I was just involved in a fatal snorkeling accident.

[Aloha Joe]

I’m posting this here because I’m a new diver and have/had a lot of thoughts about what I could or should have been able to do as a certified Scuba diver.

This is supposed to be my first day of diving on a trip to Big Island and Maui. Since the first dive was tonight I decided to go snorkeling during the morning. Just as I was about to call it quits, I saw an older woman (80s or 90s) in distress. I held her out of the water long enough for her husband to show up (who was pretty far away, and when he showed up seemed to have no idea what was going on) and another young guy and told them both she needed help. It was shallow, surging, and the ground was covered in coral and rocks. I had a difficult time standing and holding her steady due to the conditions, and with the reef and coral and conditions I didn’t believe I had the skill/experience to safely bring her to shore. The other guy was suggesting we both drag her back. I asked if he knew how properly do that, he said no (but looked at me like I was crazy) and then suggested she try snorkeling back since we weren’t too far out. I suggested calling for help but somehow felt like nobody else wanted to do that. I started waving to the life guards/shore, but didn’t yell, and they didn’t see me.

I knew swimming was the wrong call. But it seemed like the husband and the lady agreed as they both went in and started snorkeling. Probably for the lack of ability to make a decision and lack of energy to stand up. I don’t recall the husband ever saying a word? I knew this was bad so I swam next to her. Water was splashing at the top of her snorkel so I tried to get their attention to no avail. Then I saw yellow foamy liquid in the top of her snorkel, and a moment later her head went under, so stopped them and pulled her out, and screamed for help. She was clearly not breathing.

Lifeguards came out in maybe 1-2 minutes and brought her back to shore for CPR. I overheard them say there was no pulse, so I walked away and called my AOW instructor - who has done rescues with the navy seals so I figured she’s been through this - as I am/was incredibly upset. Of course I feel guilt and blame as it’s apparently natural. I feel like I shouldn’t have let them try to swim, or could have pulled her out of the water sooner.... I felt like cancelling my 2 dives on Big Island and signing up for Rescue Diver, but in the back of my mind I know I need to be a more experienced and confident diver. But Marisa (my instructor) suggested I take a couple days off - that I should be in a good place and not thinking about people drowning when I’m on Scuba - and I agreed.

I talked to another friend (a head nurse) that said she could have had some other issue that caused her distress. The amount of time she went without breathing was very short, and someone in good health could probably have been resuscitated. She also tried to comfort me saying it was good the husband was there, she wasn’t in a home, and they were snorkeling in Hawaii when she died. But none of that changes the fact that a woman lost her life and a husband lost his wife.

Even if I’m not ready for Rescue Diver, I’d still like to have more knowledge of how to handle an emergency situation. Or, maybe I’ve learned more than I realize through this event (like keep person safe, call for help immediately)...

 

[Wookie]

There is no shame calling for help loud and long when you need help, which you did. Which came toot sweet when you did call for help. Take this as a lesson. It will be the first lesson in rescue class

 

[KathyV]

I am so sorry for you and for everyone involved in this terrible tragedy, you did the best you could, and it wasn't your fault.

Emergency first aid and CPR classes are widely available at low cost from places like the Red Cross, the American Heart Association, local hospitals and schools. When you feel ready to do so, maybe you should check into taking a class; just so that you will feel better prepared in case something bad like this happens again - but let's hope that it doesn't.

 

[aquacat8]

I’m so sorry you had to go through this, it sounds like you did what you could to help. You are smart to take a recuperation break after this. But as your friend pointed out, that was a beautiful death compared to most, much better than many of the alternatives. She is a nurse and she knows.

 

[NatureLVR]

As cold as this may sound, people pass away every day and you cannot bear the weight of every person that happens to die, regardless of your ability to help them.

If you want to do more in the future, start diving, get Red Cross CPR/AED/First aid training, take your CPR card and go get rescue diver training.

Most importantly, don't beat yourself up about it. Guilt is the kind of thing people start sticking needles in their arms over. It is a powerful negative force.

 

[TrimixToo]

At the end of it all, you did more than most would have done, and did the best you could. Nobody can ask for more.

So, listen up: None of what happened is your fault. Second-guessing yourself afterward when you have all the time in the world to think about it, when you are not under time pressure and stress, is perfectly normal. Survivor's guilt is normal. You can get all the training in the world, but unless you are in some role like EMT or paramedic, you will never get used to it when things go wrong and someone dies or gets hurt. And even then, you might never get used to it.

Would more training help you react better if it happens again? Sure. That's what training is for. That doesn't mean that you should have reacted as though you had been trained already.

Don't reject the notion of counseling out of hand, either. Those folk can help, if you want them to, and they're good at it.

Best of luck. And keep diving. We need people who are willing to help in the water with us sometimes.

 

[Chip Elliott]

I agree with all of these posts. You did what you could do, and you went above and beyond. What you are now feeling is survivor's guilt and grief for the woman. I would go and talk with someone, really talk it through. This post was a good start, but nothing beats talking with a professional who can help you sort out the feelings. You did great.

 

[Nick Steele]

Sorry that you had to endure that.

First and foremost you did what you could and you are not at fault one bit.

All one can do is what they know. Doing something you don’t know how to do properly can cause problems as well. Her buddies did come around and you let them take lead which I believe was acceptable and the right thing to do. I agree with other posters if you fell like you need to talk about it don’t be shy.

I was involved with a scuba accident a month before my certification while freediving. The gentleman had a medical episode while diving and I was there to help tow him to shore where lifeguards were in process of getting medical support ready. While this didn’t change how I thought about diving I do think about it from time to time and it reminds me of what can happen while diving.

 

[Schwob]

Talking this over over a beer or two... or... with a good buddy / companion that you can do that with... may help putting things in perspective.
There is nothing wrong with feeling some guilt or questioning and wanting to improve once actions after the fact if only one could. That's normal. There is nothing wrong with learning from it or getting motivation from it. But there is a lot wrong with letting it eat you. Don't let it!
I am not saying at all that you made a mistake, but I am saying that only those that do nothing make no mistakes. I think you are already thinking the right things. You seem to plan to keep doing and to learn how to get better at the doing and that to me is the right thing. Infinitely better than deciding to be done with doing. So, keep doing...

Addendum: I bet it helped some to write this up here on SB, but it also took guts to do that. Kudos.

 

[Aloha Joe]

Thanks everyone. This is a lot harder than I would have anticipated. I feel really withdrawn and have been trying to distract myself, but then scenes keep replaying in my head. I think I was in shock when I started this thread and cancelled my dives. Now I’m in a different stage and it really sucks.

But I will keep diving, I will get EFR or CPR or something when I’m mentally prepared (I thought I’d do it today or tomorrow but I’m realizing I’m not in the right mental place). And I will speak loudly when I believe someone’s safety is at risk.