Canadian woman presumed dead - Roatan, Honduras

[dmaziuk]

Seems like 14 to 16lbs of weight would be excessive for that location.

1st dive on Roatan (the other side of the island) I jumped in with something like 6 and had to get 6 more from the DM to get down. I later settled on 10 total (could've gone with 8 but I like to be a couple of lbs heavy) -- and I can do pool dives in the same rig and same 2/1 shorty with no added weight at all. I was really surprised at how much weight I ended up carrying there.
My wife may have had as much as 20 on her 1st splash in Roatan, she carries around 14 normally. So no, I wouldn't call that excessive at all.

 

[redacted]

Yes, such as the buoyancy of 500ml air.

Are you suggesting that 500mi of air displaces 4 lb of water?

 

[dmaziuk]

Is our witness absolutely positive there were 3 bubble streams or was he reporting what he expected to see?

+1. And how much would the bubbles disperse by the time they reached Terry's depth? -- Not that I'm doubting their account.

 

[chillyinCanada]

For you gentlemen trying to compare weights with the lady, I feel compelled to remind you that most women are naturally more buoyant, especially at 180.

 

[Pinecube]

The deceased did not appear to be making any effort to save herself.

Maybe I missed something but I don't remember reading anything like that.

 

[dmaziuk]

Maybe I missed something but I don't remember reading anything like that.

The DM stated he saw Maurene and she had her arms folder and her head tilted to the side as she was dropping feet first. She never responded physically to his gestures or tank banging. He lost sight of her after he got down around 200'.

 

[BFRedrocks]

For you gentlemen trying to compare weights with the lady, I feel compelled to remind you that most women and are naturally more buoyant, especially at 180.

I agree, and this suggests that she was not so overly weighted that air in her BC before she jumped in (assuming it was a simple giant stride, although when I dove Roatan we always did back rolls off the side of the boat...do we know how they entered the water?) or some effort in finning could have slowed down an uncontrolled descent. Head tilted to the side suggests unconsciousness to me, although even that is speculation.

 

[Colo Hippie]

I agree, and this suggests that she was not so overly weighted that air in her BC before she jumped in (assuming it was a simple giant stride, although when I dove Roatan we always did back rolls off the side of the boat...do we know how they entered the water?) or some effort in finning could have slowed down an uncontrolled descent. Head tilted to the side suggests unconsciousness to me, although even that is speculation.

My wife dives in a skin here on the island and uses 14 lbs with an AL80.


AKR boats are ALL giant stride off the back of the boat

 

[DandyDon]

So carrying an empty 500ml water bottle equals to adding 4lb weight to your BCD.

Nope. Tie a 4# weight to such a bottle and see how fast it sinks.

After reading the Malpelo (Colombia) accident, where 5 divers were lost at sea, 1 swam to the island & rescued by another boat, 2 were rescued 2 days later by US Navy, 1 found dead 5 days later & the last diver, the DM, was never found, I made a promise to myself to carry 500ml water bottle in my BCD pocket with other emergency gears (SMB, flashlight, mirror, PLB1).

4 diveres went missing - Malpelo, Colombia

A pint of water can be refreshing, but not make much difference if you're lost for a day or two. A PLB will save your butt and get you back to necessities faster.

For you gentlemen trying to compare weights with the lady, I feel compelled to remind you that most women and are naturally more buoyant, especially at 180.

True, but even for a guy of the same weight, that was not an excessive load. Needs vary.

Head tilted to the side suggests unconsciousness to me, although even that is speculation.

My home dive bud has problems clearing and always tilts his head to work his E-tube.

 

[jseyfert3]

Yes, such as the buoyancy of 500ml air.

The buoyancy of 500 mL of air IS the weight of 500 mL of water,* that's how buoyancy works. So 1.1 lbs of buoyancy. Granted a hard shelled water bottle could be made of a plastic less dense than water and add some buoyancy, but it wouldn't be much as most plastics are close to the density of water.

*The buoyancy is actually the weight of 500 mL of water minus the weight of 500 mL of air, but at 1 ATM 500 mL of air adds negligible weight and can be ignored for most purposes.