Well, what could go wrong?

[Guba]

Guba, I'd love to hear your contributions on things that can go disastrously wrong despite good planning and good execution. That's the kind of thing that would make this thread a real educational experience for someone reading it. TS&M

Okay, here goes...I'll try to keep both scenarios short.
The first "disaster" involved an extremely experienced, professional underwater videographer/photographer. The entire group (multiple dive pairs) descended onto a reef at about 85 feet for the first dive of the day. The photog spent the entire 45 minute dive roaming from team to team getting footage, then ascended up the downline, pausing often to shoot more video while hanging at multiple depths. Safety stop at 15 feet was about four minutes, and the rest of the ascent was slow and measured, partly due to a short waiting line for the boat's twin ladders. Completely uneventful...until about two minutes after re-boarding the boat. Said diver noted that he "felt funny" and things started happening pretty fast. In short, a DCI hit that entailed heading for shore immediately while we administered oxygen and later, fluids. By the way, he made a full recovery after hyperbaric treatments. A subsequent review of his computer showed absolutely no abnormalities or "violations".

The other instance was on a similar dive location, on a pretty deep reef (80 feet minimum), but that's really irrelevant. The diver, my partner, entered the water first and I followed. I had only gotten settled on the surface and started to swim over to him when he started calling for assistance, complaining that he couldn't breath. A standard "rescue" ensued...getting him positive, repositioning his regulator, reassuring him, and towing him to the stern. He went totally unresponsive as we were trying to get him up the ladder.
In short, he experienced a lethal brain aneurism and his death was probably unrelated to diving per se. I cannot vouch for his long term physical conditon, but we all had to have thorough medical exams in order to be a part of that expedition. Of course, that type of exam can't catch everything.

The only common thread, I believe, is that in neither case were the causes of the accidents clearly evident beforehand.

 

[captain]

The real answer to what could happen is anything. Nice exercise but if we stayed at this developing scenarios thing we will be at it forever and never cover all posibilities.

 

[vshearer]

At least three went in, only two came out?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The first "disaster" involved an extremely experienced, professional underwater videographer/photographer. The entire group (multiple dive pairs) descended onto a reef at about 85 feet for the first dive of the day. The photog spent the entire 45 minute dive roaming from team to team getting footage, then ascended up the downline, pausing often to shoot more video while hanging at multiple depths. Safety stop at 15 feet was about four minutes, and the rest of the ascent was slow and measured, partly due to a short waiting line for the boat's twin ladders. Completely uneventful...until about two minutes after re-boarding the boat. Said diver noted that he "felt funny" and things started happening pretty fast. In short, a DCI hit that entailed heading for shore immediately while we administered oxygen and later, fluids. By the way, he made a full recovery after hyperbaric treatments. A subsequent review of his computer showed absolutely no abnormalities or "violations".

Sounds surprisingly like what happened to John Rawlings ... senior editor for Advanced Diver Magazine, and a personal friend of mine. He wrote about it in ADM a couple years back ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Sas]

I hope there's going to be more stories from idosteve!

My thoughts would be (assuming they completed the dive ok):
-falling off a ladder
-struggling to get back on the boat (I've seen someone have to be rescued because of this and it can go very wrong - this guy was told to hand up his fins in rough water and he didn't inflate his BC. He had his hands on the rope luckily and they were able to pull him overboard)
-being hit by a boat (this has happened to me but it was going slow luckily, nearly all of my boat diving is done off a live boat)
-DCS
-envenomation (I've been stung by a jellyfish on the surface)
-shark attack whilst they are on the surface
-boat breaks down and they get stuck there for ages

 

[smellzlikefish]

What about if one of them had a patent foramen ovale and didn't know it, triggering a DCS hit?

 

[idocsteve]

I hope there's going to be more stories from idosteve!

Bob and Karen are unloading their gear back at the dock following what can only be described as an extremely satisfying and fullfilling day of diving. They're both smiling and laughing as they talk about the numerous creatures they saw and how compatible they are as buddies.

Bob notices that Karen is maintaining eye contact more and more, and is becoming rather flirtatous with her various gestures and lingering contact with various parts of Bob's body while she's exchanging chit chat. Having met in the dive shop just prior to the dive, Bob feels that things are going quite well.

"Karen, would you like to come back to my room and log our dives together?"

Karen enthusiastically gives Bob the confirmation he was anxiously awaiting, as she nods her blonde hair is tossed around her head giving her an almost angelic appearance. Bob's mind drifts to the possibilities when suddenly a car screeches to a stop next to them.

"Bob how DARE you speak to another woman while I'm waiting back here at the hotel with our little ones! Johnny crapped his pants again and Susan's been crying because I can't get reception on the TV in the room and she missed Barney again! Get your ass back here before I lose my God Damn mind!"

Without thinking Bob reaches for the shealth on Karen's leg and pulls out her 12" serrated edge dive knife and plunges it into his wife's chest. Her screams become gurgles as blood and froth escape her mouth much like an embolized diver, and she slumps forward in the drivers seat of the now bloody sedan.

Karen screams and yells "Help, Police!" But the quick thinking divemaster is already on his cellphone with the emergency dispatcher. Bob comes back to reality realizes what he's done and he makes a run for it down the street. Two of the divers on the boat chase after him and tackle him and bring him to his knees. It was a rather easy task since Bob was so flustered at the thought of asking Karen back to his room that he forgot to remove his fins.

The divers hold Bob until the police arrive but it's too late for his poor wife who has expired in the Avis rental car at the dock.

 

[vshearer]

IDoc, you are waaaaay too good at this.

 

[Cave Diver]

The divers hold Bob until the police arrive but it's too late for his poor wife who has expired in the Avis rental car at the dock.

I hope they took out the extra insurance.

 

[FireInMyBones]

Bob was so flustered at the thought of asking Karen back to his room that he forgot to remove his fins.

They were split fins, weren't they?