Scuba diver dies after complaining of gear malfunction

[Dan]

Scuba diver dies after complaining of gear malfunction

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - A woman who died after scuba diving off St. Pete Beach had complained of a gear malfunction before her death, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Kimberly Houtz, 54, had been scuba diving and spearfishing with her boyfriend, the captain of the boat and two other passengers in the Gulf of Mexico about 13 miles off the coast.

At about 10:15 a.m., authorities say Houtz and her boyfriend stopped to dive a popular wreck that was in about 37 feet of water. Witnesses told investigators Houtz had complained about a diving equipment malfunction but continued with the dive.

Houtz was underwater for less than five minutes before she rose to the surface in distress.

She was pulled back onto the boat and reported feeling nauseous and experiencing abdominal pain. She also had trouble breathing.

As they headed back to shore, Houtz began losing consciousness. The occupants on the boat radioed for assistance and began performing CPR.

An Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team met them about a mile offshore and a paramedic administered shocks from an automated electronic defibrillator (AED) and used oxygen to treat Houtz.

Once they reached land, Houtz was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries. She died Saturday at 3:15 p.m.

Detectives say her death appears to be accidental in nature.

Her official cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office.
​

A good reminder for new divers to ensure your gear is operating correctly, and if not, fix it or don't dive. And while the article doesn't say the cause of death and we don't know for sure, it's a safe assumption that pulmonary barotrama is at play in this case. Whether a panic bolt to the surface or a runaway inflator, don't hold your breath while diving... ever.

Diving Doc: Pulmonary Barotrauma

When @Bob DBF mentioned that stomach pain could be a sign of a heart attack, I went and search about the subject and found this.

https://m.activebeat.com/your-healt...symptoms-how-they-differ-for-men-and-women/8/

“8. Indigestion and Stomach Pain
Because indigestion and stomach pain is so common in American adults, it can be easy to dismiss either condition in the event of a heart attack. But someone with a history of heart disease should take the sudden and unexplained emergence of indigestion and stomach pain very seriously.

Both men and women can experience indigestion and stomach pain during the early stages of a heart attack. The trick is to look for other symptoms, including chest pain and dizziness in men and jaw pain or upper back pain in women.”

 

[Dan]

Feeling nauseous after a dive also mentioned in this case: U.S.Army Colonel dies on Dominican Republic dive boat

 

[NYdiver_666]

I happened to be on a sail boat in the area when this incident occurred so I did hear the exchange with the coast guard

the diver was in the water "no more than 2 mins" ( quote from the person on the boat talking to the coast guard / rescue team ) and the also said they don't think she even had time to reach the bottom

They said she was having difficulty breathing and chest pain - it initially sounded like she was going to be ok - at one point they reported that she was sitting up but still having breathing / chest pain but a short time later they reported her deteriorating and she lost consciousness.

She was administered o2 - there was no AED on the boat

it was her first dive of the day and no other dives in 24 hours

The rescue team asked the boat to start heading in so they could meet but it was about 30 mins before they were able to move because the "other diver ( boy friend )" was still in the water

They reported she stopped breathing about 5 - 10 min after she lost consciousness and that someone was administering CPR - so there was at least one other person on the boat along with the person on the radio although it sounded like there were only 2 people diving

The person on the boat did say she appeared to have suffered a lung injury. There are more details that would indicate lung issue not hearth attack but I am unsure if it is appropriate to post that information.

There was no report of equipment issues over the radio

Edited to clarify - I have seen a couple of reports that imply the issue was not called in until the diver has lost consciousness - it was clear from the exchange I heard that the problem was called well before that it was also clear she was given O2 right away. The boat was in constant contact with the coast guard / rescue team

 

[The Chairman]

I happened to be on a sail boat in the area when this incident occurred so I did hear the exchange with the coast guard

Thanks for the report.

 

[Glenn Williams]

Someone asked earlier what would cause a diver to ascend rapidly from gear failure. Last year we dove the ABC islands and we had an older lady that was very shall I say independent (hard headed) would not take direction from the DM. We were diving at around 75 to 80 feet and the DM was pointing things out and this lady would not stay with us. The DM kept attempting to get her attention by tapping on his tank and to no avail. All of a sudden we all see her darting to the surface. We as a group came up and did our safety stop and got in our boat. The lady wound up in another dive groups boat. Found out she ran out of air. We had to transfer her to our boat and I kept an eye on her as I was worried she might be bent. She was not allowed back in the water for our second dive. The DM told her she could get a refund but she was not diving again with him or us. So all that said, panic was her issue and not staying with us as a group. We could have given her our Octo but she was too far away and her only recourse was to surface and risk herself to being bent because she did not dive as planned per our brief. Not saying this is the issue in this case. But just saying be wary of any diver who who will not stop their dive or try to continue a dive with known issues.

Glenn

 

[TrimixToo]

I have never heard about a stuck BCD inflator lead to death of a diver. Any link to a case?

No link, but second hand reports from two credible people who were on the boat.

 

[Rred]

I'm with Bob on this. Abdominal pain is not generally a symptom caused by SCUBA gear malfunction of any kind.

Years ago, the eponymous Harvey of Harvey's Scuba (Sheepshead Bay, NY) died in a "diving" accident. Except, it was eventually found out that he'd died of a heart problem *while* diving. The diving gear was not at all to blame.

If someone has a heart attack on the golf course, do we start to blame toxic bullfrogs that must have rubbed up against the golf ball?

 

[tridacna]

risk herself to being bent because she did not dive as planned

Embolism or pneumothorax perhaps. Not DCS. Getting bent is a function of time spent underwater not speeding to the surface.

 

[Glenn Williams]

Yes sir, my mistake. Was worried about her though at any rate.

 

[Kensei]

But what if it is? No single gear failure should cost anyone their life.

But what if it isn't? Until more information is released, we're just guessing.