Filmmaker Rob Stewart dies off Alligator Reef

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Thanks for the link. Interesting that he didn't wear it 3 days before that dive however.

On the topic of thermal protection, and buoyancy. Out of curiosity, I just went through all of Rob's FB photos, as well as doing various Google searches, and I was unable to find a single picture of him in a drysuit. Total speculation on my part, but does it stretch the imagination to think he might be new to diving a drysuit and that might have factored into this as well? When I started diving one it took me a bit before finding the inflator button was second nature, especially being wrapped up in a bunch of technical gear.
 
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Out of curiosity, I just went through all of Rob's FB photos, as well as doing various Google searches, and I was unable to find a single picture of him in a drysuit. .

But the picture on the AH FB page is with him wearing a semi-dry suit. Perhaps the sister didn't discriminate?
 
But the picture on the AH FB page is with him wearing a semi-dry suit. Perhaps the sister didn't discriminate?

No doubt, a possibility...

I was also going off what Paul Watson said, and what a friend of Rob's named Julie Anderson stated in a video interview (1:45 in), located here:
Canadian documentary filmmaker goes missing while diving off Florida Keys
"When last seen Rob was wearing a drysuit and a rebreather apparatus," Watson wrote in the Wednesday afternoon post. "Hopefully the drysuit will keep him afloat but the fear is that he sank near where he was last seen. Divers with deep water experience are participating in the search."

Of course, I know how misinformation can spread. Who knows how they found out but I doubt either of them were on the boat.
 
This thread continues to be very informative.

It has been lightly moderated to allow a good discussion of CCR diving.

For those already diving CCR and for those considering this is a good place
to find real time information on the various issues involved.

My take away, so far, is that a very talented diver undertook a series of dives
after a introductory course to CCR diving.

Under the tutelage of his instructor he undertook 3 challenging deep dives.

The actual cause of this fine mans death will, perhaps, never be known.

The lawyers and courts will fight it out.

What I have learned is that CCR diving can be rewarding, and, very challenging.

I Think I will stick with my (mostly) solo OC diving.

I do appreciate the fact that Net Doc and the thread moderators have kept this
important thread active.

Lots of good input here.
 
This thread continues to be very informative.

.....

My take away, so far, is that a very talented diver undertook a series of dives
after a introductory course to CCR diving.

Under the tutelage of his instructor he undertook 3 challenging deep dives.

.........

Lots of good input here.

Except that your takeaways, in this order, are subjective (talented diver) and demonstrably wrong (introductory course and tutelage).

I was just thinking, "I can't believe this thread is still going."
 
John,

your advice to surface and "Get off the loop" is totally contrary to any CCR training. The recommended training advice for the Rebreathers is to stay on the loop until you are securely back on the boat or on dry land. This is best practice both before the dive "pre breathing" and upon surfacing.


Agreed ... but if you stay on the loop and your O2 supply is depleted because you squeezed an extra dive out of an oxygen cylinder without refilling it ... hypoxia.
 
To lend my own thoughts and experiences to this analysis; I have been part of two near-misses which are strikingly similar to this scenario and have some experience with Add Helium and the diving practices Rob would LIKELY have been employing.

Near Misses:
1) While conducting a Navy CCR dive the diver failed to monitor his PPO2 and due malfunctioning solenoid that failed in the closed position the diver went unconscious upon ascent. The diver was on a tending line and signaled that he was ascending but then failed to respond to subsequent signals. Within seconds of sending the last line signal we saw him floating unconscious within 10 feet of the surface. We recovered him into the boat and began resuscitation. He was not breathing, his skin was completely blue, and we could not discern a pulse (it was a difficult sea state). Within minutes of beginning rescue breaths he began agonal breathing and by the time we were back at the dock (15-20 mins) he recovered and was alert. He was diving a MK16 with a full face mask, without the full face mask I’m sure he would've drowned.

2) Conducting a civilian CCR dive on a chartered boat a CCR diver had issues with his rig just prior to entering the water. The diver removed his rig, removed the scrubber, and checked the cable connections. The diver put the rig back together, put it back on, and entered the water - never having done the build or prejump checklist. He never turned on his 02 and went unconscious on the surface due to hypoxia, the loop fell out of his mouth, his rig flooded but maintained buoyancy due to an inflated wing. Another dive boat actually saw him unconscious in the water as he was under the gunnel and not visible to the crew. The crew recovered him and were able to resuscitate him. He was not diving a gag strap.


Diving practices likely employed by Rob:

1) Add Helium advocates the removal of the gag strap to facilitate a bailout at depth. Of all the diving maladies associated with CCR diving specifically with managing a breathable gas supply (hypoxia, hyperoxia, and hypercapnia), hypercapnia is only one that is not measurable and has no effective instrument to provide warning. As such many CCR divers choose to remove their gag strap to facilitate a bailout in the event of hypercapnia. Rob was likely not using a gag strap, as this is the procedure advocated by Add Helium.

2) Rob likely would of kept the loop in his mouth upon surfacing and for several more minutes even once aboard the boat. Continuing to breath a high PPO2 upon surfacing is optimal for decompression and is something taught by Add Helium.

3) Rob was likely diving a 5mil semi-dry and not a full dry suit which would of provided additional buoyancy. Add helium promotes and sells the Semi-drys and Peter Sotis dives them. There is a picture of Rob in one days before the dive.


My hypothesis is that Rob went unconscious on the surface due to hypoxia, subsequently the loop fell out of his mouth resulting in a loss of buoyancy and he ultimately drowned. Barring a physiological issue (heart attack), going unconscious from hypoxia and the loop falling out of his mouth (open) would explain why an experienced, in shape, diver would suddenly disappear from the surface.
 
To lend my own thoughts and experiences to this analysis; I have been part of two near-misses which are strikingly similar to this scenario and have some experience with Add Helium and the diving practices Rob would LIKELY have been employing.

Near Misses:
1) While conducting a Navy CCR dive the diver failed to monitor his PPO2 and due malfunctioning solenoid that failed in the closed position the diver went unconscious upon ascent. The diver was on a tending line and signaled that he was ascending but then failed to respond to subsequent signals. Within seconds of sending the last line signal we saw him floating unconscious within 10 feet of the surface. We recovered him into the boat and began resuscitation. He was not breathing, his skin was completely blue, and we could not discern a pulse (it was a difficult sea state). Within minutes of beginning rescue breaths he began agonal breathing and by the time we were back at the dock (15-20 mins) he recovered and was alert. He was diving a MK16 with a full face mask, without the full face mask I’m sure he would've drowned.

2) Conducting a civilian CCR dive on a chartered boat a CCR diver had issues with his rig just prior to entering the water. The diver removed his rig, removed the scrubber, and checked the cable connections. The diver put the rig back together, put it back on, and entered the water - never having done the build or prejump checklist. He never turned on his 02 and went unconscious on the surface due to hypoxia, the loop fell out of his mouth, his rig flooded but maintained buoyancy due to an inflated wing. Another dive boat actually saw him unconscious in the water as he was under the gunnel and not visible to the crew. The crew recovered him and were able to resuscitate him. He was not diving a gag strap.


Diving practices likely employed by Rob:

1) Add Helium advocates the removal of the gag strap to facilitate a bailout at depth. Of all the diving maladies associated with CCR diving specifically with managing a breathable gas supply (hypoxia, hyperoxia, and hypercapnia), hypercapnia is only one that is not measurable and has no effective instrument to provide warning. As such many CCR divers choose to remove their gag strap to facilitate a bailout in the event of hypercapnia. Rob was likely not using a gag strap, as this is the procedure advocated by Add Helium.

2) Rob likely would of kept the loop in his mouth upon surfacing and for several more minutes even once aboard the boat. Continuing to breath a high PPO2 upon surfacing is optimal for decompression and is something taught by Add Helium.

3) Rob was likely diving a 5mil semi-dry and not a full dry suit which would of provided additional buoyancy. Add helium promotes and sells the Semi-drys and Peter Sotis dives them. There is a picture of Rob in one days before the dive.


My hypothesis is that Rob went unconscious on the surface due to hypoxia, subsequently the loop fell out of his mouth resulting in a loss of buoyancy and he ultimately drowned. Barring a physiological issue (heart attack), going unconscious from hypoxia and the loop falling out of his mouth (open) would explain why an experienced, in shape, diver would suddenly disappear from the surface.


All good. The mishap scenarios are classics.

Your ideas as to what occurred in this case is the most likely thing to have occurred. There are other possibilities, but the simplest reasons are usually the actual causes.

Guys removing the gag strap to facilitate bailout are not thinking this thru though. Dragging the DSV down beneath your chin to bailout with one is easy to do. Having practiced it many times.
 


A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Thread reopened after review.

A large number of posts have been removed for being off topic or in other ways violating the ToS or the Special Rules for A&I.

Further violations may be met with an immediate thread ban. There will not be given any more warnings.



A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

A number of posts have been moved to a separate thread, as they don't cast any more light over Rob Stewart's fatal accident and are at best tangential to the accident thread. Per the previous warning, some posters who have persisted in pulling this thread off topic, have had their posting privileges in this thread removed.
 
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