Gruesome...?

[Hooked_on_diving]

Hi people,

I have heard some stories of some rather gruesome ends for a few divers that all seem to be fundimentally the same kind of thing (please do not ask me to quote as I was roaming when I found them). They all involved a diver coming from deeper depths like 80m or more very fast for one reason or another. One of the stories I heard was of a military diver during WW2 having to be reeled in from deep very quickly when the ship was engaged by and enemy vessel.

Now here is the physiolgical bit. The description was basically that the divers ended up as 'a mess' inside the suit. I believe from one of the stories said something along the lines of the drysuit stopping the diver from making a mess of the boat. My question is how could this happen? Could it? Is it an extreme amount of gas embolisms forming throughout the body and rupturing the skin (as unlikely as it sounds)?

All answers are welcome,
Thanks in advance,
Matt.

 

[The Kraken]

Sounds to me like one of the "myths of the sea" sort of stories.

I doubt, seriously, that a diver could contain enough air inside his lungs, and (now here is the kicker) hold his breath long enough for the volume of air in the lungs to make such a mess.

Also, why would not the dry suit have ruptured at some point?

At that rate of ascent, I dare say the exhaust valve would not have had the capability to exhaust the increased volume of air within the dry suit.

But it does make for an interesting story.

Not that I'm saying it ain't true . . . .

Hyperbole at it's finest.

the K

 

[refinished]

The only phenomena that I am aware of that even remotely fits this bill happens only in surface supplied diving. And only when using a pressurized suit at that. Thinking about it, I am not aware of specific incidents of this, although I am sure I read about it happening once or twice. It goes like this - a diver descends fairly deeply and an equipment failure occurs that allows the suit to depressurize to surface ambient via the umbilical. The diver is squeezed to death. I have a vague recollection of reading that one diver at serious depth was squished up into his brass helmet. I may have even read that here... Anyway - this is not exactly what you have described, but is the best fit for phenomena of which I am aware.

 

[Hooked_on_diving]

that sounds like something i read, the WW2 military diver at bigger depths probably was in a metal suit and it did mention the helmet multiple times. I think you may have it there. But how exactly does the surface pressure in the suit cause him to be crushed? does the suit get crushed too?

Thanks.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

The only phenomena that I am aware of that even remotely fits this bill happens only in surface supplied diving. And only when using a pressurized suit at that. Thinking about it, I am not aware of specific incidents of this, although I am sure I read about it happening once or twice. It goes like this - a diver descends fairly deeply and an equipment failure occurs that allows the suit to depressurize to surface ambient via the umbilical. The diver is squeezed to death. I have a vague recollection of reading that one diver at serious depth was squished up into his brass helmet. I may have even read that here... Anyway - this is not exactly what you have described, but is the best fit for phenomena of which I am aware.

...on the back of the MkV deepsea diving helmet is the fitting to which the air supply hose is coupled. Air was pumped to the diver's helmet & diving dress ( the "dry suit" ) as there is a common airspace from suit to helmet ( the suit's collar is attached to the helmet via the breastplate & brails ). Problem was, if the diver's hose was severed at a depth considerably shallower than the diver, the air in the suit / helmet would escape up the hose. If the differential pressure was great enough, supposedly, the diver's body would be drawn upward & compresed into the helmet!

Thus the "mess".

It was an easy fix: place a "non-return valve" ( a spring-loaded valve that would open with incoming air pressure, & close if the incoming air ceased to flow ) between the hose & helmet inlet fittings, to maintain the pressureized air volume within the diving dress.

All forms of surface-supplied helmets are fitted with an n.r.v. - it's the diver's duty to check the valve for correct operation prior to every dive.

Best,
DSD

 

[refinished]

Old thread, but I was reminded of it when flipping past Mythbusters earlier in the week. They tested this myth and demonstrated it's feasibility. Video follows... This is wicked gross!

YouTube - Mythbusters - Compresed Diver *Gory*

 

[geekthegreek]

That's nasty! Nope, I definitely don't feel a need to get in a hardhat suit and go down to 300 ft...

 

[Blazinator]

Wow - that is an amazing video - totally proving the OP's speculation. - Well maybe only proving if the umbilical was cut and sudden total pressure loss.

 

[Huck BB62]

Blech!