Fatal dive accident - Lake Werbellin, Germany

[Biotech Diver]

I would speculate one of them may have been in distress and the other one tried to save them and then they too ran out of air.

 

[Dan]

Sorry to hear this. Condolences to their families & friends.

They were instructors, wouldn’t they at least attempt to CESA?

 

[Johanan]

The German article says, the divers were airlifted to hospitals and died there. Poisoning with CO or some other agent came to my mind, too.

 

[lowwall]

They were instructors, wouldn’t they at least attempt to CESA?

If they were able to think clearly. This shouldn't happen to any competent diver, let alone a buddy pair of instructors in a non-overhead environment. That's why people are suggesting contaminants in their breathing gas, especially CO.

 

[divezonescuba]

I believe this happened to me once. I had to fight to stay conscious by doing isometric exercises at 20 feet during the final drift deco stop. There was no way that I was going to use that cylinder again, whatever it was. It was not x100, so there was room for something else. Never happened before and has never happened since. It should have made a believer out of me for checking both o2 and CO contents.

 

[DandyDon]

They were instructors, wouldn’t they at least attempt to CESA?

That was my thought while hopefully awaiting information. Max depth of 125 feet, OOG at 20 feet, both Instructors. Impossible in normal circumstances.

Reading the Taucher.net postings a CO poisoning becomes a real possibility. Cousteau, in the Silent World, documents that the effects of CO poisoning at depth become more severe as the depth/pressure decreases.That both instructors were found completely OOG at 6M seems to contridict this theory though.

Michael

Not hardly.

With Carbon Monoxide (CO) i guess it would be a more or less instant death and the tanks wouldn't be empty.

CO binds to hemoglobin with an affinity 250 times greater than that of oxygen at one atmosphere. At depth, the increase of PPCO increases the bonding, but that varies with the rate of CO in the tanks, then ascending releases PPO faster than the release of PPCO so that toxicity increases rapidly so you become trapped in the cycle. The actual effects can vary greatly. People die asleep in bed from CO poisoning every week, year-round.

Empty tanks would make post-accident tests of tank air challenging if not impossible.

They would fall asleep and drown. I dont think it was CO. The tanks wont be empty.

And CO is more dangerous at depth. But it happened at 6m after a 36m dive

Don't miss my comment immediately above.

The German article says, the divers were airlifted to hospitals and died there. Poisoning with CO or some other agent came to my mind, too.

What were their blood carboxyhemoglobin test results at the hospital?

Did they test their tanks for CO before diving? Either they did or they dived on hope.

I believe this happened to me once. I had to fight to stay conscious by doing isometric exercises at 20 feet during the final drift deco stop. There was no way that I was going to use that cylinder again. It was x70 so there was room for something else. Never happened before and has never happened since. It should have made a believer out of me for checking both o2 and CO contents.

So do you check every tank now or just risk it?

 

[divezonescuba]

So do you check every tank now or just risk it?

Sad to say that I still risk the CO.

I think that will change this year.

As you are a strong proponent for that, thanks for calling me out.

I also experienced CO poisoning for sure at the house. First the CO alarm went off. But by that time my mind was not working properly and I could not make the connection between the alarm and possibly elevated CO levels. I then became sleepy. When I started to get a headache, I finally figured out wat was going on. We probably would have died without the CO monitor.

I had an analogous incident when I was in the Army going thru bomb disposal (EOD) school. I dismantled a rocket without wearing gloves and started getting a nitroglycerin headache. That prevented me from completing the problem because I could no longer think properly.

 

[DandyDon]

As you are a strong proponent for that, thanks for calling me out.

I didn't mean to be rude, but sometimes I seem that way. Many divers here are far more experienced than I, but then all too often that includes being experienced at not bothering to test every tank. The best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one that negates it. New habit: test each and every tank before diving it, regardless.

I wish I could get my daughter to mount the CO alarms I gave her for their home and take one on car trips and overnight stays anywhere. She's a great mom and super grandmom otherwise.

 

[divezonescuba]

I did not take it as being rude.

in fact, I am now taking an Analox and a house unit on every liveaboard I go on.

 

[Raphus]

At depth, the increase of PPCO increases the bonding, but that varies with the rate of CO in the tanks, then ascending releases PPO faster than the release of PPCO so that toxicity increases rapidly so you become trapped in the cycle.

Why is ppo decreasing faster then ppco? This doesnt make sense to me, can you please explain?