Flintkote mine fatality - Canada

[DandyDon]

Diver drowns in former asbestos mine - Montreal - CBC News

A 47-year-old man drowned while diving in a former asbestos quarry near Thetford Mines on Saturday.
Police were called in to Flintkote mine around 9 a.m. ET to help a diver in trouble.
The man was declared dead later at the hospital.
The quarry is 76 metres deep and divers are drawn to the place because of the challenges it entails.
This is the fourth death in the quarry since 2007. Another diver died in May.
The former mine is now closed for investigation.

More from http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/29/another-scuba-diver-drowns-at-former-mine

THETFORD MINES, Que. - An experienced diver is the second person to drown in two months at Flintkote Quarry, which attracts hundreds of scuba divers every year.
Province police retrieved the 47-year-old diver's lifeless body Saturday morning. They attempted to revive him, but the man was pronounced dead at hospital, police said.
The diver, who was with a partner, apparently felt faint when he was 44 feet deep. He took off his equipment and tried to return to the surface, said Guylaine Cloutier, who is responsible for the diving site.
Cloutier said the diver was a regular at the site and in excellent shape.
"He always checked his equipment and things many times. We can't do anything about feeling faint," Cloutier explained, visibly shaken by the death.
Although she says the site is safe, Cloutier is concerned that this is the second drowning in two months and the fourth in five years.
"I've been caring for the site for 15 years but in the last five years, I don't know what's been going on. There is always somebody who feels faintness and stays down there. This is my fourth ... it looks like they are all in the same age bracket," Cloutier said.
Another diver, a 49-year-old man, died at the location in May.

I am thinking that the reporter got confused, as it often the case, about "took off his equipment and tried to return to the surface" as I just don't believe that. The real actions in play may have gotten garbled in the retelling.

 

[Didje]

Very sad. Not many details are being published at the moment. There will eventually be a coroner's report, but until then we won't know what happened, and we might never know what really happened either. It's a sad day for divers

 

[ActionScuba]

Very sad news indeed. We hope that details will be disclosed after a full investigation so that we can all learn from this accident.

 

[phaust]

since it's will take years to have a report...

I was at the quary the next morning. the guy lost counsiousness at 40ft from a deep dive to 200+feet on trimix. it's one of the most well know diver in the area. i think he was diving for at least the last 20 years. it's a great lost for the local comunity.. the news telling that the guy removed is gear at 40ft is wrong. his body was bring to surface after faint, other divers cut is harness and bring it to shore. seem it's was too late.
the guy was in good shape and i saw him dive with 4+ tank most of the time. I talked to him a few time, was a great person to talk with. really sad news..

 

[phaust]

some news..

the buddy posted something on facebook about that incident. here it goes, i will translate since in french and with a lot of spelling mistake, you will not able to google translate it.

the diver who died as 1000+ dives and 1000+ hours dive time, physicaly in great shape, 47 years old

the dive : 200feet for 15 min, then 10 min at 180 feet, then some deco stop (didnt specify). Faint at 40feet, buddy bring it to 20feet before he let go the buddy to surface ( still more than 20 min of deco at 40feet left, so he returned at 40feet)

tanks ( both of them seem to have the same setup )

double hp 100 or 130 with 18/45 helium
1 stage AL80 with 18/45 helium in case of trouble with the double
1 AL80 98% oxygen
1 AL80 50% oxygen

 

[tempoffroad]

Thanks for the update. That is awefull.

 

[ianr33]

the dive : 200feet for 15 min, then 10 min at 180 feet, then some deco stop (didnt specify). Faint at 40feet, buddy bring it to 20feet before he let go the buddy to surface ( still more than 20 min of deco at 40feet left, so he returned at 40feet)

double hp 100 or 130 with 18/45 helium
1 stage AL80 with 18/45 helium in case of trouble with the double
1 AL80 98% oxygen
1 AL80 50% oxygen

Wonder if he was on the, essentially 100% O2, by mistake?

 

[ScubaSteve]

Remaining cylinder pressures would give a good indication of what he been breathed but I doubt that information is known.

 

[flots am]

Remaining cylinder pressures would give a good indication of what he been breathed but I doubt that information is known.

If he actually surfaced from 40', he would have blown off a half hour of deco.

Regardless of what happened underwater, he would have been in serious trouble on the surface.

flots.

 

[tempoffroad]

if he used 100 % at 40' how much pressure drop from a 3000 fill would their be till he blacked out?