Re: Sad News
Posted by Diver gal
on 10/18/2011, 1:17 pm, in reply to "
Sad News"
I was on another dive boat in the same area and heard everything unfold over the radio, from the first relayed call for assistance until Amy was transferred to a CG boat 1.5 hours later. Weather was too rough to be out so far, much rougher than expected, and Amy apparently surfaced without her gear and unconscious. That makes 3 times this year I've been out on that ledge when a diver died - those stats are just too high. Every boat that goes to that ledge has problems with divers - 2 weeks ago we were given a stern lecture by the captain, and on the first dive one diver ran out of air and surfaced, passing 3 others and not asking to share air. He ended up on 02 and seemed to be OK. 3 others did not complete safety stops, and still others race up the line, even on the 2nd dive. It is a dangerous ledge even for advanced divers, and a lot can go wrong at that depth, plus help is a long way off. I was also struck by a rather cavalier attitude among divers on my boat - basically a denial that bad things happen to good divers. My own 0 ring burst in 0 vis dive 2 months ago, and I only made it to the surface through sheer luck. I can't help but think that if something like that happened on fossil ledge I would never make it to the surface, or would be seriously bent or injured if I did manage to get up. Dive boat instant buddies are not dependable, either, and I've had buddies swim off on that ledge without a glance behind at least 3 times on that ledge (and also had some really great buddies). This is far too close for comfort and I am rethinking my priorities.
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