Ansell Pt Dive Incident

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sunkmail

Contributor
Messages
256
Reaction score
13
Location
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
# of dives
200 - 499
Saw this in the local paper - I haven't seen any posts on this one on SB yet.

Scuba diver airlifted off road - Published April 4, 2010

James Weldon, North Shore News

Published: Sunday, April 04, 2010
Drivers on the Sea to Sky Highway encountered an unusual sight Wednesday evening when a helicopter touched down on the Ansell Place overpass to pick up a scuba diver apparently suffering from the bends.

Emergency services were called to the area about three kilometres north of Horseshoe Bay just before 7 p.m. when someone reported that a 29-year-old Vancouver man had suffered a medical emergency.

It seems the man had been diving in the area near Ansell Point when he surfaced too quickly from a depth of about 30 metres -- an act that can cause dangerous gas bubbles to form in the blood, resulting in pain, paralysis and sometimes even death.

Firefighters and B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics rushed to the area, treated the man and bundled him on to a stretcher. West Vancouver police diverted traffic while an air ambulance touched down on the overpass, picked up the victim and flew him to hospital. He was released a few hours later.

Accidents are not unheard of in the popular dive sites around West Vancouver, said Const. Jeff Palmer, a spokesman for the WVPD.

In November 2008, a 61-year-old scuba instructor died of an unspecified condition during a lesson off Whytecliff Park. The same month, a 20-year-old California man had a close call in the area when he surfaced quickly after his mask started leaking.

It is not clear what caused the diver involved in Wednesday's incident to rise so rapidly, but police were not aware of any underwater emergency that might have triggered it. "It was possibly diver error," said Palmer.

Rock walls, an underwater cave and rich sea life have made Ansell Point a destination for local enthusiasts. Vancouver Diving gives it an advanced rating, noting that depth, ferry wake, and nearby fishing all pose dangers to divers.
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So it seems no seriour harm done.


On a side note - does anyone know where this "Cave" is at Ansell? I've never seen or heard of one there. :confused:
 
I wouldn't spend too much time looking for it. :D I think it's just pretty much the wall and maybe some slightly overhung area somewhere along the wall.
 
I wouldn't spend too much time looking for it. :D I think it's just pretty much the wall and maybe some slightly overhung area somewhere along the wall.

That's what I figured, just wondering where 'cave' came from. :dork2:
 
I have video evidence of the cave:
[fv]94208821340[/fv]

I guess it's not big enough for a human to fit in and this is not Ansell, it's Kelvin Grove. Sorry for the misleading bad joke :)
 
Not sure where the paper got their info but there was nothing unusual about his dive profile as far as ndl times and ascent rate according to the diver and his buddy. He was treated at the vgh chamber and the initial results were thought to be a co2 build up not dcs. I won't identify the diver or his buddy to respect their privacy. I'll let them respond if they want to.
 
Not sure where the paper got their info but there was nothing unusual about his dive profile as far as ndl times and ascent rate according to the diver and his buddy. He was treated at the vgh chamber and the initial results were thought to be a co2 build up not dcs. I won't identify the diver or his buddy to respect their privacy. I'll let them respond if they want to.
Now you got me worried that it is somebody I know. Do you know if they are ok by now?
 
Hi all,

The diver in the article was me. As StuartT pointed out, the article is just guessing at some of the details. I had an "undeserved" hit, at least as far as profile went. I've been meaning to write a full post describing the incident but have been putting it off. Later today I'll try to fill in the details, but the short story is I'm doing fine now but won't be back in the water for about 3 months.
 
Hi all,

The diver in the article was me. As StuartT pointed out, the article is just guessing at some of the details. I had an "undeserved" hit, at least as far as profile went. I've been meaning to write a full post describing the incident but have been putting it off. Later today I'll try to fill in the details, but the short story is I'm doing fine now but won't be back in the water for about 3 months.

I'm sorry to hear that you had the incident and I'm glad that you're doing fine now. Let us know through the usual channels when you're ready to go back in. If it's on Saturday I'll be glad to go out and do some conservative re-initializing dives with you.
 
Just curious if you think this may have been due to the exertion of getting back to the parking lot after the dive. Ansell Pt. is quite a hike from where you gotta stage your gear, and after an aggressive dive, that much physical exertion can cause problems.

Glad you're doing fine ... too bad about the extended surface interval ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Just curious if you think this may have been due to the exertion of getting back to the parking lot after the dive. Ansell Pt. is quite a hike from where you gotta stage your gear, and after an aggressive dive, that much physical exertion can cause problems.

Glad you're doing fine ... too bad about the extended surface interval ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That's the only thing that concerns me about that dive...deep dive and then having no choice but to exert yourself right after the dive.
 

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