Two hospitalized in Florida

[DandyDon]

I think some of us may wonder why the diver didn't bring his stricken buddy up, but we'll probably never know his thoughts...

From Two hospitalized after scuba diving accident off Ocean Ridge

Two men have been taken to area hospitals following a scuba-diving accident this morning off the coast of Ocean Ridge.

The men were diving three miles off Boynton Inlet when one of them, in his fifties, was believed to have suffered a heart attack while diving to a depth of more than 60 feet, said Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

His diving partner suffered decompression sickness when he surfaced too quickly to seek help.

A third diver, a woman, brought the heart-attack victim to the surface shortly before noon. He was then transported to Bethesda Memorial Hosptial in Boynton Beach.

The man suffering from decompression sickness was sent to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach for a check-up and was to be placed in the hospital's hyperbaric chamber.

 

[RogerAGrimes]

I don't get your question. I must be missing something. Can you restate? Is it asking why the one diver came up without the other diver, doing so, so fast that he got bent, and left the woman to bring the guy up? If so, the bent diver is still alive and we may yet learn why? If the woman is bringing the stricken diver up more slowly, maybe the other buddy was trying to alert the boat staff so they could ready first aid and call help?

 

[Garrobo]

Now I'm really confused.

 

[DandyDon]

I don't get your question. I must be missing something. Can you restate? Is it asking why the one diver came up without the other diver, doing so, so fast that he got bent, and left the woman to bring the guy up? If so, the bent diver is still alive and we may yet learn why? If the woman is bringing the stricken diver up more slowly, maybe the other buddy was trying to alert the boat staff so they could ready first aid and call help?

Yes, if my buddy was having severe problems at depth, I could bring him up myself - or in some cases, send him up ahead of me. From the limited info in the story, I don't see why one came up ahead of the stricken diver - who was brought up slower by a third diver. Not saying he was wrong; just don't understand.

And one of the reasons that "Don't become the second victim" is taught is that it divides rescue efforts, so in this case the crew had two victims to attend instead of one. Hope he's not badly hurt. The initially stricken diver didn't make it.

From Scuba divers hospitalized after South Florida dive | divers, scuba, boynton - WPEC 12 West Palm Beach

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- A sad update on a diving accident that sent two people to the hospital over the weekend, one of the men died.
Authorities tell us that 47-year-old Jack Valente was found in cardiac arrest in 75-feet of water near Ocean Inlet Park in Boynton Beach.
Rescue workers performed CPR on Valente, but he died at Bethesda Memorial Hospital..
The other diver on the boat was taken to the hospital for treatment for decompression sickness.
No foul play is suspected.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine an official cause of death.

 

[PfcAJ]

'Sending" a diver to the surface is a sure-fire way to finish him off. Without protecting the airway, you're almost guaranteeing an embolism or aspiration of water. Either way, you've got a funeral to go to.

Bent is almost always survivable (and without long term complications for recreational depths), but drowned is permanent.

 

[DandyDon]

'Sending" a diver to the surface is a sure-fire way to finish him off. Without protecting the airway, you're almost guaranteeing an embolism or aspiration of water. Either way, you've got a funeral to go to.

Bent is almost always survivable (and without long term complications for recreational depths), but drowned is permanent.

This has been discussed on A&I before, by divers who have done it both ways - skipping a deco obligation vs sending up in desperation and staying below for deco. The one who skipped thought he would be in a chamber in short time, but later told me otherwise. The one who sent a stricken diver up and stayed below for deco said it was the longest such time of his life, staying below alone, not knowing what was happening above. And there are so many details to consider in seconds, i.e. quality of rescue crew above, how far from treatment, etc.

If the guy looks dead at 75 ft, getting him up fast is the only hope even if there is very little hope. Hurting yourself in the process double the number of victims for the Rescue crew to attend. No good answers really.

 

[PfcAJ]

If your deco obligation is such that you can't surface (and stay there)in an emergency, then you need support on the surface and/or in water, as well as recompression procedures in place if you're far from a chamber.

Poor planning isn't an excuse, guys.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

Where is it known there was a deco obligation? I took it as a rapid ascent hit.

 

[DandyDon]

Where is it known there was a deco obligation? I took it as a rapid ascent hit.

The conversations wandered after I said "Yes, if my buddy was having severe problems at depth, I could bring him up myself - or in some cases, send him up ahead of me."

There are many possibilities. We don't know much about this case.

Edit: Ok, this is another version of the story, that says the buddy rushed to the surface for help, and the rescuing third diver then went in the water to find him. http://www.wflx.com/story/16684921/man-has-heart-attack-while-scuba-diving?hpt=us_bn5 I guess he did what he could or thought best in the emergency, but that delayed rescue.

 

[Garth]

If your deco obligation is such that you can't surface (and stay there)in an emergency, then you need support on the surface and/or in water, as well as recompression procedures in place if you're far from a chamber.

Poor planning isn't an excuse, guys.

Sounds like they were on a Recreational dive. Anoxia is permanent. You can't plan for everything or should I say most people wouldn't be prepared for surface support on a rec dive. Dont get too exited.