Cave diver drowns - Jackson Blue Springs, Florida

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Based on the past four posts and that he would have been exerting pretty hard to try to free himself then he may have seen the early signs of a CO2 hit? (not because the scrubber was depleted but due to the sheer amount of CO2 that he would have been producing at the time).
 
Based on the past four posts and that he would have been exerting pretty hard to try to free himself then he may have seen the early signs of a CO2 hit? (not because the scrubber was depleted but due to the sheer amount of CO2 that he would have been producing at the time).
with 2 cans, neither even close to duration? I mean granted, yeah lots of CO2 production, rapid breathing and reduced dwell time. Possible sure
 
Based on the past four posts and that he would have been exerting pretty hard to try to free himself then he may have seen the early signs of a CO2 hit? (not because the scrubber was depleted but due to the sheer amount of CO2 that he would have been producing at the time).
Producing enough CO2 to cause that seems unlikely to me.
 
Having given it some thought, I don't believe that anyone can answer that with certainty. Of the things I have considered, the counterlung being unable to work is possible but unlikely based on my experience. I "think" that exertion/stress increasing breathing rate making it very uncomfortable for the diver is more likely and thus BO. I could be wrong however, and if more information comes along 100% willing to change what I think is likely.
To "standard" is fill them to 3600, only in a small area of the world.. LOL. Overfill to 3600 or fill to rated 2400, doesn't matter as long as gas planning is done to the dive plan. Nothing I have heard tells me it wasn't done. If we planned to get stuck for "time unknown" there is no gas planning/bringing that would work and we wouldn't cave dive
It does matter. Taking less gas for the same size is not smart. You’re reducing your problem solving time for ??? “Comfort”?

It’s my understanding that the loop was open. This implies some sort of immediate change in ability to breath but I am open to other interpretations.
 
It does matter. Taking less gas for the same size is not smart. You’re reducing your problem solving time for ??? “Comfort”?

It’s my understanding that the loop was open. This implies some sort of immediate change in ability to breath but I am open to other interpretations.
how does filling a LP85 to 2400 vs 3600 give you "comfort"? I certainly never said that. While overfilling LP steel is common in some places (esp where Cave divers dive) it is not universal, and some places won't fill them past rating. You gas plan based on your dive, and plan your dive based on gas plan. You can say that not filling tanks past rating is "not smart", no, not planning your dive and gas accordingly is not smart.
 
It’s my understanding that the loop was open. This implies some sort of immediate change in ability to breath but I am open to other interpretations.
or stayed on loop while panic set in, leading to a sense of not getting enough gas on the loop and BO to OC and simply not shut it.
As far as training goes, shutting the loop is done in same action as taking it out of your mouth, in time (long after course)it's automatic and is not even something you think about. he got CCR certified last fall..
 
A pinched counterlung maybe?
Sounds like a possibility if he was stuck in a low restriction because the bladder is right between the body and the ceiling and with the wing pushing down on it.
Or maybe he had an excess RMV due to the stress and just felt more comfortable bailing out to OC?
Olli, it's good to hear from you. Hopefully we can dive together again soon. I think I can sum this up for you. Basically the guy was zero to hero in a fairly short amount of time. As we all know some people can progress faster than others. If you live where you can cave dive regularly you will certainly progress faster than a vacation diver. From his Facebook page it seems the guy was financially well off. As we have seen time and again the dive industry is very sicular and depends heavily on the economy to be booming as very few people have to dive. Most do it as a hobby. As we know it takes a steady stream of new divers to support the industry. That leads to shops pushing gear and classes for the almighty dollar. I remember when the Sidewinder was shown at Dema a few years ago it was being advertised as so easy even someone with essentially no training could dive it. I would bet everything I own that this guy would have survived if he was open circuit. Can this passage be navigated in a Sidewinder. I would imagine so but throw in making the dive overly complex for an inexperienced diver and you have a fatality. As to be expected the industry will blame the diver, the person who installed the line or whatever other reason they can dream up to keep from admitting that they were partially responsible for encouraging this person to go to far to fast so they could make a buck. Chris claims this line was unsafe. If that's the case as a dive professional why didn't he pull it or fix it. Edd was and may still be the CDS safety director. Why did he allow an unsafe line go for decades in his own backyard. I imagine it's the same thing as always. It's no different than knowingly filling a uncertified cave divers tanks who was diving with your tank monkey regularly in JB then blaming him when he died in a similar situation and location. Or you might remember the renting of the pontoon boat and telling them where Twin Caves is. Ow diving wasn't allowed for years on the Mill Pond but hey let's let ow divers dive there so we can make a buck. In short you have been gone for years but it's the same old story that we discussed years ago.
 
how does filling a LP85 to 2400 vs 3600 give you "comfort"? I certainly never said that. While overfilling LP steel is common in some places (esp where Cave divers dive) it is not universal, and some places won't fill them past rating. You gas plan based on your dive, and plan your dive based on gas plan. You can say that not filling tanks past rating is "not smart", no, not planning your dive and gas accordingly is not smart.
Comfort vs the weight of the extra gas. Lighter tanks are certainly more comfortable in the water than heavy ones.

For the same size tank, having more gas is preferable to having less gas. Especially when you’re in a pinch.

This is obvious.
 
Chris claims this line was unsafe. If that's the case as a dive professional why didn't he pull it or fix it.
Because I am not on any line committee. We all know what will happen if I start pulling lines others have put in. I did tell my students and anyone that asked me for places to go take a look that that (and a couple others) are tight, won't see much and not worth it.
To fixing it, it was over to the side and had some give but secure, to move it into an area that any diver could be on the line and pass would make it an entanglement hazard. If extending arm to OK it you could stay in still quite tight but passable. I am sure that you have been in tight low cave with line like that , not just in JB, it's not terribly unusual in off the beaten path lined low silty cave. I don't like when side passages like that are lined, especially in the first couple thousand feet into a system because so many new cave divers look at every lined jump as some checkbox, and many of them are just not a great idea. It's a timeless debate among the cave instructor community, as I am sure you also know,
 
Because I am not on any line committee. We all know what will happen if I start pulling lines others have put in. I did tell my students and anyone that asked me for places to go take a look that that (and a couple others) are tight, won't see much and not worth it.
To fixing it, it was over to the side and had some give but secure, to move it into an area that any diver could be on the line and pass would make it an entanglement hazard. If extending arm to OK it you could stay in still quite tight but passable. I am sure that you have been in tight low cave with line like that , not just in JB, it's not terribly unusual in off the beaten path lined low silty cave. I don't like when side passages like that are lined, especially in the first couple thousand feet into a system because so many new cave divers look at every lined jump as some checkbox, and many of them are just not a great idea. It's a timeless debate among the cave instructor community, as I am sure you also know,
Chris, it isn't just you. It's the industry as a whole and these people thump their chests and claim they are all about safety and are so self righteous yet they continually choose a buck over safety. Look at the dual fatality in Eagle's nest where the guy got hung up and started shedding gear trying to go down one of Andy's lines. Jim Wyatt and the CDS went on a crusade against gold line T's. I pointed out that there were numerous gold line T's in North Florida even though he said there weren't and was attacked for it. It wasn't the gold line T that caused the double fatality just like in this case it wasn't the line. It was the industry choosing to make a buck and promoting to far to fast instead of really caring about safety like they proclaim so proudly. As a professional in any activity you should be held to a higher standard. I am in construction and we have willful negligence. As a professional I am supposed to fix or stop work if I see something unsafe. As a trained professional you have the same responsibility. There are no line commitees in JB and that's a cop out. Maybe you and the other's will actually look deep down and change the industry and quit pushing people to go to far to fast for a buck. I seriously doubt it but one can hope. As a surviving spouse of someone who was killed by negligence I know how inaction by so called professionals can have devastating effects. If you want to change things then pressure the other professionals in the industry to change and say no.
 

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