Unknown Tourist dead, Dive Master ill - Ambergris Caye, Belize

[rmorgan]

Those are all great points. So to relate them back to this incident was it prudent to attempt the safety stop given the previous dive profile or just take the ailing diver in a controlled manner directly to the surface?

There’s nothing to indicate that it mattered either way. But the diver was stable at 5m and they surfaced as soon as he began to deteriorate, and the thought process makes sense. So, yes, it was prudent. As an aside, if the trio had surfaced a minute or two sooner, the diver on the bottom might not have been noticed as quickly. A horribly complicated situation.

 

[DandyDon]

There are many inexpensive ( Less than $50 )Carbon Monoxide detectors available that are designed for use in the home with digital displays but should work well for checking for the presence of CO in dive tanks

I don't think that any of those would measure in the 10ppm range.

I would put the detector in a small trash bag then inflate the bag from the tank and tie it off. Let the detector sit in the sealed back for a minute and see if you get any readings.

I use gallon ziplocks with handles for rapid closure to try to avoid ambient fumes with my Sensorcon CO, waiting a full minute.

 

[LFMarm]

I don't think that any of those would measure in the 10ppm range.

Forensic Detectors model FD-90A-CO (Carbon Monoxide Meter | USA NIST Calibration) is around 100$ has a 1 ppm resolution and I have been personally able to measure in the 0-5 ppm range.

 

[boulderjohn]

Those are all great points. So to relate them back to this incident was it prudent to attempt the safety stop given the previous dive profile or just take the ailing diver in a controlled manner directly to the surface?

A diver having a health-related incident under water should be taken to the surface as soon as possible. On an NDL dive, that means going right to the surface. Decompression dives bring complications.

 

[Steelyeyes]

A diver having a health-related incident under water should be taken to the surface as soon as possible. On an NDL dive, that means going right to the surface. Decompression dives bring complications.

Thanks. That's what I remember from my training.

 

[Outbound]

I could have sworn she said he was moving or looking funny.

If you're having a health issue, and I'm not, I'm putting you on my long hose.

And if our decos are clear, we ain't doing a safety stop unless we're 100% certain the issue was simple.

So for a coronary event you would donate your reg? For a stroke? How about IPE? Hypoglycemia? AFib? Explain how sharing air would help in those cases.

 

[MidOH]

Is this the point where we cherry pick all kinds of scenarios so we can fight, and get the thread locked.

No, I doubt air sharing will help a severed head. But if a blue faced severed head can take my reg, he can have it.

If you have chest pains, and can take the reg I'm holding out to you, and put it in your mouth.....

You can have it. I'm not going to rip the reg out of your mouth or anything.

If you refuse my air because you're sure that your air is good. That's fine too.

If you're feeling woozy, go to another air source. In this case we have someone feeling sick, and somebody in perfect shape. Handing off a longhose could have helped here.

 

[Comm]

Having been in a few emergency situations above and below water myself ... I think it is very difficult to expect the rescuer to immediately suss out 'bad air' in real time - especially after it presented 20 or so minutes into the dive. The fog of war is a real thing in these circumstances as well as a certain amount of self preservation. Doing a flow chart of possibilities is not realistic and I highly doubt 99 out of 100 divers would donate a reg (especially when the rescuer mentioned a fear for panic). I think the rescuer performed admirably and way above expectations.

That being said, the Safety Stop discussion is worthy of debate. Also, difficult to say what I would have done without really understanding how the surface conditions were and how far they were likely from the boat (remember the rescue took off the DM's gear on the way to the boat - so it seemed to be a bit of a haul). But I agree that the agencies have really defaulted to always do a SS. seemingly fatal in this case

 

[rmorgan]

That being said, the Safety Stop discussion is worthy of debate. Also, difficult to say what I would have done without really understanding how the surface conditions were and how far they were likely from the boat (remember the rescue took off the DM's gear on the way to the boat - so it seemed to be a bit of a haul). But I agree that the agencies have really defaulted to always do a SS. seemingly fatal in this case

To clarify, the diver who died surfaced before the others (who started but then aborted a three-minute stop), and then sank to the bottom. I’m not sure any conclusions can be drawn about the part the seeming failure of Mr. Hughes, the decedent, to do a safety stop played in his death, but there is nothing to connect the decision of the rescuer and the second DM to initiate a safety stop to the death.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Possibly Mr. Hughes had a different emergency that had him ascend too quickly and then having become injured, he was unable to inflate his bcd to keep him at the surface.