Diver dead in Font Estramar, France

[RaiKai]

Sure, in dives at 200m, it's just a matter of "following safe dive rules". I don't know many divers that have been pushing limits that haven't lost some of their friends to the sport... Now I'll admit I don't know so many guys that do this kind of explorations, but it's obvious that it comes at a cost.

Agreed.

Based on the description in that article linked above of him being someone who had "lost" two (Finnish) friends in a foreign country a while ago, which I presume divers though Google translated it to sailors, and a fellow diver in the Baltic prior to that, I am purely speculating the survivor here was also one of the survivors of the Plura accident, and based on age and who was/was not diving after the expedition to retrieve their friends, I have my guess on who. All three of the Plura survivors had also been in a group of 12 divers about a year before Plura to a wreck somewhere off Tallinn in which a diver had disappeared during the descent - the three Plura survivors had retrieved the body.

If so, I don't think the issue either there, or likely here, was a matter of him "not following safe dive rules" unless you count the fact that sort of deep exploration diving is of course far riskier in itself.

It sounds like in this accident he himself still managed to stay calm and try and take control of the situation. And do 8 hours of deco after losing his buddy. That to me shows actually dedication to staying calm in a storm.

 

[boulderjohn]

I don't know many divers that have been pushing limits that haven't lost some of their friends to the sport... Now I'll admit I don't know so many guys that do this kind of explorations, but it's obvious that it comes at a cost.

I was recently talking to a friend of mine who was a lifelong dedicated climber doing very serious climbs. He talked about the fatality rate on some of the really serious climbs and how it has improved with modern equipment and technique. A couple of decades ago, on the most serious ascents, the fatality rate was about 1 out of 3, and the climbers knew that before starting the ascent. I don't think the fatality rate on these dives is anywhere near that range, but it is not like a 60 foot dive in the Bahamas.

I was on a cave diving team project where we lost a diver. I was in a support role, so I was nowhere near the people doing the really tough stuff. I wouldn't dream of doing what they were doing. That is where the fatality occurred.

 

[Storker]

Statement from Saami Paakkarinen?
Is he the same Saami who went and recovered the victims in Plurdalen cave in 2014?

Yes

 

[USMC CPL.]

Statement from Saami Paakkarinen?
Is he the same Saami who went and recovered the victims in Plurdalen cave in 2014?

Yes same diver.

 

[lv2dive]

I would echo the previous poster's thoughts - barring additional information, I would take into account the increased risk profile of these caves rather than faulting the buddy.

In fact, buddy contribution to the fatality would be way down the list of what I though contributed to the fatality. I don't have access to any more info than is available here... my response is simply coming from a place of being tired of reading about buddies or would-be rescuers getting blamed (overtly or subtlely) for fatalities. I for one could not guarantee my own reactions in the heat of of the moment. I just hope I don't have to.

 

[FinnMom]

I think the biggest factor in these is, as boulderjohn and others have said/implied, these kinds of dives are like climbing the most challenging peaks: at less challenging heights or depths there may be no room for error, but after that begins the area where there is no room for bad luck. No amount of competence, preparation or diligence can completely conquer bad luck because even if additional backups or alternative plans are possible and implemented, bad luck can sometimes erase them all.

 

[Dr Simon Mitchell]

No amount of competence, preparation or diligence can completely conquer bad luck because even if additional backups or alternative plans are possible and implemented, bad luck can sometimes erase them all.

I could not agree more. I certainly would not have foreseen my DPV imploding, or the consequences of it happening in a vertical section of cave.

For those interested in learning the physiological lessons of this tragic accident, it is (I believe) another example of the markedly reduced capacity to increase breathing when using a very dense gas at very deep depths. I believe that it has a lot in common with the physiological events that explained David Shaw's accident. We published a description of this hypothesis here:

MITCHELL SJ, CRONJE F, MEINTJES WAJ, BRITZ HC. Fatal respiratory failure during a technical rebreather dive at extreme pressure. Aviat Space Environ Med 78, 81-86, 2007

There is a video that explains the mechanism at the link below. The relevant section begins at 23 minutes. In the video editing they have mistimed some of the slide transitions which is a bit frustrating in places, but you will get the general drift.


The key points are:

Elimination of CO2 relies on moving fresh gas in and out of the lungs. The more you breathe, the more CO2 you remove.

If you don't breathe enough to remove the CO2 your body is producing, then CO2 levels in the body rise - potentially to levels that will make you become unconscious.

When deep and breathing dense gas your ability to increase breathing to cope with increased production of CO2 (for example, because of an unexpected need to exercise heavily as happened in Font Estramar) may be very limited by the mechanisms described in the video. Thus, if you suddenly exercise more and produce more CO2, not only will you struggle to eliminate that extra CO2 produced by the exercise, but also the rising CO2 will stimulate you to try to breathe harder. The work of this increased breathing effort will just produce more CO2 without increasing the amount of gas moved in and out of the lungs thus producing more CO2 without an increase in breathing to eliminate it. This is a vicious self-reinforcing spiral into increasing CO2 retention and eventual unconsciousness. I believe this is a very plausible explanation for the diver's inability to recover from the sudden need to exercise hard at 200m in this accident.

This was a very sad event. I feel incredibly sorry for the Finnish team involved who are all absolutely top people, and for the family of the diver.

Simon M

 

[Patoux01]

You can easily cut the leash with any of the cutting devices.
You could argue that you want a loop on it similar to what is used in kitesurfing like this.
View attachment 413822
Where you just pull the big red part forward and the whole thing drops away. They also exist as a velcro version.
But when things get cluttered, or you get a lot of sand/salt/**** in there, it can work against you. If you suddenly drop the scooter that is pulling you up in such a situation, you're f*cked. And if you pull on it but it doesn't drop, you're f*cked as well.

Apparently, SUEX scooters come stock with this.

Which is basically the same as what I presented above. Pull the red cord and it opens.

 

[Patoux01]

The mission from SSF is done. They found the body at 234m and recovered the computer. When asked about the feasibility of recovering the body, none of those involved said it was feasible without excessive risk.

Apparently, unless an international team considers it possible (recalling the fate of Dave Shaw...), the body wont be recovered.

"Bonjour à tous,

L'équipe engagée par le SSF sous réquisition judiciaire a fini sa mission hier. Frédéric Swierczynski a atteint la profondeur de 234 mètres dans Font Estramar pour retrouver le corps du plongeur disparu. Il a réalisé une vidéo et récupéré l'ordinateur de la victime pour les remettre aux autorités judiciaires.
L'opération a duré quatre jours afin d'équiper la cavité d'une ligne de sécurité dimensionnée en fonction des plongées prévues. Elle a été gérée principalement par Fabrice Fillol (CTDS66) et Laurent Chalvet (TRSP).
Nous avons à regretter un accident mineur. Un des plongeurs a chuté sur d'un portage et s'est blessé la main avec nécessité de deux points de suture.


Le procureur a sollicité une étude de faisabilité pour l'extraction du corps et du matériel. Devant les risques encourus, l'ensemble des participants a refusé d'engager une telle opération."

 

[alewar]

Patrik Grönqvist