TSandM: Missing Diver in Clallam County, WA

[3D diver]

Facts, facts -- First of all...

Thank you for the additional information.

I lost my wife several years ago so have some inkling how hard this must be.

Take care.

 

[USFpsychDiver]

I was climbing Glacier Peak in the North Cascades many years ago with an instructor when a boulder broke loose above us and came crashing past missing us by only a few feet. He said, "The mountain doesn't care". Neither does the ocean. We who choose to get close to nature and revel in her beauty take that risk, and even faultless planning and execution can only lower the risks, not eliminate them. I am very sorry for the loss of this fine strong woman and greatly admire her husband's courage and openness.

 

[shoredivr]

This ^

 

[Ayisha]

Peter, may I ask if she had asthma or some other respiratory issue? I recall her making reference a few years ago to having asthma or using an inhaler. I remembered because I also have asthma and it just stayed with me.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Peter, when you saw Lynn venting her suit, as I understand it, the current was carrying you both in one direction. Was Lynn in open mid-water or were there any outcroppings, kelp or other obvious potential entanglement hazards visible to you?

 

[gypsyjim]

Thank you Peter for speaking up and adding facts. That can not have been easy or painless to do at this point.

 

[scubadada]

Like so many others, I was shocked and stunned to hear of Lynne's death. I've been struggling with how such an experienced, skilled, prepared, fit diver could perish, even on a pinnacle dive like Duncan Rock. Being of the same age, nearly the same number of dives, and also, a physician, brought this very, very close to home for me. Initially, I had many questions, but Peter answered them in his post, which must have been terribly difficult to write. As several others have suggested, I would put my money on a catastrophic medical problem as being the major cause. I would like to think that we will all know the answer at some point, but know this will not likely be the case.

Peter, my heart goes out to you, I can't imagine losing my wife or another family member on a dive. To all my fellow divers, take care out there.

Craig

 

[Jax]

I have been fortunate to have dived with or observe Lynne and Peter several times. They truly epitomized the team concept.

Everyone is searching for an answer, a cause, from which to learn. This is one time when the only thing to learn is that God's Will be done . . . Not yours, not mine, not ours.

This is a wonderful time to talk to your loved ones and remind them that the water is a harsh mistress and sometimes, our name is called. Lynne was so excited about this trip - her posts resonated with glee over making this trip. God be with you, Peter.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

I'm in shock. Keeping a good thought.

 

[archer1960]

Facts, facts -- First of all, Lynne was diving with me as a team of 2. We entered the water as a team, we descended as a team, we hit the first ridge together and then hit a downdraft which I stopped at about 115 feet with Lynne some feet (10 - 15?) below me. We both came up and I stabilized about 85 feet, she was above me (10-15 feet?). Vis was good -- current was fast.

At that point I saw her venting her suit but then turned away for some reason -- never saw her again. At 80 feet I could see the sun on the surface. I looked around for a minute (?) and then ascended hoping (KNOWING!) I would see her on the surface and that we would say -- Well that sucked! -- as we have several times before.

She had a 3' SMB, Nautilus Lifeline (fully charged) and Dive Alert.

Swell -- almost none

Waves -- one of the last things Lynne said to me before gearing up was "This is a PACIFIC ocean." It was dead flat.

Current -- not much on the surface when we entered.

The second team dropped maybe 10 minutes after we did and their comment upon coming up was "That was a wild ride."


We were both diving 32% and so certainly blew our hard deck of 90' for less than a minute.

Someone speculated about a heart attack and also her vertigo -- both of which I wonder.

The charter captain is a very experienced diver/captain in the area and this was his big treat to Lynne because the conditions appeared to be so perfect.

I really, really hurt so please be kind.

So it sounds like she went down to 125' - 130' on 32% due to the down draft? Not good, but it wasn't for long. I wonder if there might have been some lingering or delayed OxTox effects that kept her from responding properly to the next event?