US Expat fatality in Vanuatu

[DandyDon]

US citizen dies while diving in Vanuatu

A United States diver who lived in New Zealand has died while diving one of the shipwrecks in Luganville, on Santo.
Aquamarine Santo management says the victim was one of its divers, a certified diver and had dived the SS President Coolridge wreck four times before.
Aquamarine Santo says this time on her return to the shallows with her dive guard, fellow divers saw her go back down without telling her dive guard.
Divers brought her body to the surface but all attempts to revive her failed.
Her body is to be repatriated to New Zealand to determine the cause of death.
News Content © Radio New Zealand International

 

[clownfishsydney]

Very sad that someone would die on a wreck that I love. The Coolidge is the largest easily accessible real shipwreck in the world. It runs from 18 metres (60 feet) to 70 metres (210 feet). Every dive is a decompression dive as well as a penetration dive. The minimum depth is about 30 metres, although you could do an acceptable dive to about 25 metres. I have dived it well over 100 times, probably 30% of the dives I have led myself (I was trusted by the previous operator to lead penetration dives).

The circumstances as stated are very strange, although the poor quality of the report (guards v guides) makes me wonder somewhat.

Every dive on the wreck is guided, basically you cannot dive alone on it. The dive company used to have an excellent reputation, but it changed hands a few years ago and I have not heard as good things as before. However, I expect that they still run dives the same way. That is, bottom time is generally limited to 20 minutes. Decompression stops are done as per a pre-determined plan, far more conservative than any computer. Deco is done on a sand/broken coral slope and ends up at 3-4 metres in a coral garden.

As far as I know, this is only the 4th death on this wreck despite the huge number of divers (mostly Australian and New Zealanders) who have dived it over the past 40+ years.

As to why someone would go back down once they reached the shallows, who knows?

For more information about the wreck, see my web site pages Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site.

My thoughts go out to the family and friends.

 

[Griffo]

So sad. I can't add anything to what Michael said except to say that I did not have a very positive experience with that company.

I love the shipwreck though and would return tomorrow. Just next time I would try to organise some doubles, even if indie. Most people are on singles, although there's so many divers and several strategically placed tanks with multiple second stages if anyone runs low.

When I was there the dives were still run via time & tables although some of the guides had computers as backups.

 

[geoffdee]

Just saw this news, unfortunate.

http://www.dailypost.vu/content/american-diver-dies-president-coolidge

Condolences to the family and friends.

Seems like a fairly bizarre description of events in the reported article with diver heading back into wreck when starting deco stops. Media reporting is questionable at best of times so I hope more accurate information becomes available following investigations.

 

[clownfishsydney]

A more detailed article in the Vanuatu paper American diver dies in President Coolidge | Vanuatu Daily Post.

---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 09:41 PM ----------

I should add that the previous deaths were quite some time ago. One was a Swiss (I think) diver off his own yacht who dived without a guide and ran out of air (from memory). This was well over 25 years ago.

The other two deaths were Australian or New Zealand divemasters/instructors who entered a section of the wreck (under and behind the electric motors) and became lost. This was about 15 years or more ago. All the above is from memory and may not be 100% accurate, but it is fairly close.

 

[Abdullah]

A more detailed article in the Vanuatu paper American diver dies in President Coolidge | Vanuatu Daily Post.

---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 09:41 PM ----------

I should add that the previous deaths were quite some time ago. One was a Swiss (I think) diver off his own yacht who dived without a guide and ran out of air (from memory). This was well over 25 years ago.

The other two deaths were Australian or New Zealand divemasters/instructors who entered a section of the wreck (under and behind the electric motors) and became lost. This was about 15 years or more ago. All the above is from memory and may not be 100% accurate, but it is fairly close.

Good article. Also good information from your link in post #2, thank you.

Very strange behavior from this diver. Almost like she remembered she left something and went back to get it.

 

[brnt999]

Good article. Also good information from your link in post #2, thank you.

Very strange behavior from this diver. Almost like she remembered she left something and went back to get it.

Maybe she was narced?

 

[chillyinCanada]

If the diver and dive guide were close to shallower depth for the deco plan, unlikely that she was narced. However, if they were still at depth, but planning to ascend to do deco, she may have been narc'd. Not my intention to lay any blame nor finger point, but based on the way it is reported, one does wonder if she was one on one with her experienced guide, how he misplaced her.

 

[Griffo]

If the diver and dive guide were close to shallower depth for the deco plan, unlikely that she was narced. However, if they were still at depth, but planning to ascend to do deco, she may have been narc'd. Not my intention to lay any blame nor finger point, but based on the way it is reported, one does wonder if she was one on one with her experienced guide, how he misplaced her.

Normally when you finish on the wreck, you swim from the bow (at around 20m from memory) following a guide-line to a sloping wall to do any deeper stops, then work your way up to the shelf at 5m or so. From memory the swim is around 30m or so. Vis during the swim to/ from the ship isn't always great, and I could see how it would be possible to lose a diver behind you at times if you weren't paying attention. Particularly if they suddenly just stopped and turned around.

 

[DandyDon]

I don't know how experienced she actually was, but she had dived the wreck four times before. I would not expect babysitting from the guides.