Dive Team Accident

[k ellis]

what brand of zeagle was it also? the ranger LTD ripcord is rated for 30 lbs with the rear pockets rated at 20. If this was the case and the weight was dispersed within these guidelines a ranger ltd could accept 44 lbs of weight. But I have not noticed anything to indicate exactly which make it was.

 

[Capt.Gene]

Sounds like the diver was wearing a weight belt to me. And yes, weight belts do not release when the diver pulls the Ripcord handle.
All 12 Ripcord weight systems on 12 Zeagle Ranger BC's could fail to release the right side weight pocket if all 12 were rigged with the longer cable through both sides of the weight release pockets. Alterations to the BC would need to be done by the dive team members to make this happen.
The picture shown doesn't show the weight handle being deployed.
I think Zeagle may have a case to sue for slander if their claim of failue of all 12 BC weight systems is not provable.
Public Service Dive Teams everywhere use Zeagle Rangers without problem one, and not a fatality with the Chief reporting to press that his lack of oversight of his dive team and the fataiity was the fault of the dive equipment. I don't think so. Hello Morgan and Morgan?

 

[The Chairman]

As far as the weight release mechanism the description is very vague, but there was some implication the plastic cord could not be pulled out perhaps because the weight pockets were overloaded and had locked the cord by friction.

So, the gear didn't fail at all as you suggested in your Original Post (OP). Thanks you for clearing that up.

The initial response when an accident happens is to blame the gear. Today's dive gear, and Zeagle's in particular, is incredibly reliable. More often, as in this case, the blame lies completely with the operator. Diving with an inflator that won't hold air is unconscionable. Diving with more weight than the system was designed for is also unconscionable. Zeagle can't be held responsible if people abuse and overload their systems.

It also appears that the diver was completely stressed out. The comment that he had a hard time breathing indicates that he had a CO2 build up and was suffering from the resultant anxiety. Apparently, his buddy was not trained to recognize this or was panicked enough to forget.

Unfortunately, it appears that the county will be throwing gear at a training issue. It's not uncommon, but it won't rectify the underlying problem that only proper training will fix.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

what brand of zeagle was it also? the ranger LTD ripcord is rated for 30 lbs with the rear pockets rated at 20. If this was the case and the weight was dispersed within these guidelines a ranger ltd could accept 44 lbs of weight. But I have not noticed anything to indicate exactly which make it was.

To be properly balanced, you need to subtract the weight of the tanks, regulators and any other gear you have hanging on the rig, so equating the lift rating (44lbs) to the lead capacity is misleading. The diver may have been over weighted / unbalance and had difficulty kicking up. That certainly could be a contributing factor and caused stress, but its one of a series of issues that pretty much were all under the control of the diver.

 

[Hatul]

To be properly balanced, you need to subtract the weight of the tanks, regulators and any other gear you have hanging on the rig, so equating the lift rating (44lbs) to the lead capacity is misleading. The diver may have been over weighted / unbalance and had difficulty kicking up. That certainly could be a contributing factor and caused stress, but its one of a series of issues that pretty much were all under the control of the diver.

It's correct that the lift capacity should compensate for buoyancy change as you dive, but another requirement is that it be able to lift the whole scuba unit when it's doffed, so the thing does not sink on you. While it's not a factor in this accident it does show lack of attention to safe diving practice. A 44lb wing is not enough to lift 40lbs lead plus a full tank with regulators.

Also the explanation of why he chose to make the dive with the deflate button missing shows ignorance. According to the chief he chose to dive because after all the BC has redundant deflate mechanism, which really demonstrates stupid thinking.

My other thought is if I were Zeagle I'd send a rep to talk to the dive team and examine the BCs pronto. I'd want to know if there is a design problem and what caused the failure. Perhaps they did that, but if they did they're not saying anything. It would take someone knowledgeable very little time to ascertain the problem. Once they understand the problem they should let us know so it does not happen to someone else.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

This is what I think happened. The divers screwed up big time!!! Weather it was due to poor training or just sloppy skills, I don't think there is any denying this. As I have seen many times LEO's (law enforcement officers) are held to a higher standard and do not mess up, period (there is a different set of rules for LEO's weather they want to admit it or not). So what does the officer in charge do? They find other reasons for the accident and blame it on equipment. This makes the family of the deceased feel better and takes the heat off the officers that should have been looking out for the welfare of the divers. Most people hearing about this will not think twice and believe the statements from the LEO's and the media because they know nothing about diving. Have they asked for a rep from Zeagle to inspect the equipment? Probably not but if I was in charge at Zeagle I would be banging down the door to inspect that equipment and clear Zeagle's name. But I don't think we will ever know what really happened because there is most likely a cover up happening and it would take way too much work to expose the truth. Things like this happen all the time, this time it just involves a company we all respect.

 

[Rkelleyj]

If you read all the links, you come to this conclusion:

1. A very sad day...
2. Individual responsibility for maintaining equipment
3. Diving with failed equipment
4. Buddy system failure of some kind...who let's a buddy sink?

And I personally suspect two things:

• All divers configured their BC's the same
• The deceased diver had some type of health issue during this incident, possibly provoked by the stress (already reported he had an enlarged heart)

Very unfortunate day, lesson to all.
B

 

[ahava]

I'm an instructor who was teaching in for a shop that used Zeagles with the ripcord system for years. There is no way I can see 12 of these bcd's weight systems failing because of a mechincal problem. I do see them being incorrectly strung and the result would be failure. In my opinion if you have them strung correctly and pull the handle (and it doesn't fall off) the weights will release. Even with a lot of weight it should be no problem and if they dont fall instantly, just wiggle a little and they will fall. The rest of the info on the report is so incomprehensible and pisses me off so much that I would shut the whole program down, release everyone who was in charge and start new from the ground up. These dive teams are supposed to be professionals and be able to do a job that requires alot of training and preparation. Apparently their training and especially their preparation ( gear maintainance, safety checks, buddy procedures) is insufficient.

 

[Bob DBF]

excerpt fron WAVY.com article

Schock's dive partner attempted to assist him with Schock holding onto his partner's neck. As the two kicked back to shore, Schock's partner asked him to loosen his grip because he was choking. Once Schock loosened his grip, he sank back underwater.

Sounds like buddy was using a lifeguard tow instead of just grabbing the tank valve. The victim was on the surface supported by his buddy then lost, the department could afford gear but not training.

What a waste.

Bob
----------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[ronski101]

This is not the first time that I have heard of someone not ditching integrated weights and paying the
ultimate price. I will keep my old fashion weight belt thank you.....and snorkle.....guess I am just a chicken.