Diver Death Belize Blue Hole

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Down2bizDiver

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On Thursday, June 26th local dive master and tour guide, Marcus Alamina reported to the San Pedro Police Station that one man had died while on a dive expedition to the Blue Hole. According to the report, Alamina along with four other dive masters and 19 tourists left Ramon’s Village Resort Dock at around 6:25AM on a dive trip to the Blue Hole.


The group arrived at the dive site at about 10AM where the divers were briefed on the dive and sorted into two dive groups. The group proceeded into getting into the water. At about two minutes into the dive, Alamina noticed that one of the tourists, identified as US national Larry Smith, was trembling and was breathing profusely. Smith’s eyes also became dilated. Alamina started swimming towards Smith who suddenly stopped trembling and his regulator fell from his mouth. By the time Alamina reached, Smith was motionless.


Upon surfacing, Alamina noticed that Smith was no longer breathing. He was immediately taken to Half Moon Caye where the Belize Coast Guard transported Smith to the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize. Smith was officially pronounced dead on arrival at the KHMH.


One man dies at the Blue Hole - The San Pedro Sun News
 
Sounds like a seizure.
 
He was immediately taken to Half Moon Caye where the Belize Coast Guard transported Smith to the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize.
One of the major risks of diving Belize's Blue Hole is that if anyone is hurt, it'll take a while to get them to a hospital. I wonder if the local Coast Guard used a chopper or a boat to get him to Belize City, and if KHMH has a chamber? The event sounds so serious tho, there may not have been any hope?
 
I wonder if a nitrox tank got mixed up.

---------- Post added July 6th, 2014 at 10:24 AM ----------

I believe the only chamber in Belize is in San Pedro on ambergris caye.
 
Sounds like a seizure.

I wonder if a nitrox tank got mixed up.

Sounds like seizure/convulsions either related to o2 toxicity or purely unrelated medical, tragic regardless.

I have now personally witnessed the Cluster-F of the blue hole diving the week after this incident. Our dive group consisted of 2 dive masters, myself and my wife with Rescue certs and deep water certs and deep experience, the next most experienced diver had 16 dives under his belt, no AOW card, deepest dive experience was to 66 feet on one of his dives in Belize prior to the blue hole trip, two others with even less total dives, with 5 and 7 years respectively between their last dives and their 2 dives in Belize prior to the blue hole trip, again no AOW cards. This is not conjecture or rumor or guesses but facts, first hand accounts from them directly to me based on talking to them during our stay with them at the same resort.
 
I wonder if a nitrox tank got mixed up.

I assume by this you are speculating if O2 toxicity was involved?

Is it possible that this would be a factor after only two minutes in the water? If assuming a 32% blend, with a MOD of 110 fsw, I would be surprised that the diver dropped to 110' so quickly, or that the effects of the O2 would result in such a fast reaction.

Is this possible? Sad and tragic news, but curious if there were other factors at play here.
 
It's very possible. The dives are hurried in order to do the dive with an al80.
 
Sounds like seizure/convulsions either related to o2 toxicity or purely unrelated medical, tragic regardless.

I have now personally witnessed the Cluster-F of the blue hole diving the week after this incident. Our dive group consisted of 2 dive masters, myself and my wife with Rescue certs and deep water certs and deep experience, the next most experienced diver had 16 dives under his belt, no AOW card, deepest dive experience was to 66 feet on one of his dives in Belize prior to the blue hole trip, two others with even less total dives, with 5 and 7 years respectively between their last dives and their 2 dives in Belize prior to the blue hole trip, again no AOW cards. This is not conjecture or rumor or guesses but facts, first hand accounts from them directly to me based on talking to them during our stay with them at the same resort.

And all the divers were guests at the Turneffe Island Resort, right?
 
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