Diver dies on French Reef(Key largo)

[ereediver]

I feel bad using the thread of a man's death while diving for this topic. First and foremost my condolences to his family. Now, some of the posts about drug testing bothered me, so I felt inclinded to right. The implied consent is a condition of accepting the priviledge to drive a vehicle. This is most likely a condition of a commerical Capitans license. You have the right to refuse. There are consquences to that refusal, like loosing your license, but it is not mandatory. There is also no law requiring you to render aid. So the Capitan who had been drinking and smoking pot all day while running a charter can just pass right by and not have to worry about it. They hopfully won't be in buisness long, but that is their right.

Peace Dudes

 

[mike_s]

Well I'm the one who questioned "why the drug test" in this thread (post #4).
At the time I thought it was a valid question. However, I didn't mean for it take over the thread on the accident.


If a MOD wants to split off questioning the drug test and all of it's politics into another thread, have at it.

 

[bobbates]

The USCG mandates that all licensed captains and mates maintain current membership in a DOT certified "drug consortium". We are tested at random according to the Dept Of Transportation rules that apply to railroad, airline and other professional transportation personnel. In the case of a "serious" marine incident, we are required to submit for testing within 2 hrs of the incident itself by the USCG, and the MSO (Marine Safety Officer) reviews the results. Drug testing is SOP after an incident of this type. Please refrain from suggesting this is in itself unusual.


Captain Bob Bates
Key Largo, Florida
http://www.bobbates.net/html/new_snappy_banter_from_the_hall_of_fire.htm

 

[BKP]

First and foremost, our condolences to family, and friends.

My LDS told me me about this today. It was their charter, on the Tropical Voyager, that pulled the man aboard.

Apparently, he was a very large man (>300lbs.), and had shot up to surface from a depth of about 30ft., at French Reef, behind the Tropical Voyager (which was not his boat). Seas were at about 4 feet (not atypical in the Keys), and as I understand it, the ladder may have nailed him on the head, as he tried to board. As a result, he had to be hoisted aboard by others. CPR was performed on him for quite a while, while waiting for the Coast Guard to arrive, and sending out a return alert to still submerged divers.

Unfortunately, many on this charter were OW students being certified, from Atlanta, and this was their first experience in salt.

My understanding is that the principal authorities on any dive boat are subject to drug testing in this type of circumstance -- routine.

Our experience with Rainbow Reef (owners of the Tropical Voyager) was extremely good, when we dove with them last September, and I'm sure they had no issues with conforming to policy and procedure.

 

[ScubaKris]

If I was clean,..I would probably request a test if I were involved. This would take a monkey off my back for what happens in the future. Some witness may come forward saying they saw the crew in a bar drunk the night before. Being tested would cancel out that item

 

[Black Dog]

Just wondering if there have been anymore facts about what happened? We dove the French Reef the day before and was pretty rough.

 

[Doubles]

Post deleted - the question had already been answered in a previous post

-s

 

[CoyKoi]

A similar accident occured a few years ago with one of our fellow divers while we were vacationing in St Maarten. Large fellow, not in the best physical condition, shallow reef dive (25'), difficulty on the surface after the dive, expired on the boat right after the dive. Lots of OW students also on that small boat, too, as my husband and another diver adminstered CPR until met by the paramedics when the boat returned to shore.

Lessons we should learn from this:
1. Stay in good physical condition with regular exercise and low-fat diet. Diving is not usually a strenuous sport -- unless the current is strong, the water cold, and/or you flubbed your navigation and have a marathon swim back to the boat (many of us have done this at least once!). We don't have to be Olympic atheletes, but if not in good physical condition, the outcome can be deadly.

2. Take the Rescue Dive course. If one of your fellow divers is in trouble, you'll at least know how to be a help, not a hinderance, to the rescue effort. If you are not the one providing CPR, you can at least keep a record for the paramedics of what aid was provided during the rescue, flag down the ambulance, etc.

To their credit, after this incident in St Maarten, all the OW students returned the next day to complete their training.

 

[Black Dog]

A similar accident occured a few years ago with one of our fellow divers while we were vacationing in St Maarten. Large fellow, not in the best physical condition, shallow reef dive (25'), difficulty on the surface after the dive, expired on the boat right after the dive. Lots of OW students also on that small boat, too, as my husband and another diver adminstered CPR until met by the paramedics when the boat returned to shore.

Lessons we should learn from this:
1. Stay in good physical condition with regular exercise and low-fat diet. Diving is not usually a strenuous sport -- unless the current is strong, the water cold, and/or you flubbed your navigation and have a marathon swim back to the boat (many of us have done this at least once!). We don't have to be Olympic atheletes, but if not in good physical condition, the outcome can be deadly.

2. Take the Rescue Dive course. If one of your fellow divers is in trouble, you'll at least know how to be a help, not a hinderance, to the rescue effort. If you are not the one providing CPR, you can at least keep a record for the paramedics of what aid was provided during the rescue, flag down the ambulance, etc.

To their credit, after this incident in St Maarten, all the OW students returned the next day to complete their training.

I was looking for facts. Did he die from from a heart attack or getting struck in the head from the ladder or ?????
For each incident we ought to start a separate fact thread and a separate speculation thread.

 

[Rick Inman]

For each incident we ought to start a separate fact thread and a separate speculation thread.

The "fact" thread would be a quiet place. Most often, no "facts" are published. Even the coroner's findings are just the coroner's best guess. Someone hit there head on the ladder and drowns, and all we're told his that the cause of death was drowning.

We almost never know all the real facts.