TSandM: Missing Diver in Clallam County, WA

[John C. Ratliff]

I like the moderator's comments above. I don't see any more that I can say on this, except that I miss TSandM (Lynne) a lot.

My lesson learned is that I'm spending more time with my wife, and not emphasizing my diving as much. This week she is off work, and so we've had several nice, long walks and enjoy brunch together. Maybe this has taught me that we need to cherish those moments together, and focus on the "us" rather than the "me."

I have bought my dive flag/float, and will be diving it soon, probably Memorial Day. So in a sense, this re-examination of my own diving style is one of the outcomes of this accident.

Peter, thank you for sharing what you could. I know this has been a terrible time for you and your family. We also are missing Lynne. Our prayers are with you.

SeaRat
John C. Ratliff

 

[dgfishy]

(Please delete)

 

[bryanmc57]

I heard the same report, but was unable to post it because it was told to me in confidence. The fall was described to me as 'nasty'. DAN says to suspend diving for 1 month after a mild, uncomplicated head injury.

The fall is the one thing that seems "out of sync" to me. How many times can we say... she wasn't in conditions that were new to her or beyond her skill set, she wasn't diving gear she was unaccustomed to, she was the most safety and prep conscious person in the world and keep overlooking the one thing that was different?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Her fall during riding was described as a "nasty" fall and it appears it happened just days before her dive. I was just wondering if she had gone to a doctor to have things checked out. Now I know she was a doctor but sometimes as the saying goes, "A doctor can be their own worst patient."

Possible co-morbid sequelae following history of recent brain injury which could cause cognitive impairment, vertigo -to loss of consciousness during dive:

• Postconcussion syndrome. Some people begin having postconcussion symptoms — such as headaches, dizziness and thinking difficulties — a few days after a concussion. Symptoms may continue for weeks to a few months after a concussion.
• Post-traumatic headaches. Some people experience headaches within a week to a few months after a brain injury.
• Post-traumatic vertigo. Some people experience a sense of spinning or dizziness for days, week or months after a brain injury.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

....With that information, a search could potentially be easier. With no need to keep a regulator in the mouth, unconscious divers stand a much better chance of being rescued before they drown. If the blackout is not independently lethal, it would even be possible for an unconscious diver to make an emergency ascent, provided they awoke quickly enough. I realize that there are other problems with FFMs (e.g. dead space) and I lack any experience with them. However, I think the retained ability to communicate on separation plus the potential to save an unconscious diver might make them worth further examination. Could I get your thoughts?

Hopefully someone with FFM experience will chime in. You are not being ignored, just most divers have no real experience with them; I have none.

For what my opinion is worth, the added complexity, potential problems with air sharing and gas switches during a dive, and the added costs for only marginal safety and communications benefits are probably the reason tech divers have not adopted the FFM as "standard" equipment. In the case we are discussing, I think for only a very narrow range of medical emergencies would a FFM have made a difference.

My gut feeling is that if Lynne was conscious and could operate her dry suit and wing inflators, she'd be telling us about a near-miss.

If she lost consciousness the FFM might have helped in the short run, but she would not have responded to radio comms, and the chance of a successful rescue would be slim unless a search was immediately begun and she was found very quickly.

Remember that Peter described the lateral visibility as 20' or maybe slightly more, so finding someone unconscious on the bottom, or floating mid-water with strong current, would be tough.

Again, hopefully someone with experience will answer, but my feeling is that with the exception of a simple loss of consciousness, it probably would not have made any difference in this case.

Best wishes.

 

[dgfishy]

As I mentioned, I wholeheartedly agree that a FFM would have likely made almost no difference here.

However, in future situations, I think the potential benefits of being able to precisely articulate a problem underwater / deal with buddy separation may be quite meaningful. There are certainly shortcomings; the pod-style setup will never be as streamlined as "Jam a reg in your mouth and call it a day", but I'm wondering if the payoff might be worth it to those disciplined enough to drill with them.

It's also worth mentioning that for serious technical diving, I'm not sure how useful they'll ever be. I've heard that the M-48's comms aren't brilliant as-is, I'd imagine that they'd be basically useless with helium thrown into the breathing mix.

 

[drrich2]

We entered the water as a team, we descended as a team, we hit the first ridge together and then hit a downdraft which I stopped at about 115 feet with Lynne some feet (10 - 15?) below me. We both came up and I stabilized about 85 feet, she was above me (10-15 feet?). Vis was good -- current was fast.

At that point I saw her venting her suit but then turned away for some reason -- never saw her again.

Bold emphasis mine.

Any idea just how far a fast drop from the ridge to the roughly 130' was? Got me thinking when Wookie posted in a separate thread about a downdraft in St. Lucia taking him & 2 students down way deep fast, & one student ruptured an ear drum.

Richard.

 

[Hawkwood]

As I mentioned, I wholeheartedly agree that a FFM would have likely made almost no difference here. Even if whatever caused her blackout had been sublethal, the likelihood of finding her before her gas supply ran out would've been minimal. However, in future situations, I think the potential benefits of being able to precisely articulate a problem underwater / deal with buddy separation may be quite meaningful. There are certainly shortcomings; the pod-style setup will never be as streamlined as "Jam a reg in your mouth and call it a day", but I'm wondering if the payoff might be worth it to those disciplined enough to drill with them.

It's also worth mentioning that for serious technical diving, I'm not sure how useful they'll ever be. I've heard that the M-48's comms aren't brilliant as-is, I'd imagine that they'd be basically useless with helium thrown into the breathing mix.

I am going to politely suggest that you rephrase your statement - Where has it been shown or stated that Lynne had a blackout? This is speculation at its strongest, yet you have not followed the TOS by stating that it is speculation.

 

[Airleron]

I am the person that said that the older I get (52), I'm not sure if I want to continue to dive. I'm not in what I would consider good physical shape, I have a touch of HBP, a new shoulder injury that needs surgery soon. Lynne's death has shaken me to the core, because it brings my own mortality to the forefront of my mind. If it happened to her......why on earth am I still here? For crying out loud, there were some dives I shouldn't have comeback from......an uncontrolled descent due to an equalization problem is one I can think of. I have to believe her accident was a medical event, she was a thousand times better, more experienced and conscientious diver than I will ever be.


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[dgfishy]

My mistake. I should've chosen my words more carefully.