Feb 19 2017 Cozumel diving fatality

[scubadada]

So easy to second guess a situation like this. Who knows what kind of distress signal was given, uncomfortable or something more dramatic? Perhaps would have been better to accompany her to the surface and ensure buoyancy or maybe it seemed more minor. In general, I would assume a diver would somehow let me know what was needed. If this did not seem to be the case, I would err on the side of extra care until things declared themselves. Once on the surface, I would never hesitate to lose all weight to ensure buoyancy. If the BC was not connected, a couple of manual breaths would go a long way.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Its an unfortunate incident. Dm needs to help someone in distress and that means leaving the rest of the divers he/she is also responsible for. Adding to the problem is the drift dive. Cant quickly gather all of the divers and ask them to "wait here" while the diver in distress and DM go to the surface. Then takes the diver in distress to within 5 feet of the surface and leaves with (presumably) the expectation the diver in distress can make it the last 5 feet to the surface. Does the Dm know the inflator wasn't connected? Must not have been a spouse or friend and then send them both to the surface instead. Cant really pick a fellow diver and ask for them to be buddies and go to the surface. No real way of knowing the competence of a possible new buddy. The problem arises and because its a drift dive it needs a quick solution. Someone needs help and the rest of the divers are dissapearing and he/she is responsible for all of them. Presumably there isn't another DM (as a customer) on the dive that could take over the responsibility of the diver(s). The real question for me becomes why leave a diver in distress 5 feet from the surface? Maybe the diver appeared alert and in control? In my opinion - a drift dive adds a problem that can't be solved without a second DM on the dive.

 

[gopbroek]

Escorting a diver up to the safety stop is common practice in Cozumel but at that point it must be understood that this is drift diving. Typically the higher off the bottom you go the faster the drift so at this point the DM and the surfacing diver are separating from the main group and the more time the greater the separation. Typically via hand signals the DM will check to see if the diver indicates that they are OK and if so returns to the main group. So unless we know more details concerning the inflator hose and and what the diver communicated to the DM our speculation is pointless.

 

[scubadada]

If the diver in question was in distress, my primary objective would be to address that. I would abandon the dive group, assuming one or more or them would have a DSMB to deploy for pick up, as, I believe, should be required for this type of diving. They knew that the DM had left them to deal with the distressed diver.

 

[gopbroek]

It is unfortunate that more folks who may be less experienced do not elect to hire a private dive master when diving without a dedicated buddy at least until they become more confident and self reliant with drift diving. The economics of diving in Cozumel do not support for the OP to pay for a second DM on each trip. I dive Coz frequently and solo, it is not uncommon for myself or other experienced divers to help out when there is a problem and assist a DM when they need to deal with an issue. One of the senerios I cringe at is on a dive with primarily inexperienced divers in a moderate to heavy current and a single diver lacking situational awareness goes high and fast. The DM is placed in a situation where they need to chase that diver down but are unable to swim back to the group due to the current, in the mean time the remainder of the group may become scattered. Senerio #2 is an inexperienced diver with a camera stops to take pictures and in only a minute or two in a moderate current find themselves completely alone and then panic's.

 

[Altamira]

I personally do not understand the logic of diving without a dedicated buddy. Yes, I know many SB divers are solo qualified and capable of diving without having to rely on others, or watch over another diver. The concept works great until you are the one having a major medical emergency. The problem is that none of us knows if, or when, we are going to get hit with a debilitating medical emergency while diving, and if that happens while diving solo, we have likely screwed ourselves royally. Yes, I know many dive ops don't always set up buddy pairs, but IMHO, when diving with a group, especially one led by a DM, there should never be a situation that a diver does not have a dedicated buddy, even if it is part of a threesome. While a dive buddy might not be able to save you in the event of a major problem, your chances are a lot better with a buddy than without one. None of us are as bullet proof as we would like to believe.

 

[Cozdreamer]

prayers of peace for this diver's family, friends, dive op, dive master, those on boat, and for those who tried to assist in rescue......

 

[DandyDon]

Post #10 says she was recovered with her weights on.

Thanks, I forgot. When I dive with an assigned buddy, that's one of the things I like to know - how to get his off. Finding someone unconscious on a reef, removal may not be obvious.

 

[lionfish-eater]

The dm should have shot an smb to signal the boat captain.
He should have made sure she was positively buoyant on the surface, regardless of a safety stop.
At this site, you can see the rest of the group from the surface.
If he disconnected a leaky inflator hose on her bcd then she was diving with defective equipment. This may be a nonissue for an experienced diver that is properly weighted, but can be a serious issue for a novice if they can;t reattach the hose.

 

[Centrals]

I am holding a old Alert Diver(DAN Asia Pacific Jan - Apr 2012) and there is an article by John Lippmann on "Diving deaths downunder". It is a review of 34 yrs of compressed gas diving deaths in Australia.
Almost three quarters of the victims were found with the weights in place.............