video showing diver's death - should be broadcasted?

[David P]

Should the video be made public: NO! Even suggesting it is sadistic?

Those who say it should be shown must work for CNN. Go watch a car crash or something. Damn!

I do not believe we (as scuba divers) wish to watch the footage of another humans death out of morbid curiosity such as watching Faces of Death. The footage would be used as an instructional tool showcasing the dangers and consequences of deep dives and shallow breathing. Do you belive that autopsies should not be performed as well?

 

[djanni]

Are you trying to convince me or yourself? Instructional tool... did seeing a horrible and bloody car crash make you better at shifting, breaking or steering?

Don't you know:
1. There's risk associated with deep dives.
2. Increased risk when you enter a cave
3. Shallow breathing is indicative of any number of physical/mental issues. None of which are good

If you don't, I'm pretty sure listening to someones breathing while they drown is not going to help much.

Autopsies... come on man. Hardly a comparision to the video subject. Besides, they're already dead so that wouldn't be as intereating huh?

I do not believe we (as scuba divers) wish to watch the footage of another humans death out of morbid curiosity such as watching Faces of Death. The footage would be used as an instructional tool showcasing the dangers and consequences of deep dives and shallow breathing. Do you belive that autopsies should not be performed as well?

 

[Scubaroo]

Should the video be made public: NO! Even suggesting it is sadistic?

Those who say it should be shown must work for CNN. Go watch a car crash or something. Damn!

Well for starters the video is already public, months ago.

Secondly, it was a vital piece of evidence in determining the cause of David Shaw's death - the breathing patterns on the video indicated what was happening physiologically. It is a sobering demonstration of what happens during a CO2 buildup, and a valuable educational piece for rebreather divers.

Thirdly, if you have seen the video, and I have seen what's been publicly available, it is a very sobering reminder that this sport is potentially deadly, and is a wakeup call to not be lax with gear preparation, as incorrect assembly of the scrubber is thought to be a main contributing factor to the incident.

 

[Firefyter]

Well for starters the video is already public, months ago.

Secondly, it was a vital piece of evidence in determining the cause of David Shaw's death - the breathing patterns on the video indicated what was happening physiologically. It is a sobering demonstration of what happens during a CO2 buildup, and a valuable educational piece for rebreather divers.

Thirdly, if you have seen the video, and I have seen what's been publicly available, it is a very sobering reminder that this sport is potentially deadly, and is a wakeup call to not be lax with gear preparation, as incorrect assembly of the scrubber is thought to be a main contributing factor to the incident.

The video was shown on ABC's Nightline on July 15th of this year. I agree, very sobering and very informative. I'm glad I watched it, it shows just how fast things can go wrong.

 

[djanni]

We all march to a different drummer. Glad you got something out of it. I guess I haven't been diving long enough to have forgotten the risks.

I just have no desire to listen to or watch someone die and I don't believe it's appropriate to show those things on public television.

Look, I'm not trying to be antagonistic here but to your statement: "incorrect assembly of the scrubber is thought to be a main contributing factor to the incident" I asked this question: Did you come to that conclusion about his rebreather while you listened to the patten of his breathing as he drowned?

Well for starters the video is already public, months ago.

Secondly, it was a vital piece of evidence in determining the cause of David Shaw's death - the breathing patterns on the video indicated what was happening physiologically. It is a sobering demonstration of what happens during a CO2 buildup, and a valuable educational piece for rebreather divers.

Thirdly, if you have seen the video, and I have seen what's been publicly available, it is a very sobering reminder that this sport is potentially deadly, and is a wakeup call to not be lax with gear preparation, as incorrect assembly of the scrubber is thought to be a main contributing factor to the incident.

 

[DiveTub]

"incorrect assembly of the scrubber is thought to be a main contributing factor to the incident" I asked this question: Did you come to that conclusion about his rebreather while you listened to the patten of his breathing as he drowned?

No the conclusion of incorrect and non standard pads and unit assembly was reached after the Mk Rebreather was examined after Dave had been recovered.

Cheers
Chris

edited

 

[caveseeker7]

What could be seen, or actually heard, was the effect of the wrongfull assembly (not the scrubber, by the way) of the unit which eventually lead to the diver's unconciousness ... cause, effect and final result. Usually the effect isn't as well documented if at all.

 

[Scubaroo]

I asked this question: Did you come to that conclusion about his rebreather while you listened to the patten of his breathing as he drowned?

No, I did not come to that conclusion - those were findings presented in a session on the accident at the OZTeK 4 technical diving conference in Sydney earlier this year by a leading hyperbaric specialist, Dr Simon Mitchell, who did post-accident tear-down analysis of the rebreather and had access to the full video. Dr Mitchell was able to describe the symptoms recorded in the video and relate them to observations made about incorrect order of assembly of scrubber components, and use of aftermarket scrubber components in the rebreather, which are believed to have increased the work-of-breathing rate, and possible gas channelling, both of which contribute to CO2 retention.

Just noted the post above this one - when I was referring to scrubber components, I meant the foam moisture pads and grill which were back to front.

 

[caveseeker7]

Dr Mitchell was able to describe the symptoms recorded in the video and relate them to observations made about incorrect order of assembly of scrubber components, and use of aftermarket scrubber components in the rebreather, which are believed to have increased the work-of-breathing rate, and possible gas channelling, both of which contribute to CO2 retention.

Not only is Dr. Simon Mitchell one of the world's foremost hyperbaric physicians, but he also happens to dive a similar rebreather, so certainly is in a position to analyze and judge both the footage from the tape as well as the equipment used.

Just noted the post above this one - when I was referring to scrubber components, I meant the foam moisture pads and grill which were back to front.

Which are, technically speaking, parts of the center section rather than the scrubber cannister.
Since they are covering the area between the exhalation hose and the scrubber inlets both the material as well as the assembly had a direct effect on WOB.

Inside the cannister, Dave Shaw choose smaller 8-12 mesh absorbant granules rather than the larger 4-8 mesh that the manufacturer recommends. The smaller mesh has a longer duration at the price of higher WOB. And IIRC the cannister wasn't filled to the rim which may have lead to channeling (that's probably hard to determin as the moving absorbant granules that caused the channels also could move eliminating them).

 

[shadowr69]

I'm on the fence on this one. I followed the story for a while on cdnn.info, before he found the body of the young man, then on his prep, the attempt, and unfortunate demise(I had hoped he could pull it off). I think it would be a sad thing to watch, and quite sobering, educational, mmmm not sure other than the breakdown of what happened. You don't need to see a person die to understand what happens. I'm sure with the technology that we have today, a documentery could be made(in 3D) explaining what was going on and showing what would be happening physically, and explaining as well mentally the effects that were taking place. they do this sorta stuff on csi all the time....wouldn't be any different.