Diver dies in grouper quest

Diver dies in grouper quest

An experienced spearfisherman collapses on the boat after attempting another
By ERIC STIRGUS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 20, 2001


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MADEIRA BEACH -- About 200 feet down in the gulf Saturday afternoon, Mark
Sweazie was hunting two black groupers he was sure would earn him first
place in the St. Pete Open, billed as "the world's largest spearfishing
tournament."

After losing sight of the fish, the scuba diving hunter ascended back to the
boat. Cautious friends suggested that he rest a bit, but Sweazie eagerly
dived again.

This time he quickly returned to the boat, complaining of leg cramps,
friends said. Minutes later, he couldn't breathe and lost consciousness.

Eight hours later, at 1:55 a.m. Sunday, Sweazie was pronounced dead at St.
Joseph's Hospital, where he had been taken by a Coast Guard rescue crew.
Sweazie, a Madeira Beach resident who owned a lawn service company, was 39.

"We're stunned," said Sweazie's cousin, John Allen. "We were hoping we would
wake up and discover it is a bad dream."

An autopsy was performed Sunday, but the findings were not immediately
available. Sweazie was a strapping man who never had any problems diving,
his family and friends said.

However, Sweazie was diving extremely deep Saturday in the gulf about 50
miles southwest of John's Pass. The maximum depth for a recreational diver
is 130 feet, said diving instructor Chad Carney. Friends and relatives said
Sweazie had gone as deep as 200 feet Saturday.

Carney, who saw Sweazie earlier on Saturday, said making multiple dives too
quickly also can be extremely dangerous, because your body does not have
sufficient time to release the nitrogen in the airways after a dive.

"It's a sad situation," Carney said of Sweazie's death.

Sweazie's family said he was practically born to dive. His uncle, Homer
Allen, was one of the first police divers for the St. Petersburg Police
Department and provided similar services for the Pinellas County Sheriff's
Office. He lived near the water growing up. Sweazie's first chore when he
bought his home on Madeira Beach was to build a dock for his boat.

"He loved the water," his distraught mother, Nancy McClellan, said Sunday
afternoon. "That was his real big getaway."

Sweazie hadn't been diving lately, so he was very excited about competing in
the two-day tournament Friday and Saturday, McClellan said.

Two years ago, Sweazie won the St. Pete Open for catching a 103-pound
grouper, friends said. "He felt like he had arrived" after that win, said
Allen, 43.

Sweazie made the trip from John's Pass with a group of other spearfishermen
in a 52-foot boat called the Tia Ryo, friends said.

Hunting fish at depths greater than 100 feet is inherently dangerous,
experts say. The deeper you go, the greater the risk of decompression
sickness. A small miscalculation, a momentary lapse of judgment, can mean
the difference between life and death.

Sweazie was aware of the risks, friends said. The danger, however, did not
overtake Sweazie's desire to catch the big one.

"He liked to dive in deep water," said Nick Blight, a friend. "He was good
at it. He pushed the limits. It probably cost him."

This is another example of factors that cloud one's judgement. Obviously, this diver's intent to win overcame whatever doubts he had (or ought to have had) about doing those dangerous profiles. And of course, the lesson to everyone is that you must try very hard not to allow external factors to rationalize to yourself extreme risk. Of course, if you can live with dying, then go for it. Personally, I want to come back from my dives, though admittedly, I have had a relatively recent experience (non-diving) where the moment (and peer pressure) made me forget about precautions that up until then I had been aware of (it resulted in a dislocated shoulder).

-Simon

The article doesn't mention the cause of death. Do you know if it was caused by the dive profile, or was it some other medical complication. I'd love to hear the docs observations...

Hey all,

It’s a sad fact that many who go below 100ft feel that they can escape from Nitrogen Narcosis. Too many times I have heard it said that "It don't bother me!” where I know that they just aren't in tune with their bodies. I have always dived with a bit of leg pain that starts to disappear around 90 ft and feels great when I hit 110 or lower. Even if my mind feels "clear" I know its a lie. Just like that clown driving down the road with a "few on board", when you hit a 100ft fsw you are under the effects. You can also be sure that these effects will increase as you descend… whether you can feel it, or want to admit, or NOT.

Now, the narcosis DID NOT kill him, because it disappears as you ascend and there are no “hangovers” involved... but I am sure it clouded his judgment, and sometimes decisions made under impaired judgment can follow you for life... no matter how short that it may be.

If anyone hears what the actual autopsy brings out, please let us know. Whether from the bends or an embolism, I would really like to know what caused his demise... other than unbridled ambition. My sympathies go out to his survivors.

200 ft on air, hadn't dove in a while and a hard working dive to boot? a prescription for problems. I feel sorry for the family, but this is another case of the sport getting a black eye because someone did not remember the lessons others gave their lives for. Was he diving alone as well?

Brass Fever; Grouper Fever; all the same result. I'll say a prayer for the family and the other divers.

Safety is non-negotiable, when will we ALL learn that?

They have not yet posted the offical report on his death. I would assume it was a CNS hit by the likes of his profile (depth/ breathing air) and his deco gas. But I have not seen the press on it. As soon as I do I will post it. To many diving techicnal profiles without proper training and understanding, even the old timers!
Just my .02.....