two piece suit you should be in a dry suit. You also need the thinnest hyperstretch hood and gloves that will keep those parts warm...

Lots of people dive with a 2 piece 7mm wetsuit in Tobermory or other cold water. Most of the O/W and AOW students in Tobermory throughout May to October are wearing the same. Many people who continue to dive locally do eventually get drysuits.

You have to know or find out your limitations. Everyone has a different level of tolerance for cold water. As we age, our limitations may naturally change and get more pronounced.