Diver Indicted in 2003 GBR mishap

[TekISBest]

What you are describing is a runaway ascent already in progress. Gabe Watson did not have any runaway ascent. In fact, his computer apparently showed that he maintained a steady depth - AND a painfully slow 2 1/2 minute ascent from 40 feet - not a buoyant ascent. He in fact controlled his ascent MUCH too well.

They appear to be maintaining bouyance while attached to each other.
The moment they let go of each other Tiny sank immediately and quickly. Tiny is heavy and was being held up in the water colume by Gabes upward lift. The moment she let go and sank he would be accending. 2 1/2 minutes from 40 feet is the max accend rate any diver should accend at and this does not include the 3 min stop time at 15 feet. His accend rate would not painfully slow rather the max rate he should be accending at.

The weight that we wear is to compensate for the thickness of our exposure protection in the first 10 feet or so from the surface. The weight that we wear is to allow you to descend those first 10 feet AND to do a safety stop without holding a line and do a controlled ascent from your safety stop(s) to the surface. The weight is NOT required to get you deeper because your exposure protection is already compressed. In fact, we need to ADD air to stay off the bottom. Once you break the surface, you can descend rapidly with little or no weight - depth is not where weight is needed. Gabe maintained a steady depth of 40 or 45 feet, so he was not experiencing difficulty with buoyancy. Therefore, his weighting and buoyancy control seemed to be just fine and DO NOT support the theory that he was "light" for any reason.

Reference to light/heavy is not intended the way you described it. What i was referencing by light was... He had ahold of her at what... 40 feet... with all the motoring around that would take place due to the situation would almost surely result in kicking upward in the colume by feet at least. Both of their BC would expand and light in the water colume they would become. With out compensation they both would eventually surface. The moment he let go of Tiny he would become light in the water colume and begin accending even faster. Tiny obviously was heavy because she sank quickly.

Here is a suggestion... What if Tinys struggle and panic was due to her feeling like she was sinking and not able to accend. What if she panic and became exhausted trying to kick her way to the surface. What if Cabes hold on her was to make sure she was breathing and once he saw that was not the problem he let go while not realizing what Tiny saw the problem to be. This can just as easy explain what happen with out calling it murder.

 

[TekISBest]

I would agree with you on this. I am so quick to call it murder. Just about the time we all think we have it figure out ... out pops other facts that make us question what we all thought we were so sure we knew.

 

[TekISBest]

The fact that he has rescue diver training courses, had his wife in his arms according to an eye witness account and then 'let her go' would be enough to give me more than a small doubt that he had a hand in her death.


But I am not on the jury.

Once he checked her over and could see she was breathing and all her equipment was working correctly... the right thing to do would be to release her.. stay with her and together make the decision to continue with the dive or go up. It would be very difficult for two people to accend to the surface holding onto each other that closely.

What i don't understand from what has been written here is... when he let go she sank.. ok.. sooo.. why did he go to the surface... Why did he not go down after her? They were only in 50 plus feet of water and the vis was good. As long as your breathing what difference does it make. Still does not make it murder. Does anyone know why he chose to surface and let her go? Did he fear for his own life? Was Tiny in such a panic that she was knocking of his mask and regulator that he make a life and death decision for himself? I don't know the information along this line...

 

[Ayisha]

TekISBest, I gave you several scenarios of being "light", including what you described. Again, what you described is a runaway ascent already in progress. Again, your theory of a runaway ascent is not supported by Gabe's computer log. The coroner's report regarding the computer log shows that Gabe maintained a STEADY depth followed by an exceedingly slow ascent. Let's be clear that Gabe did not lose control of his buoyancy AT ANY TIME.

Regarding the depth of the site and Gabe's multiple reasons for his behaviour and surfacing, you clearly need to make yourself familiar with the case.

 

[froggs]

Does anyone know how much weight both Gabe and his wife were carrying, and what their exposure protection was?

 

[TekISBest]

TekISBest, I gave you several scenarios of being "light", including what you described. Again, what you described is a runaway ascent already in progress. Again, your theory of a runaway ascent is not supported by Gabe's computer log. The coroner's report regarding the computer log shows that Gabe maintained a STEADY depth followed by an exceedingly slow ascent. Let's be clear that Gabe did not lose control of his buoyancy AT ANY TIME.

Regarding the depth of the site and Gabe's multiple reasons for his behaviour and surfacing, you clearly need to make yourself familiar with the case.

Based on information given here.. His accend to the surface was not a run away accend.. i agree. 2 1/2 min from 40 feet is about 30feet per min.. that is the max accend any diver should take. If he was not aware that he was accending then he would definitely accend faster than 30 feet per min from 40feet unchecked.. agreed..

He obviously decided to surface after he let her go and she fell away.. agreed.. In one of my other post I am asking the question why he would do that in only 50 ft of water and good vis. I have not heard any on this. Ever diver has to decide for them selfs weather to go after another diver or not. If i am at 100 ft and other diver looses their bouyance and accends quickly... I have to make the decision weather to go after that diver or not. If that diver is hurt due to accending to quickly from 100ft or even 50 ft and i choose to not go after that diver does not make me wrong.

My point here is... His choosing to surface does not make this a crime.. Not the decision i would have made but poor decisions is not a crime.

I am not defending him. I don't know if he is guiltly or not.. What is not happening in all the discussions is any effort to see this case other than guilty. If he is innocense of intentional wrong doing then how can the facts support this.

Has anyone actually seen his computer log or are we going only by what has been told by law enforcement.

 

[Ayisha]

2 1/2 min from 40 feet is about 30feet per min.. that is the max accend any diver should take.

Really?
40 feet in 2 1/2 minutes is the same as 30 feet per minute?
Really? That is more than double the conservative ascent rate you have given.
It is clearly no runaway ascent.

The computer log information is from the coroner's report which recommended his indictment. The equipment was entered into evidence and both Tina's and Gabe's equipment was later used by police divers for police re-enactments of the events as provided by Gabe as well as witness statements and tests were also conducted as to how far the body could have drifted (or not) with the current logged that day.

Froggs, there was an article early on in this thread as well as the coroner's report which discussed weighting for both of them, but we could not find reference to their specific exposure protection. Don't recall exactly how much now, but it was discussed in this thread if you care to look WAAAAY back.

 

[NudeDiver]

The clear lesson here is that if you're going to kill someone while diving, make sure that neither you, nor your target are using a dive computer.

 

[docbonezz]

the right thing to do would be to release her.. quote]


I know the rescue course I took taught us to NOT release the panicked diver. If you have them under control you take them to the surface and you control the ascent. If they are doing something that would endanger your life you get your distance but I doubt that she was strong enough to overpower him.

 

[docbonezz]

2 1/2 min from 40 feet is about 30feet per min...

Check your math2 1/2 minutes is 150 seconds. That is about one foot for every four seconds. A very slow leisurely ascent. Not an emergency ascent. The new ascent rate is one foot every two seconds. But this somewhat new. At the time of this incident the acceptable ascent rate was one foot every second.