diversdaughter
Registered
Hello divers. Having read the poem posted by a member "If I Should Die While Diving", I feel compelled to share my father's story.
He was a 65 year old man. Extremely active, 3 rounds of golf on a 100 degree day was not unusual for him. Gym several times a week, etc. He learned to dive in Saint Kitts a little over a year ago and apparently fell in love with the sport. On a recent month long trip to Australia he was bummed to learn that he would need a medical clearance to dive the Great Barrier Reef so unfortunately he ended up snorkeling instead. This most recent trip to Key Largo was relatively last minute. The plane arrived 30 min early. The cab arrived early. The rental car, the hotel room, everything was running smoothly so when they realized they had extra time, they called to see if there was still room on the 1pm boat. A fatal mistake for my dad. He never did get to dive that day. The autopsy revealed an accidental death due to strenuous exertion in rough seas. That was the first time I had been told the water was rough.
Upon reading that to his dive buddy, I heard for the second time that yes, the water was very rough. 4 foot seas at least, I was told. I don't yet have the actual investigation report nor do I have his dive log. Both should arrive in the mail tomorrow. Once I receive it, I will post the specifics if for no other reason than to help other divers. There is just one question that I have and I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Exactly how long would you normally tread water before descending? He was a balls to the wall kinda guy. A decorated Vietnam Combat vet, he sky dived for his 60th birthday. He would do what everyone else was doing without complaint for however long it took. I'm told about 1/2 the divers were in the water already. Clearly he over did it but is there a protocol anywhere for this kind of thing?
Any guidance at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all
He was a 65 year old man. Extremely active, 3 rounds of golf on a 100 degree day was not unusual for him. Gym several times a week, etc. He learned to dive in Saint Kitts a little over a year ago and apparently fell in love with the sport. On a recent month long trip to Australia he was bummed to learn that he would need a medical clearance to dive the Great Barrier Reef so unfortunately he ended up snorkeling instead. This most recent trip to Key Largo was relatively last minute. The plane arrived 30 min early. The cab arrived early. The rental car, the hotel room, everything was running smoothly so when they realized they had extra time, they called to see if there was still room on the 1pm boat. A fatal mistake for my dad. He never did get to dive that day. The autopsy revealed an accidental death due to strenuous exertion in rough seas. That was the first time I had been told the water was rough.
Upon reading that to his dive buddy, I heard for the second time that yes, the water was very rough. 4 foot seas at least, I was told. I don't yet have the actual investigation report nor do I have his dive log. Both should arrive in the mail tomorrow. Once I receive it, I will post the specifics if for no other reason than to help other divers. There is just one question that I have and I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Exactly how long would you normally tread water before descending? He was a balls to the wall kinda guy. A decorated Vietnam Combat vet, he sky dived for his 60th birthday. He would do what everyone else was doing without complaint for however long it took. I'm told about 1/2 the divers were in the water already. Clearly he over did it but is there a protocol anywhere for this kind of thing?
Any guidance at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all