US Expat fatality in Vanuatu

[chillyinCanada]

I'm not talking about babysitting, I'm talking about good old "buddy system".

 

[clownfishsydney]

Don, this is probably the only dive site that I have ever done where ALL divers are babysat. There are extremely good reasons for this due to the fact that the wreck is so large, on its side and filled with war supplies and can get deep.

As I pointed out, you cannot dive the wreck without a guide. You must follow the guide's directions to the letter or you will be banned from future diving. All this has meant that not one life (as far as I know) has been lost when diving with one of the dive operations. The only previous deaths were not diving with the shops (although two of them were employees but diving recreationally themselves).

As others have pointed out, if they were near the bow and ascending, narcosis should not be an issue. If they were on the slope, then there is no reason why you would return to the wreck and there is no way that any diver would have enough air to successfully do this anyway.

 

[DandyDon]

New development: Mystery dive death brings heartbreak - National - NZ Herald News

Doctor working in NZ had been diving for 15 years but wreck adventure proved fatal
The heartbroken husband of a young New Zealand-based doctor who died while scuba diving in Vanuatu is vowing to fight for answers.
Laila Osunsade was diving the wreck of the SS President Coolidge off Espiritu Santo 10 days ago when she got into trouble. The 33-year-old American was brought to shore but could not be revived.
Her husband of five years, Damien Healy, said he was devastated.
"Laila was the most wonderful, caring person ... I've lost the most beautiful person in the world."
Osunsade did not have any health problems and was an advanced diver, he said.
"She had 15 years' experience of diving and she loved the water. I can't understand it."
A Vanuatu autopsy report listed the cause of her death as unknown but a second will be done after her body arrives in New Zealand today.
Osunsade was diving with Aquamarine Santo Diving Company but no one from the company had contacted him, Healy said.
Aquamarine managing director Rehan Sayed would not speak with the Herald on Sunday, but the company told the Daily Post newspaper in Vanuatu that Osunsade had finished her dive and was going to a decompression stop point when she was seen unexpectedly swimming back to the wreck.
Osunsade was an ear, nose and throat specialist who had worked in several North Island hospitals since moving to New Zealand four years ago, Healy said.
"Most of us have jobs that don't make a difference in the world, but she did make a difference."

 

[clownfishsydney]

So, as a Doctor, you would think she had some brains and would not do something as stupid as what has been reported. Makes it even more strange. If the family wishes to contact me to discuss, I am happy to try to assist them to work this out (see link I posted before as this will give a contact email address).

 

[clownfishsydney]

The latest news. I have been contacted by the mother of Laila and asked to assist. I have been given two police reports and some other papers. I have also been in contact with some friends in Vanuatu and received information from them. I have just spoken to the Australian intensive care paramedic who worked on Laila. I still have some more information to try and get, hopefully I can in the next few days.

I have my views about what happened, but I will wait till I get more information before I advise the family.

 

[ferris213]

Nice work Michael, I have read a few of your articles and it must be reassuring for the divers family to have you in their corner.

 

[Griffo]

Any updates Michael?

 

[clownfishsydney]

Still working on it. Unfortunately none of the dive operators in Santo will reply to my emails about the incident. I have been in contact with the husband as well as more contact with the mother, brother and sister. I have spoken to another person who was there when it happened and assisted in the body recover.

Waiting on more information and details of the person who supposedly saw her re-enter the wreck.

 

[Griffo]

Still working on it. Unfortunately none of the dive operators in Santo will reply to my emails about the incident.

That doesn't surprise me. Considering Rehan wouldn't even answer my "When are you going to lodge my paperwork with SSI" emails, I doubt he would he reply to anything so serious. You might have more luck working through someone like the deco stop to get in contact with the guide directly.

 

[Peter69_56]

That doesn't surprise me. Considering Rehan wouldn't even answer my "When are you going to lodge my paperwork with SSI" emails, I doubt he would he reply to anything so serious. You might have more luck working through someone like the deco stop to get in contact with the guide directly.

I had a similar issue with Rehan. Asked for quotes and was deafened by the silence after an initial phone call. After a number of attempts to contact him by email over a number of months, I put in a bad review in Trip Advisory. Rehan then rang me and abused me over the phone. I said that a business being serious would respond to emails, his excuse was he was away for the period in question (about 4-8 week period). Funnily enough during that period people put Travel advisor reviews up talking of diving with him and their experience with him. Now a thinking person might start to believe someone was telling fibs here, I wonder who that might have been?

The after me hanging up on him due to his abuse on the phone and him ringing me again he asked me to remove my review as it affected his business. I said I would consider it, which I did and the review remains.

Personally I would never dive with Aquamarine and would never recommend them to anyone. I am diving there with Alan Power who seems to have a good reputation.

Aquamarine Will Never Use It - Aquamarine Dive Center, Espiritu Santo Traveller Reviews - TripAdvisor