Paintballpsyco2369
Contributor
Came across this, figured to share it here: Gregg C. O'Brien Memorial Fund | Memorial/Funeral - YouCaring.com
Fatality at Stage Fort Park - Massachusetts
- Thread starter DandyDon
- Start date
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I don't have a problem with demo days. Think they are great. But if it was actually a DM and not an instructor he was with I have to ask what kind of orientation he got to the suit and how thorough was it?
lamont
Contributor
how experienced was the diver? because a newspaper could write the same thing about me while ignoring the 700+ cold water drysuit dives that i've done...
I think there are two issues. The first, you touch on, that reporters quite often write about things they know absolutely nothing about, and in doing so, make comments or insinuations that are completely unfounded. Second, I have yet to find any post-mortem information. We may not. It will likely never hit the public media when it becomes available.
One more item that we were discussing last night is my own feeling that Demo days in open water are fine for divers who already dive dry. Or for someone who has not it should be one on one with an instructor. Not a DM who may have a few dry dives assigned to a group of divers who may have zero dry experience. For those with no experience it should take place in a pool. Just my own belief.
I have staffed a number of DUI Demo Days and I can say they run a pretty tight ship, at least at the Dutch Springs event. Any non drysuit certified diver is with an instructor, they have a brief to go over the in water procedures and plenty of people to properly fit the divers into suits. Of course I ma not so naive to believe that one didn't slip through the cracks. But, remember we are dealing with certified divers in a fairly benign, down right enjoyable, environment.
Secondly, all information points to a medical, so no amount of finger pointing at the gear, procedures, dive buddy, color of suit, etc., is gonna change anything.
Secondly, all information points to a medical, so no amount of finger pointing at the gear, procedures, dive buddy, color of suit, etc., is gonna change anything.
DogDiver
Contributor
Saw a similar fatality at Gilboa Quarry DUI demo day a few years ago. Untrained dry suit diver rocked to the surface like a Polaris missile. Died in the chopper on route to a chamber.
My opinion, dry suit orientation should be done in confined water.
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My opinion, dry suit orientation should be done in confined water.
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It all depends on who is doing the shadowing. Having never attended one but asked at one time if I'd like to help out (schedule did not permit it) by a shop whose club I was briefly in, it's my understanding that DUI partners with their area dealers and the dealers supply the in water personnel. You would think that the dealers would do everything they can to insure that only instructors take charge of participants who have never been in a suit and do so on a one to one basis. This was to be the set up when I was asked to help out. DM's would shadow or perhaps lead experienced divers. Only instructors with those who had no experience. No problem with that. One on one. Too dangerous, again in my opinion, for anyone to lead a group with one or more divers who have never been in a dry suit.
It is certainly well within training agency standards to have a higher ratio than 1:1 for a drysuit specialty course. It is rarely the new person in their first drysuit that is the issue, they tend to listen to you and realize they need a little guidance. The couple of rescues I had to do at these events were instructors trying out drysuits who thought they knew it all.
Not surprised at all. I knew enough when I moved from one suit to a different make and model after a couple hundred drysuit dives to take the new one in the pool just to make sure everything was going to act as I expected. Of course it didn't. Different fit, bubble moved differently, and shoulder dump was just a little different position than what I was used to. Even after a few hours in the pool it still took a few dives to get it dialed in. But it sounds like the diver was very new to a drysuit. And IF you can believe the reports as posted he was alone when he surfaced. Where was his buddy or the person who was supposed to be shadowing him? That is very disturbing.
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