Woman dead - Lake Keowee, South Carolina

[DandyDon]

Coroner: Woman dead after scuba diving accident on Lake Keowee

SENECA, SC (FOX Carolina) -

Oconee Fire Department Chief Charlie King said one person has died after a scuba diving accident near the Highway 130 Bridge on Lake Keowee.

King said two people were scuba diving in a popular area when one of the divers became distressed.

One diver was able to go to the shore and call for help, said King. First responders were alerted around 4:53 p.m., and were on scene within 5 minutes.

Oconee County Dive Team was able to pull the distressed diver out of the water within about 30 minutes and medical treatment was initiated immediately by first responders on shore. She was transported to Oconee Memorial Hospital by EMS after receiving advanced life support by EMS.

Keowee Fire Department, Oconee Fire Department and Oconee County Dive Team all responded to the incident.

Coroner Karl Addis said later Saturday evening that 43-year-old Angelia Marie Dover of Boiling Springs was pronounced dead at 6:07 p.m.

According to Addis, Dover along with a male companion and two other individuals had dived to a depth of 50-55 feet when Dover panicked and attempted to surface. An attempt to rescue her failed and she disappeared.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Monday.

 

[Carl_F]

Death of scuba diver under investigation after she panics, fails to resurface

This article indicates she may have panicked. If its the area of the lake I am thinking of, the visibility can be pretty low which may have contributed to the panic (purely conjecture.)

And if it was a panic response that resulted in the death, one of the likely causes of the death is AGE. Reinforces the need for any diver to recognize the signs of impending panic and remember their training.

 

[Carl_F]

Another news report added that the diver was found with fishing line around her primary 2nd stage with the report that her buddy observed her panicking with her primary out of her mouth and he attempted to offer her his alternate. But she didn't take it and it sounds like they lost contact in the ensuing confusion (and likely stirred up silt.)