Current pushes British diver into cave - Donegal, Ireland

[DandyDon]

Diver (57) died after getting into difficulty off Donegal coast - Independent.ie

A post-mortem examination is expected to be held tomorrow after a sea-diver drowned off the coast of Donegal.

Gardai are treating the death of John Alwright (57) who got into difficulties with a group of divers near Portnablagh on Friday afternoon as a tragic accident.

Sources said Mr Alwright was swept by an under-water current into a cave and his oxygen mask became dislodged.

Efforts were made by fellow-divers to replace the mask as Malin Head Coast Guard was alerted and Mulroy Bay Coast Guard and Sligo’s Rescue 118 helicopter went to the scene.

A spokesperson from Malin Head Coast Guard said the 57-year-old diver was not responding when he came to the surface.

"We were initially alerted by the gentleman's fellow divers. He was unconscious when he came to the surface and subsequently airlifted to hospital.

"There was an ambulance at the scene and also a garda presence who are investigating the matter," the spokesperson said.

Defibrillator assistance was applied but Mr Alwright was pronounced dead on arrival at Letterkenny University Hospital after the Friday afternoon tragedy.

Mr Alwright, from Langford, Bedfordshire, was with a group of English divers on a visit to Donegal.

A garda spokesperson told the Irish Independent that it is currently investigating the "tragic death".

"We confirm that we were at the scene where the man's body was recovered.

"We are treating this incident as a sudden death under tragic circumstances.

"We expect the post mortem will take place tomorrow," said the Garda spokesperson.

 

[Texasguy]

- oxygen mask

akin EMTs have?

 

[Bob DBF]

Journalistic license when describing dive gear, it happens all over the world. He was possibly using a full face mask.


Bob

 

[Jerome O'Neil]

I'm moving to Ireland within the next couple of years, and have plans on diving the entire west coast extensively. I've been off the Donegal coast in boats before but never felt like the current was that awful. You can get some heavy waves, but then again, it is the North Atlantic.

Sucks for that guy and his people.

 

[Bob DBF]

I've had surge push me into places I didn't want to be and not bring me back out. To someone writing about it, this action could be considered a current because of what it did rather than the actual mechanism involved.

By my writing this you can tell I made it back out, but I was not sure I was going to, and have been a lot more carefull around heavy surge since. I was lucky the incident was near the beginning of the dive.


Bob

 

[Jan Kruger]

" I've had surge push me into places I didn't want to be and not bring me back out. To someone writing about it, this action could be considered a current because of what it did rather than the actual mechanism involved.

By my writing this you can tell I made it back out, but I was not sure I was going to, and have been a lot more carefull around heavy surge since. I was lucky the incident was near the beginning of the dive. "

I have not been in such a situation- must be hair raising at that moment !

 

[Tzymische]

I'm moving to Ireland within the next couple of years, and have plans on diving the entire west coast extensively. I've been off the Donegal coast in boats before but never felt like the current was that awful. You can get some heavy waves, but then again, it is the North Atlantic.

Sucks for that guy and his people.

Yeah north atlantic can be treacherous from time to time. I've been once pulled (in the same general area) down to 30meters in about 25 seconds. Even Irish sea on East Coast can sometimes go mad - I have about '10 000' cuts on my fingers from Saturday and Sunday last week when I was pushed by current onto barnacles infested rocks.

 

[Jerome O'Neil]

Yeah north atlantic can be treacherous from time to time. I've been once pulled (in the same general area) down to 30meters in about 25 seconds. Even Irish sea on East Coast can sometimes go mad - I have about '10 000' cuts on my fingers from Saturday and Sunday last week when I was pushed by current onto barnacles infested rocks.

Not to derail the thread, but how far out of Dublin do you need to get to find decent diving? We own a place in Drumcondra, but we lease it out and are arguing whether to move west (my choice) or not (her choice.) I spend a lot of time up in Howth, but it doesn't look like there'd be much there except mud.

 

[Tzymische]

Not to derail the thread, but how far out of Dublin do you need to get to find decent diving? We own a place in Drumcondra, but we lease it out and are arguing whether to move west (my choice) or not (her choice.) I spend a lot of time up in Howth, but it doesn't look like there'd be much there except mud.

There are actually quite decent dive sites in Dublin bay (including couple of wrecks in Dublin Bay - Guide Me2, Vanguard) - diving around Dalkey Island and Muglins is always pretty good. Visibility can be challenging at times - can be around 1.5 to 2m and up to 6-8m. There's few good shore diving sites. Everything withing 20-30 minutes drive.
Ireland is small enough, You can get to good sites on west coast in about 2-2.5h drive from Dublin and get home for dinner .
There's ok diving east, good diving south(south east),south, west, north - I am diving in Dublin at least twice a week. Loads of life there - lobsters, various fish, crabs (various), prawns, squids, cuttle fish, seals, dolphins etc etc etc.


One more thing - best thing to Dive Ireland is to join dive club - we dive at least 2 times a week + go away around the country with our boat every long weekend and a week in July. We have 7m rib, and memberane ean40 compressor - etc. Just thru the club I do 50-80 dives every season