Crew member rescued near Tarpon Springs, Florida

[DandyDon]

Coast Guard rescues injured diver near Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs, Florida -- A Coast Guard helicopter rescued a diver about 15 miles northwest of Tarpon Springs on Wednesday.
The Coast Guard says it received a call shortly before 10:30 a.m. that a crew member on board a charter dive boat was unresponsive after sustaining injuries while diving.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter that was already in the air was diverted to the location as another crew member aboard the boat performed CPR.
The helicopter quickly arrived on scene and hoisted up both the diver and the crew member who was performing CPR.
They were then flown to Tampa General Hospital.
Watchstanders diverted a Coast Guard aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater while a crew member aboard the dive boat CPR.
The aircrew arrived on scene at 10:25 a.m., hoisted both the diver and the crew member conducting CPR and transported them to Tampa General Hospital.
There's no word on the diver's condition at this time.

 

[Croomrider]

Man I hope it turns out OK. That is exactly the area I dive. You are hard pressed to get more than 60 feet of depth around there.

Mike

PS: Found this, I'm assuming it is the same incident.
http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...ticles/bn9/2014/4/2/uscg_rescues_boater_.html

ST. PETERSBURG -- The United States Coast Guard was in the right place at the right time when a boater suffered a medical emergency.

The Coast Guard just happened to be flying nearby on a routine training mission when they heard a distress call about a possible heart attack. Responding right away to the 54-year-old, the Coast Guard took over for a crewmate who had started CPR. "The best course of action was to hoist the survivor and as well hoist the boat crewman who was conducting CPR, we continued CPR in the helicopter as we transitioned from offshore directly to TGH," said Lt. Tom Huntley. About 20 miles offshore, not only was the Coast Guard nearby, but so was off-duty firefighter Jason Griggs, who rolled on the rescue. The boater in distress just happened to be surrounded by emergency responders.

"Air Station Clearwater responds to hundreds of rescues every year, however it’s rare that one comes up that is this type of emergency and we happen to be on a training mission directly overhead almost," said Lt. Huntley.

 

[VirtualDiver]

I sure hope that Diver is ok. This should be a somber moment for all of us to look into our health again before going out for a dive.

It doesn't matter what level of diver you are either. If your over 40 + you should really be taking care of yourself and paying stricter attention to your health as a diver. Why ? Because incidents can arise that could endanger not only yourself but other divers around you. It was extremely fortunate that a Coast Guard vessel was near by...it also indicates that the Crew of the Narcosis was well trained to handle emergencies...kudos to them.

Cold water and advanced age can have dire consequences on a TRAINED ATHLETE, let alone a middle aged man. I have no idea what kind of physical shape this diver was in....for all I know he could have been an athlete. The point is, we all take diving too much for granted....that is I see way too many out of shape folks diving that are pushing their physical-limits beyond what their bodies can take.

It's time for all DIVERS to take a PERSONAL assessment..... Look in the mirror for starters. If your an older guy or gal...and your waist line is bulging.....it's high time you did the right thing....and get yourself back into decent health. Lets also pry for this divers fast recovery.

 

[N2DeepInAz]

This incident is being reported incorrectly, it was not a crew member who was rescued, in fact, it was a certifed diver. Incident occurred on the surface and CPR was performed by a crew member. Victim transported to hospital and no additional information is being shared at this time. This is the brief bit of info I was given from a close friend who saw the event firsthand. I will not disclose any further information until all paperwork and the investigation has been completed. Period. I'm simply posting this to correct a mis-statement by the article author.