Wife describes losing husband - Maui, Hawaii

[SandyRobinson]

.."Then the instructor pulled Monday’s emergency cord, putting air in her buoyancy vest and sending her to the surface."

What in the heck is this? ...

Back in the late 70s and early 80s, many BCs had an attached CO cartridge. The purpose was to inflate the BC in the event of an OOA emergency (sounds silly these days). Inflation was done by pulling a short cord which caused a pin to penetrate the cartridge and inflating the BC. I am not sure when they disappeared. My first BC was a USD Sea Otter and the cartridge was under a pocket on the left(?) front of the jacket.

I did not dive from 1991 to 2000 or so. When I started again, I took the BC to a local dive shop to see if I could still use it. They had a good laugh upon seeing it and the cartridge.

 

[lexvil]

Reprint from over a year ago it seems Modesto Bee, I cant link to it

 

[Steelyeyes]

I was a little surprised that Mr Sharp was allowed to dive the backside of Molokini, never having been deeper than 60 feet,. It's been a long time since I was in Maui and did this dive. Does it not often require AOW or proof of expedience? I may be wrong about this. During our visit it was a very easy dive I hear it can be more challenging.

My wife and I did this dive a few days after a storm. The only real challenge was down welling. We were told if we got in one to swim out from the wall and we'd be fine.

 

[BFRedrocks]

I was a little surprised that Mr Sharp was allowed to dive the backside of Molokini, never having been deeper than 60 feet,. It's been a long time since I was in Maui and did this dive. Does it not often require AOW or proof of expedience? I may be wrong about this. During our visit it was a very easy dive I hear it can be more challenging.

The last time I was on Maui, the shop I dove with said that the backside of Molokini and their hammerhead shark dive were both for advanced divers only. I did the HH dive and it was definitely an advanced dive...I didn't get to do the backside of Molokini, but I was told the "advanced" part was due to potential currents and being in "blue open" water.

 

[JackD342]

"The next thing Monday remembers is the instructor by her side saying into her ear that “everything was all right.” Then the instructor pulled Monday’s emergency cord, putting air in her buoyancy vest and sending her to the surface."

I have to assume this is is just bad reporting. emergency cord? What instructor wouold inflate a BC at 185ft and "send her to the surface"

“I do not recall these things ever being explained in detail or stressed on any dive trip I have taken, which is unacceptable,” Monday said. “When you are on vacation, when you are on one of those tours, you kind of forget about the risks of diving because it is such a fun and exciting thing, and I really think they need to stress more (the dangers).”

Every course I have taken or book I have read on scuba instruction covers narcosis. Maybe she just didn't pay attention.

The narrative seems odd and creates more questions, (the instructor spoke into her ear at 185ft? Could be, but not too likely...) but remember the full context. If she had one diver in reach that had stopped making good decisions, and another one below and still heading down, she may very well have made the determination to get the first diver headed up via BCD before chasing down the other deeper diver. There is no "right" thing to do there, just a choice of what might be "least wrong."

 

[aviator8]

The narrative seems odd and creates more questions, (the instructor spoke into her ear at 185ft? Could be, but not too likely...) but remember the full context. If she had one diver in reach that had stopped making good decisions, and another one below and still heading down, she may very well have made the determination to get the first diver headed up via BCD before chasing down the other deeper diver. There is no "right" thing to do there, just a choice of what might be "least wrong."

Yeah the whole thing raises questions, and that's a situation I would not want to be in. Im sure an instructor would get the first diver moving up. The story just seemed off that she launched her to the surface. Sounds more like a fully buoyant emergency ascent which isn't going to end well.

 

[W W Meixner]

"The next thing Monday remembers is the instructor by her side saying into her ear that “everything was all right.” Then the instructor pulled Monday’s emergency cord, putting air in her buoyancy vest and sending her to the surface."

I have to assume this is is just bad reporting. emergency cord? What instructor wouold inflate a BC at 185ft and "send her to the surface"

“I do not recall these things ever being explained in detail or stressed on any dive trip I have taken, which is unacceptable,” Monday said. “When you are on vacation, when you are on one of those tours, you kind of forget about the risks of diving because it is such a fun and exciting thing, and I really think they need to stress more (the dangers).”

Every course I have taken or book I have read on scuba instruction covers narcosis. Maybe she just didn't pay attention.

A8...

Please correct if I'm wrong...I've read the two part thread twice...OW certification is to 60 ft...185/200 ft is not advanced...but tec...

What is an OW diver...certified to 60 ft...doing at 185/200 ft...

And...why are operators taking OW divers to those depths...this isn't a maybe...this is a recipe for a fatality...the thread clearly states...this was the first time the victim ''ever'' dove below 60 ft...

Is there something I have not read/understood correctly...

This goes a lot further than ''stressing the dangers''...this is wanton and willful negligence...

I'm waiting to read...single 3AL 80 with no redundancy...

W.W...

 

[spoolin01]

"...

Every course I have taken or book I have read on scuba instruction covers narcosis. Maybe she just didn't pay attention.

She's an attorney. She's probably just tuning up for a lawsuit. Other aspects of her narrative imply blame or carelessness on the part of the dive op.

 

[aviator8]

A8...

Please correct if I'm wrong...I've read the two part thread twice...OW certification is to 60 ft...185/200 ft is not advanced...but tec...

What is an OW diver...certified to 60 ft...doing at 185/200 ft...

And...why are operators taking OW divers to those depths...this isn't a maybe...this is a recipe for a fatality...the thread clearly states...this was the first time the victim ''ever'' dove below 60 ft...

Is there something I have not read/understood correctly...

This goes a lot further than ''stressing the dangers''...this is wanton and willful negligence...

I'm waiting to read...single 3AL 80 with no redundancy...

W.W...

Oh there is alot wrong in here. I personally don't know, I was just reading the story and commenting on a few things that sounded way off to me so I have no idea what is real, or misrepresented. I took out of it that they were doing a dive and the guy swam off down to 200ft and that was not part of the dive plan. They don't state their levels of certification or what planned depth was, just that they assembled up at 70 ft which would be normal for AOW and frankly OW divers go there all the time. This could have been a training dive for AOW, I don't know.

 

[JackD342]

A8...

Please correct if I'm wrong...I've read the two part thread twice...OW certification is to 60 ft...185/200 ft is not advanced...but tec...

What is an OW diver...certified to 60 ft...doing at 185/200 ft...

And...why are operators taking OW divers to those depths...this isn't a maybe...this is a recipe for a fatality...the thread clearly states...this was the first time the victim ''ever'' dove below 60 ft...

Is there something I have not read/understood correctly...

This goes a lot further than ''stressing the dangers''...this is wanton and willful negligence...

I'm waiting to read...single 3AL 80 with no redundancy...

W.W...

Warren- The article does not say or even suggest that 185/200 feet was the plan - but unfortunately it is where two divers wound up.
You can't tell from the article what the planned maximum depth was, or be certain at what depth things went wrong, but it does say that the divers were gathering at 70 ft, and perhaps intended to "buddy up" at that depth but were first distracted by the sharks before getting all settled in. They may have been no deeper at that point. Also no idea what the hard bottom was where they gathered, but it may very well have been a reasonable depth. It sounds like the narc'd diver was actively swimming away from the group, and may have gone out and down into the much deeper water while chasing a shark.