SAN DIEGO - A man who was scuba diving died Sunday

[Sudzfd]

Slightly off-topic, but I'd like to clear up any confusion or misinformation . . .


When you get a chance, please call the National Institute of Health (301/496-4000) and let them know that they're wrong too. "Time is very important when an unconscious person is not breathing. Permanent brain damage begins after only 4 minutes without oxygen, and death can occur as soon as 4 - 6 minutes later." (CPR - adult: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia)


You either didn't read or didn't understand what I wrote. So let me try again.

I wasn't referring to how long CPR went on for. I was referring to how long it was before it STARTED. According to NIH (and others), if you don't START within 4-6 minutes of the person going unconscious and the heart stopping, permanent brain damage can begin to occur. This is wholly different from how long you go ONCE YOU'VE STARTED. Once you begin CPR, even if they're unconscious, you're hopefully getting blood moving again and I have no doubt that people come back after lengthy CPR sessions.


Which is exactly what I said. (And when not shocking, or after it shocks, the one I train on does say, "Continue CPR.")


I disagree with your dismissal of the potential value of the AED. Yes, you pause and stop CPR while the AED is analyzing. But it may determine that it will shock. You seem to be essentially saying the AED's value diminishes because it makes you stop CPR (which is admittedly valuable) briefly but then it may not shiock. And you seem to feel that if it's not going to shock, the CPR stoppage was detrimental. But you won't know if a shock is needed unless you let the AED do it's thing and in cases where it can and will shock, that will likely be more valuable than CPR alone.

i am not going to get in an argument with you. I was simply trying to offer advice based on 15 years of pre hospital medicine and involvement in hundreds of cardiac arrest events.

 

[Scuttlebutt]

Rest in peace buddy.... I'll miss diving with you and that damn bright ass canister light that can wilt sea weed and cook fish.

 

[Scubadude_LA]

I never thought or hoped I'd ever write in a forum on here. First off, my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased diver. If I'm correct in my assumptions. I dove with 3 divers who are apart of our local diving organization last week on the Marissa. A double Yukon dive. I got a chance to dive and talk with them all. and lunch after the dive. Photos videos and good times by all. If it turns out to be one of those guys. I'm glad I got a chance to meet and get to know him. For those who are wondering. about his diving skills. From what I saw on the Yukon Dive (max depth 95 feet) everyone looked capable and comfortable on those dives. And if he had the training folks are saying he had, then I would say the ability to do the dive was not above his ability I also know and dove with the local inst(s) in the area. both excellent... Once again my thoughts and prayers for the loved ones.

My condolences as well. Hate hearing this sort of thing.

I know no one involved, but seems like a sad, freak thing. We are all just trying to have fun, most of us anyway.
Obviously he took his game seriously from the training perspective, etc.
The analogy to the 52 year old runner sort of sums up why maybe there is way too speculation.

I agree that the thread needs to be split.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

 

[billt4sf]

I know the diver personally. He was an avid local diver in San Diego. GUE Fundies certified on top of the typical recreational certs. He was pursuing GUE Tech certification over the course of this year. Even his GUE Fundies course is rigorous in balanced rig, controlled, minimum energy effort diving, with repetitive emergency and safety drills, topped off with a pretty good physical fitness requirement. Anyone that has dived with doubles knows they are heavy, and most stoop and shuffle under their weight and need some help getting in and out of the water on a boat. However, they are just a neutrally buoyant and easy to deal with in the water as a single tank rig when managed by a trained, experienced diver, which he was.

This certainly doesn't eliminate a physical issue underwater, but it would be helpful to the thread if previous advice not to speculate were followed.

Let's all wait for the facts as indicated by the DM's post above.

This sounds like the nightmare scenario of many divers. He's trained; he's fit; he's diving regularly -- and despite all that, he apparently had a medical emergency underwater which resulted in his death. We don't yet know all the details, but it is quite likely that the delay is getting him out of the water and getting emergency treatment started was the key thing that increased the chances of his death.

Well, what can you do? Not much beyond what he did, it appears. I guess you just take your chances in any activity you do. I'm going to stop reading now and go do my exercise.

My condolences to family, friends, and to those involved.

RIP.

- Bill

 

[uwxplorer]

Where have you read that the victim was particularly fit (or the opposite, as a matter of fact) or that there was any delay in getting him out of the water and getting emergency treatment started? That's way past speculation...
His friend mentioned that GUE training is demanding., but also that he was only fundies certified...
As far as saying that a set of doubles is nothing in the water, have we succeeded in eliminating drag? Not mentioning that Archimedes principle only says that buoyancy is equal to the mass of the displaced water volume. It does not cancel out the weight of gear, which in a set of double is not negligible and needs to be compensated by wing and drysuit inflation, which add to drag. Moreover, fighting current with gear strapped all over is far from a piece of cake. I just experienced this again today (same site) and gosh was I glad there was a granny line!
This tragic event, in which there seems to be no gear or site condition issues, where all the rescue parameters were on green, to me should be an eye-opener (as far as I am concerned, I started diving late enough in my life to have never taken it lightly, so it is more of a reminder) that we should not kid ourselves: as long as anything is fine, great. As soon as things go South, this is an unforgiving environment.

 

[Ayisha]

I know the diver personally. He was an avid local diver in San Diego. GUE Fundies certified on top of the typical recreational certs. He was pursuing GUE Tech certification over the course of this year.

His friend mentioned that GUE training is demanding., but also that he was only fundies certified...

Didn't the victim have a GUE Fundamentals Provisional Pass? That means essentially that he was not fully fundies certified, but he had 6 months in which to go back and successfully complete all of the skills and potentially pass.

 

[MG11]

This thread is almost a month old, how long typically until something official is released? Someone stated that SD is usually pretty prompt.

Is a granny line used to hold your position against a current to allow rest then kick more or do you pull hand over hand on it or both?

Mike

 

[HungoverDiver]

This thread is almost a month old, how long typically until something official is released? Someone stated that SD is usually pretty prompt.

I would like to know too, but I'm not sure where this information would be posted (if it ever is)

 

[mathauck0814]

I would like to know too, but I'm not sure where this information would be posted (if it ever is)

The autopsy was performed the day after the incident. There's a memorial for the deceased in August. It's up to the divers' family and/or buddy to share their story/information. Anything I can add is topside knowledge and would be speculation beyond the details of the rescue/revival attempt.