Nanaimo Snake Island fatality

[lamont]

Jax, I believe, vancouver diver in post #34 is referencing the 40 min @ 200 (7ata) comment that I made in post #31 which is about Kirby's near-fatal accident that Bob referenced in post #16, not this one.

AFAIK, the deeper depth of this dive was 250 feet, but I'm going by the news accounts there just like everyone else...

 

[Jax]

Ah!

So what we have so far is a reported dive to 130ft, with appropriate deco bottles, launched from a respectable dive op who doesn't allow shananigans.

One diver kept going, and may be lying on the ledge at 250. The second diver went after him, OOA'd, then corked to the surface without deco and had a heart attack.

The third diver went to around 160, did his stops, and is physically fine.

I guess we'll have to wait until Diver 3 talks to see if Diver 2 event attempted to get air.

 

[AfterDark]

Unfortunately, Lynne, I'm not having trouble processing that at all. Remember the time we stopped in Nanaimo on our way to Port Hardy (the Curt Bowen trip) and I ran into someone I know? He and his friends were diving that wall to depths below 250 fsw ... on air ... using double 100's ... and without any plans for gas contingencies. They were basically diving solo. You may recall that my friend a few months later ran OOA in Elliot Bay at 200 fsw, and was seriously injured doing a CESA from that depth. He and his friends just dive that way ... they don't see anything wrong with it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

CESA from 200FSW WOW! As crazy as it is too let oneself get into that fix it is an impressive feat even if injured doing it! I did my one and only real world blow and go for your life from 70FSW and that scared the crap outa me!

 

[vancouverdiver]

Thanks for the clarification Lamont. Wow, deep air. I don't intend to offend any tec instructors, but I have to wonder about certain agencies that give cert cards for diving deep air and o2 certifications. it is just enough information and tools to get people killed. It doesn't make sense to me in our waters. I don't like my helium bills, but it seems cheap when you look at the big picture. Ok, I'll get off my soap box.

 

[defied]

The surviving diver is a close friend of mine. He is fine, and should be back in the states by now.

There is a lot of speculation going on here, most of which is incorrect, and I won't get too detailed with it.

Basically this, the survivor was diving his plan of 160. He's trained TDI Full Trimix. He knows what he is doing, and he is the type of guy who does not deviate a dive plan, even to look at a pretty fish. There is a possibility he wasn't diving with them, and wasn't aware of what went down until he surfaced.

The other two, well, one of them belongs to a crew of divers who are known to dive "Questionably". I will try not to talk ill of the dead, but he has been doing this for a while, and it looks like he took someone who had never gone that deep with him (This is my bit of speculation). I don't think his buddy had ever seen past 130, but don't quote me on that, I don't really know the third guy so well.

One diver made it back to the deck, and described what happened before suffering from Cardiac arrest in transit (Possibly due to Fizzing out). The description was that they got split up, and when he saw his buddy, he was at 250-255 lying on his back. There was more than likely a medical issue at depth.

At some point this diver may have ran out of gas and/or corked.

I've heard rumor they found the other body this AM, however I have not confirmed it, and my friend has been on the road just trying to get home.

That's the latest and most accurate. Out of respect for my friend, I've told you most of what he's told me, and will not reveal names. There will be an official report about it later, but for now, just know that, yes, there were questionable actions being taken here, and they paid for it. No need to blast them on a thread (not saying anyone is) .

Thanks,
D

 

[lamont]

One diver kept going, and may be lying on the ledge at 250. The second diver went after him, OOA'd, then corked to the surface without deco and had a heart attack.

That's probably inaccurate. There's no information so far to indicate the divers who died were not following their dive plan to the depth they planned on going to.

---------- Post added October 13th, 2013 at 08:31 PM ----------

I've heard rumor they found the other body this AM, however I have not confirmed it...

news is reporting that he's been recovered...

Two divers killed on deep dive near Nanaimo - The Globe and Mail

The other diver’s body was not recovered until Sunday, by a commercial diver who went to 80 metres.
“They knew just about exactly where he should have been, and that’s where they found him,” said Barbara McLintock of the B.C. Coroners Service.

 

[defied]

Thanks Lamont!

D

 

[Drewpy]

Whatever the details..condolences to the families of those involved. Sad..

 

[Jax]

Basically this, the survivor was diving his plan of 160. He's trained TDI Full Trimix. He knows what he is doing, and he is the type of guy who does not deviate a dive plan, even to look at a pretty fish. There is a possibility he wasn't diving with them, and wasn't aware of what went down until he surfaced.

Thanks,
D

Thank you, D, for the clarification. It explains why the 2nd diver didn't go to diver #3.

---------- Post added October 14th, 2013 at 04:58 AM ----------

news is reporting that he's been recovered...

Two divers killed on deep dive near Nanaimo - The Globe and Mail

From the story:

Snake Wall, however, is a more challenging feature that plunges down the north side of the island. Mr. Reid said the three divers reportedly headed deep down that wall, with two of them reportedly expected to go to about the 70-m level. (jrt: (~210 feet))

And since nothing on the Internet is sacred, ibj40 and wedivebc have been immortalized: :whatever:

“Seems like a pretty deep profile, regardless of the location,” a dive master identified as ibj40 posted on Scubaboard.com. “The question is whether they were prepared to make this dive, and what went wrong.”

“Snake Island wall is commonly used as a training area for tech diving due to the fast drop off and easy navigation (all upward slopes lead to the Island),” wedivebc said in another posting. “I don’t know anything about the divers involved but I do know enough about the dive charter operator to know they would be very unlikely to knowingly let someone do that type of dive off their boat without proper training and equipment.”

 

[didekeer]

So was the third diver diving solo? To 160ft?