Diver drowns while collecting golf balls

[Kriterian]

There aren't much details yet but I saw this on a San Antonio news website:

Man diving to collect lost golf balls drowns in Texas golf course pond

07:49 AM CDT on Friday, June 26, 2009

Avi Selk / The Dallas Morning News A 27-year-old man drowned while diving for golf balls at a country club in Irving, Texas, on Wednesday night, officials said.
Employees at the Las Colinas Country Club noticed one of men employed by the company that recovers balls from the golf course ponds had not returned by closing time at 8 p.m, said Stephen Salzman, the club's general manager.
When they found the man's cart sitting empty next to one of the ponds, they called police, who searched the lake and recovered the body identified by the Dallas County medical examiner's office as *********** *****.
"I don't really know what happened," Salzman said. "The water is not that deep in that pond." He said the pond was only five feet deep in some areas. "Something catastrophic must have happened."

[dwaters]

Chris, check out this link here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/texas-swamp-divers/291257-diver-drowns-golf-course-pond-las-colinas-country-club.html

[DandyDon]

Carbon Monoxide. Another one dives alone, dies alone. Been certified two months. Leave young widow and a baby who will never know his daddy.

[tstormdiver]

How sad.....:depressed:. Remember though, the lake may have only been 5ft deep or so, but all's it takes to drown, is enough water to cover the nose & mouth (only a few inches).

[DevonDiver]

Solo diving, inexperienced, ill-equipped....clever...

...but it's ok....the water was shallow....

...what could possibly go wrong....

and the 2009 Darwin Award goes to....... :shakehead:

How many times have I heard members posting exactly that sort of question or arguement here on the forum.... :lotsalove:

[DennisS]

You don't need any water to die from CO poisoning. Looks like he was using a gas engine driven compressor

[Brishar]

Dandy Don once bubbled about using a carbon monoxide tester on any mix you breathe.

Words to the wise. Get one and use it. The life you save may well be your own or the life of someone you care about.

[Web Monkey]

Dandy Don once bubbled about using a carbon monoxide tester on any mix you breathe.

Words to the wise. Get one and use it. The life you save may well be your own or the life of someone you care about.

I have a CO tester (the one Don recommended) and it works great, but don't beleive it would help with a hookah rig, since what you're breathing depends on which way the wind is blowing.

Terry

[DeepSeaDan]

...prohibiting this kind of behaviour.

While atypical of commercial diving operations, the retrieval of golf balls from a commercial golf facility by contract constitutes a commercial diving operation, thus falls under the U.S. Federal regulations & standards governing commercial diving operations.

This sad event underscores the primary reason these regs. were created - to prevent the injury &/or death of individuals unprepared to participate in commercial diving applications.

Regards,
DSD

[PhilEllis]

Dandy Don once bubbled about using a carbon monoxide tester on any mix you breathe.

Words to the wise. Get one and use it. The life you save may well be your own or the life of someone you care about.

I suspect this would not have helped this poor soul. Seems as if he was "breathing it as he made it" in real time.

Phil Ellis
www.divesports.com

[DandyDon]

You don't need any water to die from CO poisoning. Looks like he was using a gas engine driven compressor
Yep, your home heater, fireplace, etc can kill ya. My home bud was napping with his fireplace burning when his home CO detector went off - his only chance of waking up. His old store detector also went off one day. Even all electric homes need them, and they need to be replaced every few years. See manufacture spec.
Dandy Don once bubbled about using a carbon monoxide tester on any mix you breathe.

Words to the wise. Get one and use it. The life you save may well be your own or the life of someone you care about.
I test every tank, even from the best sources as it's a good habit. CO is much more dangerous as depth. Most cases are probly shrugged off as traveler's flu, most CO deaths are probly written off as drownings - no tests done in most countries as that's bad for tourism, and DAN admits to not knowing how bad it is. I create enough of my own risks; I want my air better than Trust Me! Pocket CO - Miniature Carbon Monoxide Detector and Dosimeter (http://www.detectcarbonmonoxide.com/)
I have a CO tester (the one Don recommended) and it works great, but don't beleive it would help with a hookah rig, since what you're breathing depends on which way the wind is blowing.

Terry
Nope, what killed him was not having a qualified tender.
...prohibiting this kind of behaviour.

While atypical of commercial diving operations, the retrieval of golf balls from a commercial golf facility by contract constitutes a commercial diving operation, thus falls under the U.S. Federal regulations & standards governing commercial diving operations.

This sad event underscores the primary reason these regs. were created - to prevent the injury &/or death of individuals unprepared to participate in commercial diving applications.

Regards,
DSD
I don't guess we know exactly who is responsible for the equipment? I hope it is a company is very good liability insurance, and that the widow has a mad dog attorney.

[TexasDiveLady]

My prayers go out to his family. Everyone has his or her own opinion, however, PLEASE for the love of all DON'T BE DISRESPECTFUL IN YOUR REPLIES........!

[DandyDon]

My prayers go out to his family. Everyone has his or her own opinion, however, PLEASE for the love of all DON'T BE DISRESPECTFUL IN YOUR REPLIES........!
Hi TDL

I don't think anyone means such at all. This is covered in the description and Special Rules of this forum but still comes up often. We discuss accidents there in hopes of preventing similar losses in others, and while we may be very sad about the loss - emotional posts are prohibited in this forum to avoid confusion, even tho that is loosely enforced.

If you knew the lost diver, please do feel encouraged to start a Memorial thread in Passings. I certainly agree that it was a sad loss, hitting close to home to happen to a Texas family, but I guess my outrage at his employer/contractor would be inappropriate in that thread.

More info at top of forum...
Accidents and Incidents This forum is for the discussion of diving Accidents and Incidents. Please read the message at the top of the forum before posting threads or responses. Memorial threads can be posted in the Passings forum.
Link to Special rules - Please Read (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/52701-special-rules-please-read.html)

[leoconnor]

DandyDon - quick question: how do you test the tank? Do you just crank the valve before you rig up? (Dumb question, I know -- but wanted to make sure I understood).

Have experienced a gas leak in a rental home before -- made it to the front porch, but if it had happened while I was sleep, I'd still be sleeping -- the permanent kind.

Thanks in advance.

[Web Monkey]

DandyDon - quick question: how do you test the tank? Do you just crank the valve before you rig up? (Dumb question, I know -- but wanted to make sure I understood).

Have experienced a gas leak in a rental home before -- made it to the front porch, but if it had happened while I was sleep, I'd still be sleeping -- the permanent kind.

Thanks in advance.

The CO detector does not detect natural gas, only Carbon Monoxide. It's used by placing the dector in a zip-lock bag then adding air from your tank.

If you want something for your home, there are combination Smoke/Fire/CO/Natural Gas detectors available at most hardware stores.

Terry

[RMDiver]

I used to free dive for golf balls as a kid. We made a few bucks and most ponds were small the idea of a dive buddy seemed silly. I guess that was the stupidity of youth.

[leoconnor]

Sorry, I realized that my post was confusing.. I didn't intend to imply that the CO tester would test for gas.. I was just relaying an example of another type of potential bad incident.

Thanks for explaining Web Monkey!!

[suzette]

I'm a little confused on this and not very familiar with a hooka set up. How did he end up breathing in CO2 and how could it have been prevented?

[fisheyeview]

I'm a little confused on this and not very familiar with a hooka set up. How did he end up breathing in CO2 and how could it have been prevented?


A hooka is a gasoline powered air compressor in an intertube. It has a regulator hose attached with a 2nd stage. As long as the engine is running it pumps air to the diver. This eliminates the need for a tank.

If the wind was blowing the exaust fumes into the air intake the diver will get a lot of CO in the air he breaths.

Think about running your car in the garage. Exaust fumes kill.

[DandyDon]

DandyDon - quick question: how do you test the tank? Do you just crank the valve before you rig up? (Dumb question, I know -- but wanted to make sure I understood).

Have experienced a gas leak in a rental home before -- made it to the front porch, but if it had happened while I was sleep, I'd still be sleeping -- the permanent kind.

Thanks in advance.
WebMonkey answered your question it seems. Every home, even all electric homes, should have CO detectors along with smoke alarms, with the purchase and expiration dates written on them. See brochure for how long to trust yours.

For diver's air, a much lower CO content can be harmful because of the increase of effect at depth. I use this one: Pocket CO - Miniature Carbon Monoxide Detector and Dosimeter (http://www.detectcarbonmonoxide.com/)

Natural gas, propane, and I think butane are required to have odor added since a gas leak killed a large number of kids in a Texas school many years ago.

A hooka is a gasoline powered air compressor in an intertube. It has a regulator hose attached with a 2nd stage. As long as the engine is running it pumps air to the diver. This eliminates the need for a tank.

If the wind was blowing the exaust fumes into the air intake the diver will get a lot of CO in the air he breaths.

Think about running your car in the garage. Exaust fumes kill.
True, even for shallow dives like this one. For deeper dives, worse. DAN admits that we do not know how many drownings are actually from CO poisioning as destinations outside of the US are not likely to test, even less likely to let the problem be known - bad for business. Many cases of travelers flu could be close calls...?