Coast Guard attempts rescue on Lake Michigan

[DandyDon]

Diver rescued from Lake Michigan | Fox17

SAUGATUCK, Mich.- A man had to be rescued Saturday morning after he stopped breathing during a dive operation on Lake Michigan.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a diver had been diving in about 100 ft. of water in Lake Michigan when something went wrong with the diver’s air regulator. His diving partner tried to assist him, but the time they resurfaced the diver had stopped breathing.
A 25-foot Coast Guard boat from Holland arrived on scene and took the diver to shore and then was transferred by EMS to Spectrum Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids.
The condition of the man right now is unknown.

 

[iamjblevine]

Real problem was entanglement during ascent. Divers became tangled in discarded steel line.
Diver experiencing free flow stopped breathing and was saved by CPR at the surface.
7 broken ribs.

 

[mick allein III]

Scuba Diver Rescued In Lake Michigan - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

 

[bada3003]

Anyone know which wreck they were diving?

 

[Malpaso]

Real problem was entanglement during ascent. Divers became tangled in discarded steel line.
Diver experiencing free flow stopped breathing and was saved by CPR at the surface.
7 broken ribs.

Any chance you can expand on this? Sounds like a good "lesson learned" for the rest of us.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Any chance you can expand on this? Sounds like a good "lesson learned" for the rest of us.

Good question - do we know if they were steel leaders for fishing or something else that had steel line? When I think of steel leaders I think you can cut those with snips or shears... But if it was a free flow at the same time - I can imagine how that may have unfolded or may have become more serious very quickly.

 

[iamjblevine]

Divers were on the north shore tug, near Saugatuck. She lies in about 150 feet of water. This is the story from the diver doing the rescuing. I've been diving with him for a couple years.
They moored to the wreck with no intention of exceeding rec Limits. (Don't ask me). They descended to about 80 feet where they could see the wreck. They were still on the line. The rescuer turned to the victim to point something out and noticed his regulator out of his mouth, free flowing. The rescuer, inserted the I to into the victim's mouth and got no response from him. He purged and began what he considered a fast but safe ascent. (Rate of bubbles). At 30 feet they hit a **** ton of stainless steel down rigger cable. The entanglement ripped the regulator out of the victims mouth and tangled it. At this point both divers were entangled, but the rescuer chose to try and pull himself and the victim up the mooring line. (A mistake). As the down rigger cable tightend around them in several places, they became more entangled and were held fast 2 feet from the surface. This is when the rescuer chose to release the victim and cut himself free and then cut the victim free.
One surfaced the rescuer got the victim on the dive platform and began CPR. After a couple sessions and no response he radioed the coast guard and resumed CPR. Shortly before the coast guard arrived the victim began breathing on his own.
The victim was transported to Spectrum Butterworth and released last Tuesday. No evidence of brain damage. Estimated time with no breathing is 12 minutes. Victim has 9 broken ribs and remembers none of it. Victim is quite mad he isn't cleared to go to whitefish point with us in a couple week.
Was everything executed perfectly. No. But the coast guard, chief of bariatric medicine, and paramedics all stated the rescuer performed admirably in a stressful situation.
Knowing both divers the big lesson learned for me is if the roles were reversed. There would be one less living diver today. The divers did not have equal rescue skills.

 

[Malpaso]

Excellent write-up. Thank you.

Pardon my lack of knowledge, but what exactly is "down rigger cable"?
If it was at 30', how did they get up to 2'?
How were they able to cut themselves out (what tool was used)?

 

[iamjblevine]

Braided stainless steel fishing line used on charter fishing boats on the Great Lakes.
Dive shears were used to cut the line.
The rescuer muscled his way up the mooring line. I might have a picture of some of the line.

---------- Post added August 8th, 2014 at 02:07 PM ----------

Here's a photo of some of the line they pulled out of the water after the incident.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Braided stainless steel fishing line used on charter fishing boats on the Great Lakes.

FYI for those that may not fish - steel leaders are not just for the Great Lakes - All along the East Coast they use them as well - Don't know about the West Coast but I would assume there too... If you don't own the EMT Shears you can buy them at an LDS or some retail outlets - stainless shears are what I carry as well as a knife - but I would not risk my life on my knife to cut through that photo above... If you dive in the ocean on wrecks or artificial reefs in NJ at least you want to be prepared.