SAFETY SERVICES
YOU’LL BE OK B Y
TH E
M O TH E R
O F
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D EC EA S E D
D IVE R
THE DIVER
My daughter, who in this article will be referred to as Claire, was a 25-year-old planning dives on the West Coast. The dives would be her first since she completed her open-water certification two months earlier. She contacted the shop that certified her; they told her about an upcoming charter and assured her the dives would be within her ability. When she asked about a dive buddy, she was told she would be paired up on the boat. She mentioned that all her training dives had been from shore and that this would be her first boat dive. She was told a dive professional would be onboard to assist her, and she decided to join the trip. THE DIVE
On the way to the dive site, Claire was introduced to her buddy, who will be called Jake. He had done 18 dives in his lifetime and had not been diving in more than a year. Almost all his previous dives were in the Caribbean. As the boat approached the dive site, both divers expressed reservations when they learned the dive instructor onboard would be training a student rather than diving with them. They were told not to worry and that everything would be fine. Jake had difficulty setting up his equipment and told the instructor his rental BCD was too tight, which made it hard for him to breathe. Once in the water, Claire was unable to descend, so the crew slipped additional weight into her BCD pockets. By the time these problems were resolved, the other divers had descended. Claire and Jake descended alone. A plankton bloom, typical for the season and location, limited visibility near the surface. The divers overcame their anxiety by giving each other the OK sign repeatedly as they descended. At about 30 feet the visibility began to clear, but it was dark, and neither diver had a light. About 10 minutes into the dive Jake turned to look at Claire, who had been swimming right behind him, and realized she was not there. After a moment he saw someone in the dimness and swam toward the person. As he approached, he saw it was Claire and realized she was unconscious. Grabbing her by her BCD, he attempted to ascend. He kicked hard but was unable to make progress toward the surface. He did not think to release her weights or inflate her BCD and was soon overcome with exhaustion. Jake struggled to get enough air through his regulator and began to panic. He released Claire and headed for the surface, spitting out his regulator on the way. He hit the surface gasping, choking and unable to call for help. The captain noticed him struggling and motored over to him. Unable to talk or breathe, Jake kept pointing down. Once the captain realized there was a problem, he made a distress call and initiated a diver recall by tapping the boat’s ladder with a hammer. Not all divers responded to the call promptly, and some decided to do a safety stop before surfacing. Precious minutes were lost. “Although it’s tempting Claire was found in approximately 60 feet of water by the instructor and to tell a new diver who is another diver. CPR was initiated once she was brought aboard, and a Coast Guard showing signs of anxiety boat arrived to transfer her to an ambulance on shore. Claire’s heart was started in “you’ll be OK,” reassurances, the ambulance on the way to the hospital, where she was placed on life support in the intensive care unit. however well-intentioned, Claire never regained consciousness. Three days after the accident the doctors may be fatal for unprepared determined she would never have enough brain function to breathe on her own, and we made the decision to discontinue life support. or inexperienced divers.” 68 |
2021 SPECIAL EDITION
