Accident in Belize

[Saltyhawg]

I'm stranded in Belize City by an air traffic controller strike. A couple on our flight is a member of the injured diver's group. He has been transferred to a hospital in the US and is still in critical condition on the vent. According to them the prop was not turning but the diver was injured when a large wave swept him under the boat.

Another diver on that boat dove with us the day following the accident and he disputed that. He said the prop was turning and the diver's BC was almost cut in two. Will post more when we get back to better Internet service tomorrow.

 

[kwinter]

With everyone focusing on not letting your DAN insurance run out, I guess I will bring up the issue of checking the emergency status of any boat I go on. If the crew can not or will not show you a working, complete O2 setup, first aid supplies and communications (radio or cell phone), you shouldn't get on that boat. Or carry your own.

 

[bennenrkc]

Salty, May I ask who you dove with? Was the other diver on the following day Ron?

 

[Saltyhawg]

We dove with Hugh Parkey. The other diver was Brazilian.

 

[ZombieZombie]

We dove with Hugh Parkey. The other diver was Brazilian.

Do you mind saying what reefs this was on and/or which dive operator the injured diver was with.

Not intending to cast any aspersions or point any fingers (although if it is proven true about the lack of working O2 that doesn't bode well). I was diving in Belize last week (Ambergris Caye) and this obviously is of interest.

 

[Saltyhawg]

They were diving Turneffe Atoll and Ramon's Village was the dive shop. The lady in his group told me they rendered appropriate first aid and 02 as I recall so I'm not sure about the lack of working equipment mention. They immediately headed for Belize City where the victim underwent surgery and later was shipped to the states.

 

[danvolker]

I am a little confused as to why this injured DM would have needed O2, unless his heart or breathing had stopped, and CPR had to be performed.
Was that the case?

 

[redkev]

I was also on the Hugh Parkey boat with the Brazilian couple the next day after the accident, (Thursday) and again on Friday. The accident really freaked them out. In their minds, it was clearly the fault of the dive operator. On Friday it was just the 4 of us (my wife with me) on the Hugh Parkey boat. We talked a bit more about the accident but I really did not get any additional information other that the fact that the diver was still unconscious. On a side note, The Hugh Parkey dive operation was very well run and safe, just a bit too controlled for our level of diving experience.

 

[Saltyhawg]

I was also on the Hugh Parkey boat with the Brazilian couple the next day after the accident, (Thursday) and again on Friday. The accident really freaked them out. In their minds, it was clearly the fault of the dive operator. On Friday it was just the 4 of us (my wife with me) on the Hugh Parkey boat. We talked a bit more about the accident but I really did not get any additional information other that the fact that the diver was still unconscious. On a side note, The Hugh Parkey dive operation was very well run and safe, just a bit too controlled for our level of diving experience.

Glad you made it home ok! Enjoyed diving with you and your wife. Thanks for putting up with us newbies!

danvolker, yes as I understood it he was unconscious when pulled from the water and was treated as a near drowning in addition to his head injury.

 

[danvolker]

As divers, most of us dont think too much about whether or not the boat is IN GEAR once we hear the DIVE, DIVE, DIVE command.

In as much as our lives are at stake with this...it might be worth it for divers to add this to the last moment check list, like taking a few breaths off the reg to be sure no one turned it off...
With all of the drift dives we do in Palm Beach, many divers here listen to make sure the boat is off prior to any consideration of jumping in....
Even with my hot drops ( going in negative with all air sucked out of bc, and rapid kicking down on contact with the water, I would not want to see if I could make it past a prop spinning in reverse. ...

I plan on doing quite abit of Belize diving soon, so please dont read this as anything more than my interest in all things Belize related