Diver Accident Death

[CharlotteDiver]

I think a lot of what is discussed on this particular post about 'how you would feel if you had known' is in hind-sight. I don't know how getting an announcement before embarking on the day's dive of a fatal diving accident would have made anyone feel better or more safe, though.

A group of 9 of us just returned from diving with Scuba Mau two weeks ago and we have never gone diving with a more professional and safe dive op. I am in favor of their decision not to advertise the fact that someone had an accident. We have done countless dives with Scuba Mau and their DM's are beyond attentive and aware. We will continue to dive with them and support the group completely in this very difficult time.

 

[denisem228]

I am flying to Cozumel in 4 weeks and we are set to dive with Opal and Pablo from Scuba Mau. I am a little apprehensive, but not about their ability, this just puts in my mind, that weven though diving is awesome, we all must be on our toes (fins)..I pray for this family and this teenager. My teenager is only going to snorkel, she's not certified yet, but I can't wait till we can dive together, but this accident does make a person, stop and think.

 

[morecowbells]

I do not think the dive op has any obligation to discuss this. In these discussions, I think many people do not realize how traumatic it is to be the one providing CPR and emergency care to someone who does not come through. It is traumatic when the person does survive, it is devastating when they do not. Your mind keeps flashing back to the person's eye's, their face, the feel of their chest during compressions. It is haunting. Sometimes it helps people to talk about it, often it does not. It is a very personal and emotional experience which words will never serve justice. It can feel disrespectful to the deceased, or their family to discuss it. Although time heals, you never forget.

With time and healing, perhaps Scuba Mau will discuss this, perhaps not. My prayers and thoughts go out to this family, and the people involved who did everything they could do to help this gentleman and his family.

 

[Craig66]

My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. A life lost is always sad. A young life lost under such tragic circumstances is heart breaking.

After spending time with Opal, Mau and all at Scuba Mau I can think of no one else that I would rather be surrounded by if God forbid I had to endure such an experience. Knowing that the family had the help and support of Opal, Mau el al to help guide them through this process in a foreign country is very reassuring and invaluable

Unfortunately despite our medical progress, cardiac arrest and heart attacks are for the most part as lethal as they have always been and it is probable that had this poor soul made it to the surface without a decompression injury that he would still have passed from ventricular fibrillation (cardiac arrest after a heart attack).

It is always easy to philosophise as to whether a dive shop/cruise line/restaurant/ gym/etc/etc...should disclose the passing of a patron. I fully agree that wide advertising to all that a diver had passed would have been counterproductive and harmful to the mental well being of all involved and all who hear about it. I fully agree with SM decision not to freely advertise the events and knowing Opal and Mau I am sure that had anyone had specific concerns that Opal would have been more than happy to sit down with them and help them come to terms with the events. Unfortunately as Morecowbells stated a resuscitation whilst sexy on ER is a traumatic horrible thing to have to be a part of, watch or even hear about and time and space needs to be given to all involved to process the events.

Craig

 

[NotLloydBridges]

Craig66 said: "It is always easy to philosophise as to whether a dive shop/cruise line/restaurant/ gym/etc/etc...should disclose the passing of a patron."

I'd suggest instead that it is always easier for someone sitting behind a keyboard a long way away to "philosophize" about this compared, say, to someone who went diving an hour or so after a fatal accident and wondered why everybody was acting kind of funny, and then learned about the fatal accident. . on the Internet.

Unlike restaurants, cruise ships, etc., dive shops make you sign a blanket waiver of liability before you can dive with them. The only thing that makes the act of signing a blanket release not insane is knowledge of the safety practices and safety record of the dive shop. People shouldn't have to learn this information only through chance reports by another diver. In this case, IIRC the OP was not even on the dive boat, so the information is already second hand.

Divers would be better off if there were a requirement that dive ops report accidents on their dives to some kind of public registry. That's unlikely to happen in the US, let alone Mexico or other dive-popular countries.

As to the trauma of resuscitation, I served on a volunteer ambulance corps as a teenager in Craig66's home state many years ago, and was involved in a failed resuscitation of a 14 year-old auto accident victim. It was terrible, for me, for my older colleagues, and heaven knows for the girl's family and her stupid 19 year old BF who was speeding away from a fender bender with her in the driver's seat when he crashed into a stone wall. And it was in the newspaper the very next day, the whole story. I don't recall anybody complaining that the papers shouldn't have covered the story because of how traumatic it must have been for all of us. I don't see why dive shops deserve a pass, even good dive shops run by good people.

 

[Johnsaffer]

I certainly do not think this is the forum for a heated discussion of this nature but I do feel that Notlloydbridges suggestion that this accident is in anyway a reflection on the diveshops safety procedures and safety record needs to be addressed, Multiple posters, myself included,have nothing but the utmost respect for this dive shop and the poor diver in question was an experienced diver with 300-400 dives under his belt with an unfotunate situation developing at 30ft of water. The suggestion that this was in any way related to the safety procedures of this dive shop is unfounded. It was a tragic accident that could have (and possibly has) happened to any of the high quality dive operations in Cozumel. The suggestion that the public should possibly be avoiding a shop that has had a fatality of this nature related to the patrons own health issues is akin to suggesting avoiding a restaurant because a patron chocked on a bread roll.

As to the story of the 14 yr old accident victim - There is a world of difference between a newspaper reporting an accident and a diveshop that is still in the process of digesting and dealing with this tragedy making wholesale announcements to something that is still bieng processed by the SM family.

John

 

[NotLloydBridges]

I have not suggested that the accident had anything to do with SM's safety procedures. I have suggested that the diving public has a right to know about diving accidents. That's a position that, as I understand it, the owners of this forum are fighting in court to vindicate.

Dive shops are not like restaurants. Restaurants don't make you sign waivers, as we've discussed. Chefs aren't required to meet a rigorous training in safety and rescue the way divemasters are, and restaurant going doesn't (or shouldn't) involve the level of risk involved in diving. This is nothing like a diner choking on a roll.

In fact, divemasters are far more like EMTs than chefs. The conclusory declaration that there is a "world of difference" between an auto accident and a diving accident fails logic.

As to what happened, I presume the accuracy of the OP's account, but it is second hand, after all, so we don't know. Some statement by the diveshop would help in this regard.

As I have mentioned, I like and respect SM, too. There are no (metaphorical) sacred cows, however. To mix metaphors, the wagons seem to be circling. That makes me nervous, not the original accident as described.

 

[SavetheSharks]

I have never dove with SM, so I don't have any personal ties to make me feel a need to defend them But I think that them not telling you about the accident probably is much less sinister then you are trying to project. Perhaps it has a little bit about protecting the privacy of the deceased diver and his family. I think it had more to do with respecting the deceased and his family.

I was personally involved with a much less horrific incident, which involved my partner getting bent. It was very scarey for all of us involved as it was happening, but it had a much happier ending. Even with knowing that my partner was going to be ok, it was so stressful for the DM that he was unable to dive the next day. In fact, he came and sat at the hospital with us. Also, the dive op specifically asked if it was ok to tell the people(we had met diving with them prior to accident) that were continuing to dive with them the rest of the week, what had happened as they would probably wonder why we weren't diving anymore.

I also find it curious that you were not on scubaboard until news about this incident happened. Makes me think that maybe you did hear about it before, and then came on here. Did you mention these concerns to the dive shop directly or is it as you said, much easier to do it sitting behind a keyboard? Just an observation.

 

[Seekup]

I'd suggest instead that it is always easier for someone sitting behind a keyboard a long way away to "philosophize" about this compared, say, to someone who went diving an hour or so after a fatal accident and wondered why everybody was acting kind of funny, and then learned about the fatal accident. . on the Internet.

Have you discussed your concerns with Scuba Mau? If not, I'm sure they'd be happy to explain why they kept the news quiet.

Pam

 

[SavetheSharks]

I
In fact, divemasters are far more like EMTs than chefs. The conclusory declaration that there is a "world of difference" between an auto accident and a diving accident fails logic.

Talking about failing logic. I am sorry but a divemaster and EMT are really nothing a like. EMT's deal with emergencies, and life and death on a day to day basis. Diving accidents thank goodness are not an everyday thing for a divemaster. Also, an EMT is usually dealing with people he has never met or seen before. With a divemaster, even if has only been a couple a dives or so, has still made a personal connection. The EMT usually arrives after the fact, the divemaster is there through the whole ordeal.
I really don't see a comparison. Maybe more like a lifeguard. You are trained with some life saving skills, but you hope you never ever have to use them. It's a given that an EMT is going to have to, and that is why they have so much more training as well.