Woman rescued near San Clemente Island - California

[Eric in San Diego]

I'm sorry, I just don't get your point. Surely we were all taught that such ascents are risky, and I'm sure the rescuers knew it at the moment - but being heroic requires risks at times. With no deco obligation and minimum nitrogen loading, it sounds like it was a minimum risk really - but getting her to the surface was extremely important.

I think he meant that you have to consciously take certain factors into consideration and make a judgement call. TGIF858 made a judgement call based upon time at depth, Nitrox mix, and the immediacy of the situation. Those of us on the boat were all told to keep an eye on the rescuers for any signs of DCS.

I think Matt's words of warning were meant to say "just because you've heard of some divers ascending 80 feet in 30 seconds without problems doesn't mean it's always a good idea in every emergency." Take ALL of the factors into consideration. Make the judgement call but realize that you're willfully taking a risk for the greater good, then do something to manage that risk (such as having people keep an eye out for symptoms).

In the case of this rescue, I absolutely agree that a rapid ascent was the way to go. And yes, it saved her life. However, other scenarios may differ due to the variables involved.


-Eric

 

[billt4sf]

So....is it the informed speculation here that she jumped in with no air in the BC and possibly with the reg not in her mouth? If her reg was in her mouth, she wouldn't have fallen like a rag doll, I suppose?

I think we;re supposed to have SOME air in the BC but not full when jumping in, right? (Due to the need to keep sudden pressure in the BC under control to avoid a BC or valve failure?)

Jeezzz....GREAT job on the rescue, Bill (and others)! You sure seem to have had your wits about you in a stressful circumstance.

- Bill

 

[drbill]

An advanced diver should not be forced to jump in with a bouyant BC..the idea is to go right down, not to float on the surface like a duck, and allow whatever current there is to blow you off the desired drop site.
All divers DO need to jump in with reg in mouth though.

Actually most boats here have divers jump in with BCs at least partially inflated so the diver comes to the surface, can give the OK signal and wait for their buddy to join them. They often do a weight check at least on the first dive as well. I agree that with a strong current you may want to descend as quickly as possible, but this is generally not the practice on the boats I dive off of in SoCal.

 

[Power Scuba]

I appreciate everyone's comments regarding this incident.

One point of clarification: Witness statements, though collected afterward, did not accompany the victim onto the chopper. What DID accompany her was the timeline. A rescue-trained passenger saw that many other people were scrambling to attend to the essentials (CPR, assembling O2 kit, getting the AED, etc) and began writing down a timeline of what was done beginning with the victim being brought aboard the boat. This person wrote down what he was observing, important info I passed to him during and after CPR, and as much of the victim's info as we could gather up. This timeline and info sheet(s) was sealed in a freezer bag and passed to the Coast Guard rescuer, along with the victim's dive computer and overnight bag.

Most (if not all) of the witness statements were collected by the boat captain and used in his interview with the Coast Guard some days later.



Bill Powers

 

[tphelps]

Absolutely incredible story! I'm so relieved that they were able to revive the diver, wishing a full and speedy recovery! God bless all who were involved.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Posts regarding negative entry vs downlines has been split to http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba.../479666-negative-entry-vs-using-downline.html While this topic is worthwhile it does not relate to this dive please keep discussion on the topic of THIS dive

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[MXGratefulDiver]

I appreciate everyone's comments regarding this incident.

One point of clarification: Witness statements, though collected afterward, did not accompany the victim onto the chopper. What DID accompany her was the timeline. A rescue-trained passenger saw that many other people were scrambling to attend to the essentials (CPR, assembling O2 kit, getting the AED, etc) and began writing down a timeline of what was done beginning with the victim being brought aboard the boat. This person wrote down what he was observing, important info I passed to him during and after CPR, and as much of the victim's info as we could gather up. This timeline and info sheet(s) was sealed in a freezer bag and passed to the Coast Guard rescuer, along with the victim's dive computer and overnight bag.

Most (if not all) of the witness statements were collected by the boat captain and used in his interview with the Coast Guard some days later.



Bill Powers

Textbook accident management ... this story could, and probably should, be used as an example in Rescue classes for how to manage a diving accident.

Well done ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[raftingtigger]

It there any information on the CAUSE at this point. I think we have well established that the RESPONSE was fantastic.

 

[TGIF858]

I'm impressed. Someone actually took witness statements? Talk about perfect execution. I'm starting to think this club would benefit more from them discussing what they want to improve. Well done to all.

Yes. After I'd stripped off my gear, and helped a little on deck by cutting the vic out of her wetsuit and such, I wrote down my account and then asked the other divers who came up to do the same. I also asked the rest of the members to keep an eye on us due to the emergency ascent. It's amazing the things that occur to you to do when you're in that mode.

---------- Post added March 31st, 2014 at 04:20 PM ----------

I appreciate everyone's comments regarding this incident.

One point of clarification: Witness statements, though collected afterward, did not accompany the victim onto the chopper. What DID accompany her was the timeline. A rescue-trained passenger saw that many other people were scrambling to attend to the essentials (CPR, assembling O2 kit, getting the AED, etc) and began writing down a timeline of what was done beginning with the victim being brought aboard the boat. This person wrote down what he was observing, important info I passed to him during and after CPR, and as much of the victim's info as we could gather up. This timeline and info sheet(s) was sealed in a freezer bag and passed to the Coast Guard rescuer, along with the victim's dive computer and overnight bag.

Most (if not all) of the witness statements were collected by the boat captain and used in his interview with the Coast Guard some days later.
Bill Powers

When I gave the co-captain all of our statements he didn't give them to the Coast Guard? I saw him put them in the plastic bag. My account contained important medical information, including the fact that she landed directly on her head. I think they should have gone to the hospital with her for the medical staff to review, not for the boat to use in an interview days later.

 

[T.C.]

It's amazing the things that occur to you to do when you're in that mode.

To tell you the honest truth, it doesn't truely amaze me. I've seen people respond like this, doing the right thing automatically and correctly. It was under fire in a combat zone, and they, and I had millions of dollars of training, and I'd had months to train and prepare them.

You, and your group are well-trained, well-drilled, and well-prepared. You responded just as well as one of my Soldiers have under fire.

This near-perfect (because nothing is ever truly perfect) rescue only serves to highlight how great your club is. If I ever live in the San Diego area, I will seek your club out, and hope to meet your obviously high standards.

Well done.