Scuba diver dies after complaining of gear malfunction

[CuzzA]

I know spear fisher people often dive solo. That has nothing to do with not having a call back signal. Noise travels very well underwater. Banging a ladder with something hard can be heard a long way off.

Indeed. My apologies. I misunderstood your question as if the victim had a signal to call her boyfriend.

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. I don't think it would have made a difference in this case, but perhaps given the shallow depth and the short dive, they were able to get the other diver up early. Keep in mind this was a private boat, not a charter, though I've never heard a pre-dive briefing on a charter that discussed an emergency call back signal.

Perhaps @NYdiver_666 might have heard something on the radio?

 

[MaxE]

I’m sorry if this is a silly question, I admit I need to learn more about diving medicine. I also understand that cause is only speculation at this point. If it was an Gas embolism is it possible to sustain this injury with an open airway or is it only possible when holding a breath and eliminating a path for the expanding gas to escape?

 

[CuzzA]

I’m sorry if this is a silly question, I admit I need to learn more about diving medicine. I also understand that cause is only speculation at this point. If it was an IPE I’d it possible to sustain this injury with an open airway or is it only possible when holding a breath and eliminating a path for the expanding gas to escape?

Think of IPE as sort of the reverse of arterial gas embolism. With gas embolism you have gas entering the bloodstream. With IPE you have fluid leaking into the aveoli in the lungs.

Alert Diver | Immersion Pulmonary Edema

 

[MaxE]

Think of IPE as sort of the reverse of arterial gas embolism. With gas embolism you have gas entering the bloodstream. With IPE you have fluid leaking into the aveoli in the lungs.

Alert Diver | Immersion Pulmonary Edema

Thank you for that clarification. Multiple posts had me confusing them. Meant gas embolism then and will update my original post

 

[Joneill]

Indeed. My apologies. I misunderstood your question as if the victim had a signal to call her boyfriend.

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. I don't think it would have made a difference in this case, but perhaps given the shallow depth and the short dive, they were able to get the other diver up early. Keep in mind this was a private boat, not a charter, though I've never heard a pre-dive briefing on a charter that discussed an emergency call back signal.

Hmmm... I’ve had the ladder banging call back signal reviewed in virtually every boat dive briefing I’ve been through in the Carribean (Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire and Turks & Caicos). They also brief us that the boat may leave us in a life-saving emergency and will send another boat to retrieve us.

 

[CuzzA]

Hmmm... I’ve had the ladder banging call back signal reviewed in virtually every boat dive briefing I’ve been through in the Carribean (Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire and Turks & Caicos). They also brief us that the boat may leave us in a life-saving emergency and will send another boat to retrieve us.

Admittedly I mostly dive from a private vessel, but the charters I've been on, as recent as last week, I don't recall that discussion. It is something I will bring up next time out.

There's always something to learn in the A&I forum.

 

[NYdiver_666]

Indeed. My apologies. I misunderstood your question as if the victim had a signal to call her boyfriend.

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. I don't think it would have made a difference in this case, but perhaps given the shallow depth and the short dive, they were able to get the other diver up early. Keep in mind this was a private boat, not a charter, though I've never heard a pre-dive briefing on a charter that discussed an emergency call back signal.

Perhaps @NYdiver_666 might have heard something on the radio?

The details heard over the radio -

First dive of the day
no other dives in the last 24 hours
diver down for " less than 2 mins "
The boat could not move because there was another diver - the boyfriend - down
The bottom was 35 or 37 ft

I didn't actively time this but I would estimate 30 - 40 mins before they reported that the other diver was back on the boat and they were able to move to meet the rescue boat. The diver did not fall unconscious immediately so it is possible that they did not immediately try and recall the diver down. It is also possible he just completed his dive.

I did wonder had they been able to recall him faster how much time would have been saved although I do tend to agree that it is unlikely that would have changed anything, I also wondered about the diver sitting up as the time from the report that she was feeling a little better and sitting up to her falling unconscious was a matter of minutes. Maybe a point of discussion here is should a diver with a suspected lung injury be kept laying down rather than being allowed to sit up and things seemed to get much worse after she moved positions

 

[Steve_C]

I though I've never heard a pre-dive briefing on a charter that discussed an emergency call back signal.

A company I dive with regularly started mentioning one after an incident on another compnay's boat. But more recently I have not heard it mentioned in the briefing. I have heard it on other boats but only a couple of times. These are on all on boats where most of the divers were unguided.

 

[clownfishsydney]

I also wondered about the diver sitting up as the time from the report that she was feeling a little better and sitting up to her falling unconscious was a matter of minutes. Maybe a point of discussion here is should a diver with a suspected lung injury be kept laying down rather than being allowed to sit up and things seemed to get much worse after she moved positions

The new and current recommended treatment for IPE includes keeping the patent sitting rather than lying down or in recovery position. This is to keep fluid from "flooding" the lungs.

 

[Ana]

I thought recalling divers was a thing everywhere.
My husband and I use a rudimentary but effective way. Being by ourselves most of the times is not about leaving a diver behind, in our case so far has been either weather topside or something interesting at depth.
If seas start getting too big the process of coming back on board gets less than friendly so 3 engine revs in a row can be hear easily. 2 or 3 sets is all it takes.
If there's something interesting at depth sets of 3 flag pulls, also get the attention of the person topside to mark the location.

I don't like to be disturbed when diving or boating, but sometimes is needed.