Diver Dies in Long Sault

[divebuddydale]

I heard on CJOH (Ottawa CTV) News last night that a diver from Ottawa died by the Long Sault Marina. Has anyone heard about this, and do you know the circumstances of the accident??

Dale

 

[weight_for_me]

Yes...heard it also on the Sunday nite 6:00 pm CJOH news....diver was from Nepean...no other details have been released.
Randy...

 

[Doppler]

Could someone please tell me (us) about the environmental conditions at Long Sault... depth, temps, vis, etc. Also, what is there to dive and exactly where is it?

Thanks


Doppler

 

[divebuddydale]

There was a little more info on the Ottawa Sun website. It says he was 29 years old, doing his checkout dives and experienced trouble breathing.

No names have been released and the accident is under investigation.


Dale Sanger

 

[divebuddydale]

Doppler once bubbled...
Could someone please tell me (us) about the environmental conditions at Long Sault... depth, temps, vis, etc. Also, what is there to dive and exactly where is it?

Thanks


Doppler

The Milles Roche POwer house in near Long Sault. I have never dove out of Long Sault, but have dove Lock 21 which is very close to Long sault. The water depth varies, you can go from beginner levels to much deeper, temps depend on season but mid summer 70 ish . Current is fairly strong at Lock 21 , but could be lower elsewhere near Long sault if the place is sheltered. It is near Cornwall, Ontario (10 minutes west)

Dale

 

[taz22]

Always sad when a fellow member of the diving faternity passes away.

I pray for the diver who has died and his/her family.

 

[detroit diver]

Scuba student dies on St. Lawrence

By LAURA CZEKAJ, Ottawa Sun


A scuba diving accident on the St. Lawrence River, near Cornwall,
claimed the life of a 29-year-old Nepean man yesterday.

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry OPP were called to the Long Sault
Marina around 11:15 a.m. after a scuba diver experienced
difficulties while beneath the water.

A witness said the man was a student in a diving class and was
diving from a boat on the river when the accident happened.

"Something happened down there to him," said the man, who asked not
to be identified. "They tried to save him, but they weren't able
to."

Police were not releasing the name of the victim until relatives
were notified last night.

An autopsy is scheduled today in Cornwall. Police are continuing to
investigate how it happened.

http://www.canoe.ca/OttawaNews/os.os-06-08-0010.html

 

[divebuddydale]

Here is something from another e group that I access.. the info here is unofficial,

"I was speaking to someone from the shop this afternoon when I finished a dive a Prescott. Here's what I was told -- but please remember this was told to me, it's not the official investigation results:

• a new diver, just recently finished his OW, was on his advanced.
• through circumstances there was more than just the instructor for the AOW course present
• the diver apparently went into major panic mode -- by the sounds of it, the worse case scenario that we are all told about.
  the divers (instructors, and his buddy) attempted to calm, but in his panic caused not only his reg to drop, but cause others to loose theirs too
• during this time, a lot of silt was stirred up, and they lost track of him.
• did the by the book - search, went to the surface, reported the missing diver, and returned to search again as he was not at the surface.
• they located him and returned him to the boat in less than five minutes, and the boat immediately return to shore to the waiting ambulance
• CPR and AR was done from the time he was brought on board to the time they turned him over to the paramedics.

That's what I was told, but as I said, it's not the official results. "

Edit note by DivingGal: That is what I was told by a store employee where the class was from.

 

[DivingGal]

Thanks divebuddydale, I was too beat last night to come here and post that info.

On the news this morning, although the cause of death has been initially declared drowning, the coroner and a "diving expert" have been called in to investigate.

Needless to say the instructor involved is extremely upset.

Doppler, this is what I know of the site:

• depth was approximately 80ft
• water temp in the St L is approximately 50-55 at that depth (for me is was on the weekend)
• site was the "belly dumper"
• there is a current, (but nothing like the Darayw)
• the last time I was there (last summer) viz is 30-50. After the initial descent, when the class had settled to the bottom, for some reason unknown to me there was an amount of silt stirred up. At this point the instructor elected to move the class a short way -- everyone was visible, just in a bit of a cloud of silt. The instructor signaled the move, and received acknowledgement. It was in this move apparently that the panic attack happened.

My prayers go out to the diver's family, and the divers present to find the comfort that they all need at this time.

 

[MikeFerrara]

DivingGal once bubbled...
After the initial descent, when the class had settled to the bottom, for some reason unknown to me there was an amount of silt stirred up. At this point the instructor elected to move the class a short way -- everyone was visible, just in a bit of a cloud of silt. The instructor signaled the move, and received acknowledgement. It was in this move apparently that the panic attack happened.


My prayers go out to the diver's family, and the divers present to find the comfort that they all need at this time.

Settled to the bottom? Siltouts are a hazard in themselves. Divers and classes who settle to the bottom cause siltouts.