Cousteau's son's death?

[DaveC426913]

Oops. I've gone and shot my mouth off without checking my facts.

I understood from my classes that Jacques Cousteau's son was killed in a diving accident. The story goes that he was doing some underwater camera work not far under the surface while waves rolled overhead. To steady the camera shot, he held his breath. The wave motion caused him to bob, rsing up and down in the water column, and he was killed by air embolism.

Googling it turns up no such account. Phillippe died in a plane crash. Maybe it wasn't his son, maybe just a cameraman?

Can anyone set me straight? Quick! Before I get too badly flamed!

 

[Tom R]

It was not his son, but a diver during the RH Rae expedition
before we go into the usaual great debate, this information on my site came straight from someone on the dive team. The cause of the accident was not publically released, it may be on the DCEIM site as they investigate all accidents that result in death in Ontario.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Experiment:
1) Enter the water where there is enough wave action to bob you up and down.

2) Get 5'~10' below the surface and neutrally buoyant.

3) Watch your depth gauge.

4) Does the depth change?

5) Why or Why not?

 

[DaveC426913]

It was not his son, but a diver during the RH Rae expedition
before we go into the usaual great debate, this information on my site came straight from someone on the dive team. The cause of the accident was not publically released, it may be on the DCEIM site as they investigate all accidents that result in death in Ontario.

This is great. Whew. Do you have any details on the accident itself? I am in a discussion about embolism, and have used this as an example. now, questions are being asked about specifics (what depth, how long it took).

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

That just doesn't make since anyway- that close to the surface, the depth would not be enough to cause an embolism if you were "bobbing"....unless of course you were diving in 30 or 40 ft seas. We did a 30 ft free ascent as part of our OW certification and I remember the air just pouring out as we came up.....I don't think I could have held it in if I'd tried......

 

[mweitz]

Experiment:
1) Enter the water where there is enough wave action to bob you up and down.

2) Get 5'~10' below the surface and neutrally buoyant.

3) Watch your depth gauge.

4) Does the depth change?

5) Why or Why not?

Heh, I'm going to say, not too much. If you are bobbing up and down you are moving up and down with waves above you. I'm going to say that if you are neutral, that would be the case. Of course the more I think about it the less I'm sure. I'll venture that as my guess though.

Now, if you held onto something to steady yourself I could see your depth changing as the waves or swells move over you.

Mark

 

[Uncle Pug]

I remember the air just pouring out as we came up.....I don't think I could have held it in if I'd tried......

If it hadn't come out of your mouth/nose then it would have come out some other way... and that would have been a problem.

 

[Mako Mark]

Experiment:
1) Enter the water where there is enough wave action to bob you up and down.

2) Get 5'~10' below the surface and neutrally buoyant.

3) Watch your depth gauge.

4) Does the depth change?

5) Why or Why not?

Depth does NOT change (possibly due to rough handling by baggage hanlders on recent trip to FIJI,) go buy new gauge notice that it doesnt move either and conclude that if you are in a wave, that you move with the wave, thus maintain a nearly constant depth from the surface, unless the wave is actually breaking at the time, then this doesnt work.

If you got further from the surface, you may actually notice a slight movement in the gauge as the waves influence decreases with depth (much as a FIJI tan fades with time and distance away from FIJI)

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

Yeh-up, I agree with that....I just remember the instructor pounding into our heads, "DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH when you're on the way up!" I just remember thinking, "HELL, I couldn't if I'd TRIED!"...had air coming outta nearly every orifice I knew of and a few I didn't.......

 

[Uncle Pug]

had air coming outta nearly every orifice I knew of and a few I didn't.......

Did you use Tabasco on your pre-dive breakfast?