Missouri Fatality

[shoot2retrieve]

Channel 7 Joplin, Missouri
Scuba diver dies
Updated: Apr 03, 2010 7:24 PM CDT
Reported by Mike Pache

Around one Saturday afternoon emergency responders were called to Captain John's Sports and Scuba Park.

Owners of the scuba facility say they are unclear how the man died but say he was an experienced diver who had at least 14 years of experience.

Witnesses say the man's face was blue when emergency responders pulled him from the water.

At this time owners of the park can only speculate how the man died.

"It could have just been panic. We kind of expect with the age being in his early fifties. I believe the possibility of a heart attack or stroke with the cold water and that. A little more excursion than what people would normally do," said John Mueller President of Captain John's Scuba Park.

The scuba park is home to Blue Water lake which at its deepest measures more than two hundred feet.

The scuba park is a training facility and dive spot for scuba divers.

 

[theskull]

Anyone have additional info?

Diver's name?
All I can find is that he is from Tulsa, OK.

Circumstances of accident?

Anyone who was there or has a good source, please update us.

Thanks,
theskull

 

[DandyDon]

Anyone have additional info?

Diver's name?
All I can find is that he is from Tulsa, OK.

Circumstances of accident?

Anyone who was there or has a good source, please update us.

Thanks,
theskull

His name wouldn't be allowed here even if someone here knew until published in the news.

From The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO - Police withholding identity of victim in diving fatality

John Mueller, president of Captain John’s, previously told the Globe that the man had been participating in a deep technical scuba course in the former open-pit mine when he apparently surfaced too quickly.

 

[Garrobo]

I always wonder, when I come across a story like this at this time of year, if there might have been a regulator icing problem. In a very deep quarry here in Ohio there have been a couple instances of this. The quarry I am speaking of is said to maintain a temperature of 39 degrees even in the warm weather. If your regs aren't for cold water you can get in trouble very quickly.

 

[DivingCRNA]

I always wonder, when I come across a story like this at this time of year, if there might have been a regulator icing problem. In a very deep quarry here in Ohio there have been a couple instances of this. The quarry I am speaking of is said to maintain a temperature of 39 degrees even in the warm weather. If your regs aren't for cold water you can get in trouble very quickly.

Blue Water Lake, in Oronogo, MO is typically 48-51 degrees at depth all year around.

Blue Water Lake is deeper (200 feet or so), but warmer than the quarry in Ohio that has a lot of reg free-flows.

I have dove both places. The Ohio quarry is definitely colder, by far.

 

[DivingCRNA]

The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO - Man who died while scuba diving identified as New Yorker

 

[DandyDon]

The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO - Man who died while scuba diving identified as New Yorker

So initial reports of him being from Tulsa were wrong.

Preliminary autopsy results showed that Perez-Troche had an enlarged heart and damage to his lungs from rising to the surface too quickly, Fries said.

Fries said it is unclear whether Perez-Troche rose to the surface because of a medical issue or because of equipment failure. His diving equipment is being checked for defects or damage, he said.

Now, enlarged heart would not be the result of a scuba accident would it? More of an underlying issue?

The damage to his lungs from rapid ascent is not surprising. He was younger and more experienced than me, but not all that much that I can't imagine possible screw ups like some of mine, but surely he had redundant equipment for emergencies so my speculation goes for the heart issue which could have done him in on the ground.

I'm sure gym trainers and dive boat crews look at me with concern whenever I show up, but I'd rather live and dive as safe as possible even if I ended going out that way than playing dominoes at the Senior Citizen center. Sorry to hear of his loss and the effect it must have had on the others there, his friends and loved ones but hell - I hope he had a good trip up to that day. Glad my grandkids still let me go camping and hiking with them too.

 

[shoot2retrieve]

I know many people enjoy diving solo. I just wonder how much the outcome may have changed with just diving with an immediate buddy. I am very much in awe of tech divers. I am very interested in that direction to pursue. I understand that tech diving has much more inherent risks than your normal recreational dive. But, when I saw that man gearing up that day I just thought how cool it was and I wanted to just talk his ear off to learn about all the gear. I just waved and he just smiled and waved back.

I do have medical training, but had never put my CPR or any of my pulseless and apneic training to real life use, till that day. Was just so sad to know all that man was out to enjoy a good day of diving and that was his last dive. I do find comfort in hoping that if he would have had to pick a time to pass, he would have wanted it to have been doing something he loved. I never new this man personally, just happened to be at a dive site the same day of his last dive. I pray for his family and friends. I have made calls to code blacks, but always had the page/call out to get my mindset right. I have never been in a situation where it was quite this raw. Will be something that sticks with me the rest of my life.

I know for me being relatively new to diving the incident, definitely instilled a whole different aspect to diving safety. Definitely, made me give my wife an extra big hug, before she continued her scuba class that day. Just one of those things you never know when you might be there that day, when someone is in really bad shape after diving. Just may give you that urge to peel open a CPR book to just jog your memory. I must also say how much respect I have for the diving community. It is really something to see how much everyone is ready to pitch in and try to help in any way they can. No matter the bickering that may take place on a scuba forum, when the fins meet the water, divers do and will take care of their own when it matters!!!There were many heroes there that day that gave it their best effort to save him and they have my respect forever long!!!Take care!!!

 

[rsmith4656]

I do know a lot more than you can read in the papers and hear on the news. I will only go so far as to say he was not diving alone. He was from NY. Any more than that would be pure speculation and out of respect to all of the other aprties involved I think we should not be playing this out over the interenet. How would you like it if your family had to read about your death on a web-site? Please lets have some respect.
When more information is made public I am sure that a link will be provided for all to see.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks very much for sharing shoot2retrieve. It may have been difficult to write about but it is good to share such. I suppose you know about Post Traumatic Stress or I think Padi calls it Critical Incident Stress. I hope you know that you did your best and you were his best friend possible even tho the outcome was inevitable.

I hope you don't mind a couple of questions...?

He was solo diving? Going to 179 ft alone is certainly risky, but did he have doubles, a bail out tank, or did you notice?