Diver Fatality in Cozumel

[chillyinCanada]

Perhaps she didn't have a buddy. Look how long she'd been a diver and that it mentioned she was good at it too.

 

[AggieDiver]

Sounds like another case where the buddy didn't ensure she was safe before proceeding with the dive. It may be in the end that there was nothing the buddy could have done, but the buddy should have been there with her. Nobody should be surfacing alone if they are aborting the dive for an unplanned reason. I remember a case discussed here a few years ago in the Florida Keys where a diver aborted the dive early and was escorted most of the way to the boat by the DM while the buddy stayed down. After the DM left and before the diver reached the boat, she apparently had some distress on the surface and drowned. If the buddy or the DM in that instance had stayed with her or at least near her until she was climbing the ladder, she would probably be alive today.

 

[polyester1970]

And why would her buddy let her go up alone with a missing or busted fin. You're pretty much dead in the water without both fins. She might have tried to swim with only one and over exerted herself.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I agree that when my buddy is forced to surface/call the dive for any reason my job as a buddy is to continue being a buddy and go with them.

I disagree that having one fin means you are "dead in the water" inconvenient yes but it should not incapacitate a diver. No doubt a link in the chain of events that led to this tragedy tho. In my OW course my instructor taught us how to cross our ankles and fin with one fin. Not a bad skill to practice periodically. Perhaps the diver did over exert on the surface.

It was said that the diver asked another boat to radio their boat to come for a pick up. I wonder why the diver didn't board that boat and change over? Is that not done in this location? It just seems strange to me to leave the diver in the water alone. One would assume the diver did not appear to be in distress at that point which would make me think perhaps a medical event

 

[DandyDon]

I agree that when my buddy is forced to surface/call the dive for any reason my job as a buddy is to continue being a buddy and go with them.

I disagree that having one fin means you are "dead in the water" inconvenient yes but it should not incapacitate a diver. No doubt a link in the chain of events that led to this tragedy tho. In my OW course my instructor taught us how to cross our ankles and fin with one fin. Not a bad skill to practice periodically. Perhaps the diver did over exert on the surface.

It was said that the diver asked another boat to radio their boat to come for a pick up. I wonder why the diver didn't board that boat and change over? Is that not done in this location? It just seems strange to me to leave the diver in the water alone. One would assume the diver did not appear to be in distress at that point which would make me think perhaps a medical event

I agree too: buddies enter, descend, stop to clear if needed, stay together, ascend, and exit all together - or they're not buddies. I'm picky who I will commit to that much tho, and usually avoid committing.

You know, I've never tried swimming with on fin. Need to try that. Yeah, divers get spotted by other boats easily in Coz waters. If one is seen alone, nearest boats will check, and it's good to remember boat name & op name both so they can be radioed. My experience has been that they are rarely boarded if not in trouble - just watched until the right boat is seen approaching.

That could all too easily be me, ascending alone because I did not form a buddy pair, dying alone - but I'd rather go that way than getting bed sores in a nursing home, or giving a boat pick bud a bad trip because I had a cardiac event in the water and he couldn't save me. I'm speculating on what caused her loss tho. And it'd still be rough on everyone on the boat still. I have a large number of relatives seemingly in their last days, just had a funeral for one I visited in a hospice three days before he passed, and I've thought about the best way to go with a minimum bother to others. Hard to call.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) IMHO if you have lived your life well non of us will exit without causing a bother to some People who care will always feel bad and ask themselves if they could have done something more...

Sometimes it is just your turn People think dying from "medical causes" is somehow natural and perhaps more acceptable. Some people are meant to live their lives right up to the end and die in some form of accident. From what I have seen that is better than the slow deaths or living deaths that some people wind up with. Some of these so called scuba accidents or car accidents etc may be the "natural" death for some. I don't want to hasten my death and intend on doing all I can to get as many days of living in as I can. Seems like that is what this lady did!

 

[flots am]

Sounds like another case where the buddy didn't ensure she was safe before proceeding with the dive. It may be in the end that there was nothing the buddy could have done, but the buddy should have been there with her. Nobody should be surfacing alone if they are aborting the dive for an unplanned reason. I remember a case discussed here a few years ago in the Florida Keys where a diver aborted the dive early and was escorted most of the way to the boat by the DM while the buddy stayed down. After the DM left and before the diver reached the boat, she apparently had some distress on the surface and drowned. If the buddy or the DM in that instance had stayed with her or at least near her until she was climbing the ladder, she would probably be alive today.

FWIW, I don't consider anybody "safe" until they're back on the boat or shore, or another actual, known-responsible person has taken over. There are a number of cases where divers have surfaced, apparently OK, then lost consciousness on the surface, or even at the ladder, sank and died.

While it's annoying to cut a dive short when chances are excellent that everybody will be OK, every now and then somone "isn't OK" and it would really suck to learn that my someone died because I wanted a few more minutes of bottom time.

"Overly cautious" and "prudent" are sometimes only distinguishable in hindsight.

flots

 

[tracydr]

Heart attack? Embolism? Pulmonary edema?
Aspiration would be pretty low on my list of differentials.

 

[Mike]

During the SI, I asked the DM for any generic pointers he might have for me, since I'm new, and he actually told me to stop following my buddy around, and that he'd take care of my buddy.

Oh God, unbelievable

What was the name of the dive company????

 

[Seymour Fisch]

Oh God, unbelievable

What was the name of the dive company????

I'd rather not shame the entire dive op, as this one DM was an aberration. This would also be major thread drift, as my situation was not even in Cozumel.

I'm way overdue on posting a trip report, but I've been swamped at work for months. (And my videos suck and need major editing.) I will revisit this topic then, in its own thread...