Tourist dies while diving on Ambergris Caye

[DandyDon]

I worry about stroke or heart attack at 57, so I would definitely leave it on the table for a 66 year old.

Do you really? Why worry until you have one? I booked the easiest tour in Mesa Verde NP last weekend as even it was listed as strenuous like all of the tours, and I figured everyone in the group looked at me with wondering since I'm well older than this poor fellow. I'd told the ranger that I might be the slowest one in the group, but I'd be okay. He said he'd watch for my turquoise shirt to know when the last one finished. Getting down the irregular steps built during the depression by the CCC boys was a hoot, and I was winded by the time we got to the first stop. I know they meant well, but I do wish that not so many asked if I was ok. I just get winded easier these days. Climbing the three limb ladders out did see me step aside for a breather after two, but at least one person did offer kudos for making the tour, along with the young ranger.

Yeah, I guess I am more likely to have a medical event than younger divers, but I certainly hope I'm not found on the floor with weights intact like most recovered. That would be more likely climbing around the boat than relaxing on a safety stop I'd think, or resting on the surface - where I always take a one minute effortless float, reg in mouth until the skipper is ready to pull my kit aboard. I once had a near drowning event from sucking on a leaky snorkel in the shallow end of the pool with several young cousins laughing as I'd let my guard down, ended up with a Laryngospasm.

Life is full of risks, and I'd hate to ruin the vacation day of diving for others on the boat - but still, I'd rather have DAN ship me home than die in a nursing home like my dad.

 

[Fastmarc]

The DM erred here IMO. He could have easily stayed with him during the safety stop and even stayed at the safety stop depth watching him until he was picked up since he did get an ok and thought he was ok.
If he thought it necessary to escort him to the safety stop, he should have thought it necessary to stay with him until out of the water.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

@DandyDon, I agree, I don’t let that worry stop me from doing anything. But, while I’ve never had an incident myself, I do have a family history of them.

I may not have expressed it well. What I was getting at is that if divers in distress are known to give the ok sign, then any of your scenarios are very possible. However, since we don’t know any history on this diver, isn’t medical event just as likely? This all depends on if what I read about distressed or panicked, or near distressed or panicked, is true. No personal experience.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

The DM erred here IMO. He could have easily stayed with him during the safety stop and even stayed at the safety stop depth watching him until he was picked up since he did get an ok and thought he was ok.
If he thought it necessary to escort him to the safety stop, he should have thought it necessary to stay with him until out of the water.

Agreed that some one should have been with him. His dive buddy. The DM is nobody's dive buddy as the DM can NOT be everyone's buddy at the same time.

This illustrates a dive buddy failure, not a DM failure.

 

[Bob DBF]

Agreed that some one should have been with him. His dive buddy. The DM is nobody's dive buddy as the DM can NOT be everyone's buddy at the same time.

This illustrates a dive buddy failure, not a DM failure.

Although I agree to a certain point, taking him to the safety stop without his buddy an leaving him there alone will probably weigh on that DM for a long time.

Since it is a safety stop, instead of leaving the diver alone, he could have sent him up so the boat crew could get him on board safely. When boat diving with a new diver, or new buddy pair, I have used this procedure, or made the stop with them, and watched them get back onboard then finished the dive solo. Since I was doing this as a favor to the DM, none in the water out here, I figured I should return them. On shore dives I just go back to shore.

Going through a tank that fast could have also be a symptom of a medical event Instead of him just being an air hog. Sometimes it is not an easy black and white choice whether one is distressed.


Bob

 

[Fishyhead]

If the boats Ramon's operates is like the other ones I saw on AC, it's odd that the DM left this person to surface on his own since getting back on the boat requires assistance. Did the DM deploy a dsmb on the safety stop for the client? If not, how did the boat know to come get him or other boats know someone was surfacing?

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

.DMs on Ambergris caye 'usually' carry 2 SMBs (at least the guys at belize pro dive) and if someone needs to surface, they give them an inflated one and then the DM returns to the group.

 

[Fastmarc]

Agreed that some one should have been with him. His dive buddy. The DM is nobody's dive buddy as the DM can NOT be everyone's buddy at the same time.

This illustrates a dive buddy failure, not a DM failure.

We’re not really disagreeing. However I’m not sure he did have a buddy during the dive and It’s not uncommon that a lone diver being buddied with the DM.
However having taken the responsibility of accompanying him to the safety stop, the DM is now his buddy IMO.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

We’re not really disagreeing. However I’m not sure he did have a buddy during the dive and It’s not uncommon that a lone diver being buddied with the DM.
However having taken the responsibility of accompanying him to the safety stop, the DM is now his buddy IMO.

We likely agree. I think there is way too much "group diving - the DM is my buddy, no one has a buddy" going on.

People need to understand that the DM can never be your buddy.

How often does the dive op say buddy diving only, does everyone have a buddy? Everyone nods thinking that the DM is their buddy.

Maybe the dive ops need to be more aggressive in making sure that the divers actually do have a buddy?

 

[drrich2]

Often there are politically incorrect but real factors impacting how businesses run and the workflow is managed. I've seen enough of these threads on the forum to know that the politically correct 'model' tends to be 2 buddies conducting the dive throughout, preferably arm's length or similar distance, glancing at each other every few minutes, if one goes up the other does, all the way to back on the boat and post-dive discussion.

I also know that's very often what doesn't happen. What's more, from what I've experienced and perceived from observing others, and the reports about what instabuddies do from forum threads, I don't think that's what all the paying customers want.

If I had to abort a dive, I'd want to be delivered to the safety stop depth at the boat, then left. I'd probably try to 'shoe' the DM back to the group if I could. Obviously some divers have very different expectations and desires.

I don't post this to start an argument. I figure others, particularly newer divers and family members, etc...., who stumble across this thread may read through the posts, see recurrent opinions and wonder 'Well, why doesn't everybody just do that?!?!?'

Because customer experience and skill levels, desire and expectation standards (e.g.: how much 'hand holding' supervision one expects) vary a lot.

Condolences to this diver's loved ones.