Annual Diving Report - Divers Alert Network

APPENDIX B. DIVE FATALITY CASE REPORTS
B.7 Proximate Cause: Unspecified or Body Not Recovered
04-45 Experienced technical diver, diving with group on rebreather, witnessed to have
seizure at depth, unconscious at surface, limited information and no specified cause of
death
Cause of Death: Unspecified Cause of Death
There is little information about the death of this 47-year-old male. He was an experienced
technical diver using a rebreather among a group of other divers but without an assigned buddy.
It is not known what gas mixture he was diving, but the decedent had a witnessed seizure at
approximately 80 fsw (24 msw). He was brought up to the boat where he was unconscious and
could not be resuscitated. The decedent had some equalization problems prior to the dive, but
there is no other information about his health status. As the death occurred overseas, the cause
of death cannot be determined with the minimal information available.
04-52 Unknown certification and experience, diving with group in cold water, indicated
problem on bottom, lost consciousness and brought to surface, received recompression
treatment, limited information regarding cause of death
Cause of Death: Unspecified Cause of Death
Little is known about the death of this 53-year-old male. His dive certification status and diving
experience are unknown. He made a dive from a boat with two other divers down to a wreck at
102 ffw (31 mfw) for 14 minutes in a lake. The water was cold and the diver indicated some sort
of problem on the bottom. The diver signaled to his buddies that he wanted to ascend and
headed to the anchor line. He lost consciousness on the bottom, and his buddies brought him to
the surface. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and one of the buddies was treated at a
recompression chamber for possible decompression sickness. The autopsy report was not made
available, but an unreliable source stated that the diver died from a perforated ulcer. That would
be an unlikely cause of sudden incapacitation and rapid death. A cardiac problem is much more
likely.
04-09 Elderly, inexperienced diver with basic OW certification, limited information, body
never recovered
Cause of Death: Unknown Cause of Death, Body not Recovered
This 72-year-old male had basic open-water certification and had made four lifetime dives. There
is scant information available on this death, but the diver was last seen approximately 10 fsw (3
msw) below the boat. His body was never recovered.
04-22 Diver with basic OW certification and unknown experience, panicked at surface predive
in rough seas, boarded boat then reentered water and descended, body never
recovered
Cause of Death: Unknown Cause of Death, Body not Recovered
This 58-year-old diver had open-water certification but an unknown level of experience. He was
preparing to make a dive down to a wreck sitting at 80 fsw (24 msw). After the diver initially
entered the water, he panicked in rough surface seas and returned to the boat out of breath. The
diver’s buddy thought that he was going to stay in the boat and descended to catch up with the
group of other divers. The decedent entered the water shortly thereafter and began descending
down the anchor line. He was last seen at approximately 20 fsw (6 msw) and never returned to
the boat. One diver recalled seeing the decedent on the anchor line, but no one saw him on the
wreck. A thorough search was conducted but the missing diver’s body was never recovered.
88 Annual Diving Report: 2006 Edition