Death of a non-certified diver!
It's apparent that the "divemaster certified" Chinese man took
his friend for an introductory scuba dive.
In the old days, only an instructor could take a non-diver for this type
of diving experience.
I have no idea how much experience this divemaster had in working with
the introductory program or his past diving on Guam working record.
A panicking diver underwater is the worst hazard you can ever imagine.
Especially with the panicking diver being a strong male. Air is not a problem,
the problem lies with getting the panicking diver to the surface and calming
him down. Nothing underwater would be controllable unless the divemaster
could fix the situation (water in mask, ears not clearing, lost fin, shortness
of breath etc.). Most new diving instructors/divemasters have a hard time
controlling these problems when the student goes into a full rage of panic.
I've even had females that would grab on to me weighting me down or hit
me while I tried to calm them down. At times nothing works and I'm forced
to bring them to the surface either by inflating their jacket, my jacket
or both jackets. Just getting close enough to a panic diver can be difficult.
Training teaches you to drop the victim's and your weight belt. This is
hard to do without getting in position (an unconscious diver is the easiest).
A panic diver will rip your own regulator out of your mouth, knock off
your mask, punch you, crawl over you and kill you if you're not highly
skilled.
My own assesment of the situation is, first of all they were both over
weighted (weight belt too heavy). Using rental gear from MDA could not
be a factor as MDA's gear is all serviced and tested. BUT being unfamilar
with the rental gear is a big problem. All rental gear is not the same
with many manufacturers, models, types and you must know where all the
controls are and how to use them (push this, pull that etc.).
Overexpansion of the lung could have played a part but should not have
caused the death of both divers, even the non-certified.
Over exertion of the divemaster in trying to save his friend along with
lack of experience in rescue technics was the likely contributer to both
deaths complicated by the above mentioned problems.
Over the years I've pulled many a panicked diver (tourist) to the surface
from depths up to 100 feet. Kicking, scratching and screaming and sometimes
unconscious I've managed to drag their bodies back up to the boat/surface.
The more you do it the better you get at it but it never gets easier.
People will never quit exploring the mountains or oceans. The key to having
fun is training and safety.
Use a profession guide/divemaster that works regularly in the industry.
Don't let a friend who does this part time take you, especially if you
are not comfortable in the water.
This tragedy has happened many times before and will happen again.
Jul 24 2007 | Posted by Rick | No comments