Unconcious woman transported - Mukilteo, Washington

[DandyDon]

Woman involved in diving incident Saturday, July 23, in Mukilteo dies​

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I was afraid of this. May she rest in peace.

 

[gcbryan]

It's the coldest I've ever dived, but I had practiced in New Mexico's Blue Hole, and dived California Channel Islands a few times. I dressed for it, except for the wrong socks. I got neoprene socks the next month, just in case. I don't know what I could do about the stinging on my face?

You could be more aware of where the jelly fish are. I've learned to give them a wide berth. The stinging threads can be hard to see and quite far away from the body. I have a friend who has been stung a lot. He hates jellyfish but every time they are around he looks at them and seems to go toward them rather than away.

I've only had a mild sting once. They are at Sund Rock in great numbers at a certain time of the year. I don't go anywhere near them on those dives.

 

[DandyDon]

You could be more aware of where the jelly fish are. I've learned to give them a wide berth. The stinging threads can be hard to see and quite far away from the body. I have a friend who has been stung a lot. He hates jellyfish but every time they are around he looks at them and seems to go toward them rather than away.

I've only had a mild sting once. They are at Sund Rock in great numbers at a certain time of the year. I don't go anywhere near them on those dives.

It was the cold water stinging my face. I got used to it.

 

[DandyDon]

The victim's name was released and the cause of death was defined as arterial gas embolism.

Snohomish woman identified as diver killed in July accident​

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s office has identified the female diver who died as a result of a July 23 incident in the water near the Silver Cloud Inn on the Mukilteo waterfront.

Stacia J. Hornbacher, 59 of Snohomish, died July 23 due to an arterial gas embolism while scuba diving, according to the office.

The online Merck Manual defines arterial gas embolism as the blockage of the blood supply to organs caused by bubbles in an artery. It is a leading cause of death among underwater divers, such as scuba divers, who breathe compressed air.

Within a few minutes of reaching the surface, divers can lose consciousness or develop symptoms similar to those of a stroke. When bubbles occur in arteries, they may travel to any organ in the body and block small blood vessels, most commonly those of the brain, but also of the heart, skin, and kidneys.

The Divers Alert Network (DAN) says that arterial gas embolism can occur following a rapid ascent without adequate exhalation. As a diver ascends, air in the lung expands. If the diver fails to exhale sufficiently, the expanding air may rupture lung tissue and release gas bubbles into the arteries (arterial gas embolism) or elsewhere in the body.

The condition also can occur if a diver holds his or her breath too long while underwater or if a diver surfaces from the water too quickly, according to Healthline.com.

The best way to avoid arterial gas embolism and other pressure-related injuries is to ascend slowly. DAN added that there are instances of arterial gas embolism occurring after an otherwise normal, safe ascent due to medical factors such as asthmas, infections, cysts, tumors, scar tissue from surgery, or obstructive lung disease.

First aid treatment is to administer oxygen. In the hospital, the diver is often administered pure oxygen and placed in a hyperbaric chamber under high pressure, which will force the gases in the embolism to dissolve into the blood, clearing the embolism.

In the July 23 incident, Mukilteo police received a call that divers in the water were yelling for help at 3:27 p.m.

Before officers arrived, several people had already helped the female diver to shore, where she received medical treatment. The woman was unconscious and was taken to the hospital.

Hornbacher is the second diver to have died in the last two months in Mukilteo.

Hans Korompis, a 33-year-old Edmonds man, is presumed to have drowned after failing to surface while scuba diving near Lighthouse Park on June 17.

His companion diver, also 33, was uninjured.

After an extensive search, the Coast Guard and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office dive team declared Korompis missing and called off the search.