Training fatality - Washington

[Doubler]

The cold water is why I don't dive up here.

 

[mala]

was the guy really doing a training dive at altitude in cold water in a wetsuit?

 

[DandyDon]

was the guy really doing a training dive at altitude in cold water in a wetsuit?

I don't know how cold the water was but that is done a lot really. The elevation is only 1,098 ft.

 

[boulderjohn]

was the guy really doing a training dive at altitude in cold water in a wetsuit?

Hundreds of divers do it every year in Colorado and New Mexico at altitudes between 4,500-5,500 feet.

 

[Gdog]

The cold water up here is in fact a great reason to dive in Washington.

 

[Fish-R-Man]

I know the instructor that was leading this class very well. I have taken classes from him as have my wife and daughter. He is very professional and a good instructor. The area that he was diving in was shallow. I heard that it was in 17 feet of water. This time of year the surface temp at Lake Chelan can be quite warm. Warm enough so that as long as I stay above 35-40' I dive with a 3/2 full suit. Deeper than that it gets cold. I regularly dive there with a 5 mm suit. Elevation is not a factor at Chelan. It's just not high enough.

 

[Fish-R-Man]

I talked with the instructor today and the autopsy report showed that the diver had a massive heart attack. They were diving in 15' of water and this was his first OW training dive. He had just given an Ok signal to his buddy and the instructor when he started having issues. On the surface he started to complain about having difficulty breathing. The instructor removed his BC and unzipped the divers wetsuit to reduc the constriction of his gear. He was conscious when they got him to the beach, but soon after he lost consciousness. CPR and oxygen were administered but they were unable to revive him.

This incident was strictly medical related. The coroner said that the type of attack he had could have just as easily happened while he was sitting in a recliner at home.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

If I am going to die from a cardiac event I would rather have lived up till the time of the event. I will not be sitting on the recliner at home if I can help it! Sometimes even good fitness habits, regular check ups and dong the right thing don't catch the problem before it is too late!

 

[DukeAMO]

If I am going to die from a cardiac event I would rather have lived up till the time of the event. I will not be sitting on the recliner at home if I can help it! Sometimes even good fitness habits, regular check ups and dong the right thing don't catch the problem before it is too late!

Or, like in your profile pic, you will not be sitting on the recliner at home in your dive gear? ;-)

I agree, I'd rather stay active and do fun things. I'm not in great shape, but I've started running again so I can get in better shape and do even more active and fun things.

Exercise might have started the heart attack, but going for a walk or cleaning the house might have done the same thing. And if his heart was in really bad shape, it could have happened at any time, no matter what.

In this case, it sounds like the instructor did everything right. So sad...

 

[DandyDon]

If I am going to die from a cardiac event I would rather have lived up till the time of the event. I will not be sitting on the recliner at home if I can help it! Sometimes even good fitness habits, regular check ups and dong the right thing don't catch the problem before it is too late!

I agree. I'd hate to ruin dive days for others on the boat if I went on a dive, but I don't expect to select my time and place. If I do ruin dive days for others by passing on a dive, sorry...