The Last Dive's Chrissy Rouse -- would he have survived today?

[MikeFerrara]

The reason I brought up communications, and I think one of the points Choudhury was making in his book, was that if they had a way to tell the surface of their gas problem, there might have been some way the boat could have staged gas for them so they wouldn't have had to make a direct accent to the surface. The accent was what killed them. I know very little about underwater communication systems, but I think their goose got cooked when they couldn't tell the surface of their problem. By the time the boat knew what was going on, it was too late.

It's been a long time since I read the book but if I remember correctly the author was suggesting communication as a safety improvement for tech diving in general. I disagree and already outlined most of the reasons why. In the case of this dive, though, didn't they end up ascending in OW away from the line? I don't remember for sure but, if so, where wopuld the topside crew have staged extra gas? They would have to know where the divers would be comming up and they'd have to be able to get the gas ther fast to be of any help.

 

[Dean810]

It's been a long time since I read the book but if I remember correctly the author was suggesting communication as a safety improvement for tech diving in general. I disagree and already outlined most of the reasons why. In the case of this dive, though, didn't they end up ascending in OW away from the line? I don't remember for sure but, if so, where wopuld the topside crew have staged extra gas? They would have to know where the divers would be comming up and they'd have to be able to get the gas ther fast to be of any help.

I really don't know. I think that it is an interesting question and would be interested to know what other people think. Still, I can't help but think that if the surface was aware that there was a problem, they might have had a better chance. I agree, if you don't know where you are surfacing, that makes things much more difficult, especially if visibility isn't the best. I've been only a few feet from objects and didn't know they were there on some dives.

 

[diverbrian]

Actually, on the one issue...

Apparently they started their ascent as a free ascent and found the line halfway up. Thinking about it, I doubt that anyone would have had time to stage that gas by the time they found that line.

This was a deal where prevention (ie. using mix and reducing the narcosis to a managable level so that they could think of a way out) would have gone a lot farther than trying to sovle their multiple issues after they started.

Until I started doing tri-mix work myself, I agreed with Bernie. Now, I am closer to Mike's camp. Using common sense and keeping narcosis managable is great prevention. That prevention is far better than worrying about a cure later.

 

[DivingCRNA]

Actually, on the one issue...

Apparently they started their ascent as a free ascent and found the line halfway up. Thinking about it, I doubt that anyone would have had time to stage that gas by the time they found that line.

This was a deal where prevention (ie. using mix and reducing the narcosis to a managable level so that they could think of a way out) would have gone a lot farther than trying to sovle their multiple issues after they started.

Until I started doing tri-mix work myself, I agreed with Bernie. Now, I am closer to Mike's camp. Using common sense and keeping narcosis managable is great prevention. That prevention is far better than worrying about a cure later.

I found myself wondering, if they had found the line, why didn't they go back down for the deco bottles? They might have drown going for it, but I think I would take drowning over dying bent, if I got to have a clear head about it.

They had to be too panicked to consider going back down for anything. Especially with Chrissy having trouble with his regulator mouthpeice.

 

[Cacia]

since you are an anesthetist, I was wondering about the foam on a blood draw. Does this degree of the bends cause DIC? Dissimilated Intravascular Coagulation? That would be difficult to turn around once the cascade has started, wouldn't it? A person bent this bad suffers from multiple system failure, don't they?

 

[clgsamson]

to the rouses' - vaya con dios

 

[H2Andy]

but I think I would take drowning over dying bent, if I got to have a clear head about it.

i would take the option that kept me alive the longest.

who knows, on my way up, i could run into a team coming down and get
their gas.

or maybe i could get some bottles and go back down. that probably would
have been my plan: not to get in the boat and ride to the chamber, but to
get back down and do in-water deco.

(of course, that was sort of an impossiblity due to coming weather for the Rouses..
but... hey... let them tow my butt on a line while they head in ... lol.. not
sure if that is really possible)

 

[DivingCRNA]

since you are an anesthetist, I was wondering about the foam on a blood draw. Does this degree of the bends cause DIC? Dissimilated Intravascular Coagulation? That would be difficult to turn around once the cascade has started, wouldn't it? A person bent this bad suffers from multiple system failure, don't they?

First off, I do not claim to be an expert in dive physiology and decompression sickness.

That being said, I would not be surprised at all if DIC set in under these circumstances. But, you have to live long enough for the DIC to start. Chrissy plobably was not going to do that.

In any case, when you expect to draw blood and get foam....it is bad.

 

[Cacia]

I was just curious. I remember people hit with that and it was ugly.

 

[DivingCRNA]

I was just curious. I remember people hit with that and it was ugly.

Yup. DIC sucks. I have seen folks survive it, but it is hard.