Casino Point - Avalon, Diver Death 9/5/11

[babygirlbowtie]

This add for my local diving school would certainly lead me to believe that once finished I should okay to dive with a buddy.. anywhere in the world.. its amazing to that you can take via the internet as well.. no classroom instruction at all..

Get Your Open Water Diver Certification!
Download Course Flyer (deleted name) has been training new divers in San Diego for more than 30 years. Now is the time for you to dive into the PADI Open Water Diver course and begin your world of exploration underwater! Whether you want to dive with colorful fish, whale sharks, or manta rays, as a PADI Open Water Diver you have the freedom to dive with a buddy anywhere in the world!

 

[iztok]

One has to demonstrate 20 skills and knowledge of some dive theory is required. That sums it up into two weekends worth of classes, pool sessions and ow demonstration.

I am reasonably sure that your friend demonstrated the skills and passed the test. How much she retained post that I don't know.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I thought my friends accident was a rare thing but it really sounds like its not.

How do you define rare?

More people die every year playing golf, and perhaps even bowling. People die skiing, snowboarding, bicycling, skating, surfing, swimming, kayaking, rafting, hiking, climbing... Even whale "watching" has fatalities.

Divers who have had the best training also die; life is not without risk and for me a full life is full of risk.

 

[babygirlbowtie]

I dont know.. she just finished the class.. she was using the same weight that she was using in her classes and so many here say she was over weighted.. she was wearing was she was taught worked here in san diego.. i dont imagine catalina is much different..

 

[babygirlbowtie]

I take lots of risk and realize there is risk in most everything... I can understand getting tangled in kelp, injured or even eaten in the underwater world... but running out of air??? Not being able to drop your gear?? Although I do realize some people allow themselves to not pay attention and run out of gas in a vehicle but your life doesnt depend on your vehicle having gas... I guess Im becoming a little angry.. maybe a part of the process

 

[wtcreaux]

Although I do realize some people allow themselves to not pay attention and run out of gas in a vehicle but your life doesnt depend on your vehicle having gas...

Tell that to a pilot. Happens quite frequently (at least more than it should, which is ZERO) though and usually with tragic results.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I guess Im becoming a little angry.. maybe a part of the process

You are brave to even be participating in this thread.

My uncle is a crew member for one of the souped up vintage fighter race planes that should have been in the last race at Reno this week. It is likely they were not in the air, because I have not seen that plane mentioned yet, but it is also likely up to 4 members of my close family were at the field that day. I'm pretty sure I would have received an email by now if someone I know was injured/killed but still I'm not thinking I want to read arm chair pilot's speculate about a pilot the same age as my uncle killing people because of his age, or because he tried to fly 500 mph in an old prop plane.

 

[babygirlbowtie]

Tell that to a pilot. Happens quite frequently (at least more than it should, which is ZERO) though and usually with tragic results.

I agree... ZERO

 

[DandyDon]

I dont know.. she just finished the class.. she was using the same weight that she was using in her classes and so many here say she was over weighted.. she was wearing was she was taught worked here in san diego.. i dont imagine catalina is much different..

I don't think she was overweighted. It was a lot of weight, but in a 7 mil suit and saltwater I'd use close to that, and weighting varies with people - so it might have been right for her. Even if a bit much, she should have been able to dump most of it, enough anyway - but we don't know what went wrong exactly here.

I take lots of risk and realize there is risk in most everything... I can understand getting tangled in kelp, injured or even eaten in the underwater world... but running out of air??? Not being able to drop your gear?? Although I do realize some people allow themselves to not pay attention and run out of gas in a vehicle but your life doesnt depend on your vehicle having gas... I guess Im becoming a little angry.. maybe a part of the process

I do wish Instructors would make it clear that an OW card is a license to learn, not ready for the world. I'd like to see more encouragement to hire local DMs in new settings.

 

[iztok]

This add for my local diving school would certainly lead me to believe that once finished I should okay to dive with a buddy.. anywhere in the world..

In the OW manual it clearly states (and I am sure most of the instructors mention) that one should only dive within limits of training and experience. It says that hiring a DM for new dive site is recommended as well. I also believe that 60ft recommendation and frequent checking of tank pressure is mentioned in the manual (and fairly sure instructor mentioned that as well).

It seems that your friend ended up deeper than recommended, and with not enough air supply. That two factors alone would raise a flag. I know when I started diving back in 2009 (yes I am a new diver with little over 200 dives) I was watching that pressure gauge like it was going out of style or something. Since then I've learned more about my gas consumption and am much better at estimating my tank pressure based on my dive so far and am usually not that far off. I remember that I took my AOW class soon after my OW as I wanted more instructions. I remember my first boat dive of my AOW class where a diver (who was not a student) came out with no air left and he was not the only one that day and it was not the only time that day he did that (he had to use boat supplied air at 15ft twice that day). That scared me and put him on a list of divers I don't want to dive with ever. That and another diver who w/o proper training parked himself at 140ft for several minutes just so he could see how his computer would react to deco and then rode the computer up are the two on my list of not diving with.

Anyways, I can tell you that both of those divers I mentioned knew ahead of time (as I was there either during the briefing or in one case training) that what they did was not supposed to be done. They were reminded to check their pressure and not to go that deep and go into NDL.

So yes unfortunately people do such dangerous things immediately following good instructions.