a SCUBA diver was almost killed at a local marina in St.Margaret's Bay

He was cleaning/checking the moorings for the Shinning Waters Marina. The owner was told by the "experienced diver" that he complied with regulations (I don't know what he was quoting) and only needed a spotter in a boat. He did a dive in the morning and was okay. In the afternoon he went down (with a lifeline on) and when the spotters failed to see bubbles only 10 minutes into the dive, they hauled up his unconscious body. The diver was rushed to the VG and underwent a Table 6 treatment in the hyperbaric facility. His O2 level dropped to 30% and he was extremely lucky to be alive.

The diver's wife brought his rental gear back to Divers World and told us of the story after we had received the equipment. This gear was then quarantined by Divers World, but had passed through to many hands for a proper investigation. The regulator had gone through it yearly overhaul only two months prior. His first set of tanks had 700 PSI (used) and the second has 2500 PSI (almost full). Nobody wanted to give out any information because they didn't want to get anybody in trouble. I called the Department of Labour for an investigation and was told that they felt that everybody had learned their lesson. No charges and only a very minor investigation.

There are several problems with the scenario that played out last week. 911 was called but the RCMP never responded. Department of Labour was not contacted by the employer. Although an employee at the marina suggested leaving the gear for inspection, the diver's wife insisted on taking the equipment and not contacting anybody. Most importantly, why was a SCUBA diver doing commercial work? Diver error was the cause of this accident. He was released from hospital on Friday june the 17th and went immediately to Divers World so he could buy another wetsuit because his last one was cut-off.

This is a perfect example of what goes on in this country and what will be allowed to continue. This is only one event of many that was caught and still nothing will be done. If you a sport diver and or even a technical sport diver/instructor, you have no buisness doing or trying to perform commercial work which requires another area of specialised training and coverage, there is no room for ignorance or bull headed showmanship in this field of work.

Rollie

I think we can all learn from accidents and it pays to pay attention to them. I feel like the story you have related doesn’t give me enough facts to understand what happened.

A diver went into the water on his second dive to clean a mooring in a marina.
10 minutes into the dive bubbles stopped
He was pulled up and was found to be unconscious with his O2 level down to 30% and sent to a hyperbaric chamber
His rented regulator had just been overhauled.
His first set of tanks (are we talking twin tanks or single tank and are these from the first dive or second?) had 700 PSI
His second set of tanks (second dive? One Tank or two) had 2500 PSI
The gear was not left for inspection but it was inspected.

You say that this was an example of diver error but I don’t think you have presented enough of the facts for you to determine it is diver error.

I’d like to know more about the actual dive what were the working conditions? You keep emphasizing that this was a “Commercial” diver’s job and yet I don’t have enough information to know what the job actually was. Was he trying to scrub rust off a mooring at 200 feet with a strong current and zero visibility? Or was he sponging off a mooring in 40’ of calm water in the deep end of his local marina? I guess it is hard for me to come to a conclusion of diver error with out all the facts and with out hearing a determination of what the people involved think happened.

Rollie:

He was released from hospital on Friday june the 17th and went immediately to Divers World so he could buy another wetsuit because his last one was cut-off.

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Everyone has a purpose in life. Sometimes it's to act as a warning to others....

I get calls all the time for commerical work and we tell them that we are a sport diving faciality, the reply most times is that they cant afford the high price of a commercial diver to do so.

Should this be in the Eastern Canada forum as this happened in Halifax.

You'd think checking a mooring would be a pretty easy thing but I remember diver died in Bay Bulls, NL last summer doing just that. It falls under commercial diving and this guy had no business doing it if he didin't have the right training. There's a reason why the legislation is there.

I must be missing something. What is so tough about checking a mooring if it is shallower then 130’. Divers on this site cave dive, and wreck dive, dive nitrox, and complex dives involving decompression. But swim down and check a mooring? That is a job for a commercial diver. Please explain.

jiveturkey:

There's a reason why the legislation is there.

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And what is it?

I'm afraid safety is just an excuse. Real reasons involve commerce, profit, and influence.

bob1dp

Working as a commercial diver in our country Canada and the US and especially on the eastern seaboards requires any one who attempts commercial work "BEING PAYED" to have been trained in a commercial diving facility and be registered with the ministry of labour to whom you report to before any commercial work is performed. Hooking or inspecting a mooring line can be dangerous in a busy harbour on scuba alone were old fishing lines and debris is all over the place. This solo diver had no safety stand by diver just a unskilled helper on shore, no communications or constant flow air supply. It happens every year were one or two sport divers get killed trying to perform underwater salvage and construction work for some one willing to shoot them a few fast bucks on the side because they either want to avoid the appropriate permits, cost and or labour regulations for hiring skilled divers. This can also work the other way, some commercial divers spend there entire life walking on the ocean floor working and never dive open circuit and they like sport divers would also need to work up and build skills before diving deep on a wreck for example using open circuit. I do remember last year in Texas were a young sport diver was crushed to death trying to lay strapping around a cabin cruiser to be lifted, the boat shifted and he lost his life. I don't like to see any one get hurt in underwater activities whether for pleasure or work just follow the rules and dive your skill level and be safe.

Rollie

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I’m still interested in hearing more info on the accident.

Also, it sounds like Canada has very specific rules regarding when a diver can dive for money including courses required for a diver to SCUBA dive for money. Does the US have such requirements? If so what are they? Am I wrong in thinking that the kids out cleaning boats or collecting sea urchins in the US are just certified divers?

Rollie:

Working as a commercial diver in our country Canada and the US and especially on the eastern seaboards requires any one who attempts commercial work "BEING PAYED" to have been trained in a commercial diving facility and be registered with the ministry of labour to whom you report to before any commercial work is performed.

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That's not quite accurate in Ontario. At the moment, no training at all is actually required, although the operation must conform to all the safety requirements (safety diver + supervisor, O2 and first aid on scene, means of surface communication, tether line, etc. etc.) I did hear some talk that commercial training may be required of new divers in the future but even then existing operations will be grandfathered in.