Diver Found Dead Off Jupiter Inlet

[Christi]

He was down at 110'. He didn't have a buddy and the last person who saw him said he was looking for lobsters.

Let the speculation begin, by a brand new diver nonetheless who has no clue of ANY of the facts other than a very abbreviated newspaper article.

This diver was a good friend and an exceptional diver. Please refrain from your speculative comments without knowing what you're talking about. As a psychologist, I would think you would understand this basic concept.

For starters, all diving accidents/fatalities are not diver error. Very often, as is most likely in this case it was a medical issue.

 

[DandyDon]

Let the speculation begin, by a brand new diver nonetheless who has no clue of ANY of the facts other than a very abbreviated newspaper article.

This diver was a good friend and an exceptional diver. Please refrain from your speculative comments without knowing what you're talking about. As a psychologist, I would think you would understand this basic concept.

For starters, all diving accidents/fatalities are not diver error. Very often, as is most likely in this case it was a medical issue.

Now I am even more sorry to hear about the loss. Always sad to hear of a diver's death, now additionally for the loss of your friend.

Nonetheless, Lehmann, as a new diver is echoing what he can learn from this loss, and his observations seem correct. While it could well have been medical, and does sound like it with the air & pony tank reports - those are significant points.

Emphasizing from the Special Rules at the top of this forum...

The purpose of this forum is the promotion of safe diving through accident analysis.

Accurate analysis of accidents and incidents that could easily have become accidents is essential to building lessons learned from which improved safety can flow. To foster the free exchange of information valuable to this process, the "manners" in this forum are much more tightly controlled than elsewhere on the board. In addition to the TOS:

(1) Events will be "scrubbed" of names. You may refer to articles or news releases already in the public domain, but the only name you may use in this forum is your own.
(2) No "blamestorming." Accident analysis does not "find fault" - it finds hazards - and how to reduce or eliminate them.
(3) No flaming, name calling or otherwise attacking other posters. You may attack ideas; you may not attack people.
(4) No trolling.
(5) Remember that you cannot read minds. Restrict comments to what happened and how to prevent it, without speculating on what someone else was thinking (or not). The only thoughts you are qualified to share are your own.

It is important for us as a community to assess and discuss diving accidents and incidents as a means of preventing them. However, once emotions are involved intelligent discussion becomes next to impossible. If the moderators feel that the discussion is getting out of hand in any thread they may close or remove the thread, with or without notice.

And from a Mod post on this forum...

Typically we encourage members to post condolence threads in other places- usually in the appropriate regional forum & use this forum for accident analysis as it is intended.

Thank you...

 

[dumpsterDiver]

He was down at 110'. He didn't have a buddy and the last person who saw him said he was looking for lobsters.

So is that bad? That is pretty much standard procedure for diving there. The depth there goes to 140 ft and you can go even deeper just off the ledge. The area has a dramatic 25 foot high ledge with a near vertical face on the east side. The current can go very fast there, much faster than anyone can swim for even a moment. There are often many sharks and a diver often covers over a mile on a typical recreational drift dive.

Should a diver become say entangled or have a problem, it is often impossible for a very strong diver to even crawl 75 feet upcurrent to provide help. The current can also meander and can push divers off the ledge out into the deep water 150 ft, if the captain's drop is not perfect and/or the diver makes a small mistake.

Often on a calm day when the current is running strong, the edge of the ledge is easily discernable on the surface due to turbulent boils being deflected all the way to the surface due to the meandering of the reef face 120 feet below. This is an exciting dive and can be challenging primarily due to the current, but the depth range of over 130 feet makes everything a little more difficult. People that dive this site need to be self sufficient and most people that hunt this site know that if two people are actively hunting, then there is very little opportunity for buddy diving.

It is a cool night dive.

 

[dldiver]

My condolences go out to all involved as well.

Actually I just found more info in the Sentinel- looks like a heart attack- I thought this may help curb any further speculation:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-diver1107mar11,0,5506322.story
Drowned local businessman left mark with smarts, drive

Erika Hobbs
Sentinel Staff Writer

March 11, 2007

**** had promised to bring his new wife lobster Friday.
She promised a special Chinese dish to celebrate his March 19 birthday.

But about 45 minutes into what should have been a 30-minute dive, the boat captain called the U.S. Coast Guard for help, a Palm Beach County sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Hours later, rescuers found the body of the prominent Orlando businessman 110 feet underwater four miles off Juno Pier. His family said *****, 54, died from an apparent heart attack, although an investigation continues.

******, vice president of international sales at automotive parts distributor Wetherill Associates Inc. in Pennsylvania, got his start at a home-grown business in Orlando.

In 1978, his former father-in-law, a one-time electrical engineer at Martin Marietta Corp., opened Transpo Electronics. At its peak, the Orlando manufacturer of automotive electrical parts employed nearly 900 people. For 26 years, (his former father in law) kept the business in the family -- his three daughters, son and ***** all worked for him.

Three years ago, Oropeza sold the company to Wetherill, but ***** stayed on to work for the international company.

"That's probably because he was very sharp," said Frank Oropeza Jr., ****** former brother-in-law.

*****, an electrical engineer and an inventor, was fluent in both Spanish and Chinese. He had learned to both read and write the notoriously difficult language at 35, an age when most had given up on it.

"Even the Chinese think that is crazy," said his wife, *****, who was born in Beijing.

"He loved a challenge," she said.

The two had been married just five months.

***** had a knack for making people like him, even if it meant knocking down cultural barriers to do it, she said. In Asian countries, where many people find Western behavior off-putting, he could melt the man on the streets, she said.

When he spoke Chinese, "he had this cute accent and a big smile on his face," Hao said. "He was warm, like a teddy bear -- my girlfriends said they wanted to squeeze him so."

The father of three adult boys loved to travel and spent most of his time in South America and Asia with his job, Frank Oropeza Jr. said.

He also loved the sea. He was a rescue diver and was working his way toward an elite master certification.

The friends who accompanied him to Juno Pier reported to the family Saturday that ***** had plenty of air and new equipment.

An autopsy had not been completed Saturday.

 

[fairybasslet]

He sounds like a wonderful man. What a tragic loss for his family and friends. My condolences.

 

[deepstops]

Emphasizing from the Special Rules at the top of this forum...

And from a Mod post on this forum...

Thank you...

So Dandy Don, are you kinda like the self-elected Scubaboard sheriff or what??

 

[Christi]

Sorry...but my patience runs very thin when people start passing judgment on a diver fatality when the facts have not been presented, particularly when those people do not know the diver or the situation...let alone the facts. Without facts (and I don't consider a newspaper article necessarily factual) there is nothing but speculation and nothing good or educational can come from that.

The exact cause of death has not yet been determined, but based on the facts I know from people that were actually with him on Friday...and knowing this diver, and being fully confident in his abilities, safety protocols, etc. I am confident that this was a medical issue.

And yes, Don and Lehman both hit a nerve. Not only was he a loyal diver of my shop, but he has become a friend over the years to myself and my crew. Breaking this news to my crew was actually very difficult....more difficult than I even expected it would be. We are all very sad.

 

[H2Andy]

Christi, i can tell how much this has upset you. it is a difficult thing.

have you thought about talking to someone trained to deal with these sorts of things? it usually can be very helpful (in my experience)

 

[Christi]

Christi, i can tell how much this has upset you. it is a difficult thing.

have you thought about talking to someone trained to deal with these sorts of things? it usually can be very helpful (in my experience)

Thanks Andy...I will be fine. I'm more concerned about his wife and sons and the friends that were with him on Friday. They are going through a very rough time and I jsut ask that people keep them in their prayers and to be sensitive to them.

 

[DandyDon]

He sounds like a wonderful man. What a tragic loss for his family and friends. My condolences.

He certainly did indeed, and while we are asked to use accidents for learning opportunities in this forum, and express grief in other forums - I certainly understand that the diving community being as tightly knit as it can be, these reports can affect some here personally no matter how much we try to learn without personal comments. His loss was a sad one, and my condolences to his loved ones and friends - especially to Christi and his bride of only a few months.

Being a few years older than the lost diver, the comments about his age suggesting medical seemed odd, even if logical to some. My thanks to Dumpsterdiver for presenting the flip side of how things are done, even while our newbie diver was right in echoing that he was taught otherwise.