BSAC

December 2005 06/019
Brixham Coastguard was alerted by a dive support vessel calling 'Mayday' for a missing diver. The diver had completed a dive to 47m. The group deployed a delayed SMB at depth prior to surfacing. The casualty had reached a 6m decompression stop and had deployed his own delayed SMB when he was seen to make a rapid ascent to the surface. Having reached the surface the diver went back to a decompression stop, the buddy remained at the 6m level. The diver descended past his buddy, holding on to the delayed SMB until the line broke; the buddy diver attempted to descend after his buddy and had to change gas to do so. The diver continued descending and was not seen again. A full search for the diver was coordinated by MRCC Brixham with SARIS information provided by MRCC Falmouth, Fowey lifeboat and inshore lifeboats from Looe and Fowey searched together with sixteen other craft with rescue helicopter R-193 from RNAS Culdrose. Shoreline searches were carried out by Mevagissay and St Austell Coastguard teams, the units searched until dark; the diver was not found. Searching continued the next day by members of the dive club; the casualty was not found. FATALITY (the deceased was wearing a new BCD purchased second-hand and had experienced buoyancy problems during the dive). (Coastguard & RNLI reports).

March 2006 06/067
A diver was engaged in alternative air source drills in a maximum depth of 12m. The diver used her buddy's alternative air source and they rose from 12 to 6m. At this point the ascent stopped but the diver did not replace her primary regulator as planned. The buddy tried to place her regulator into her mouth for her but it was not taken. The instructor then brought them to the surface. The diver was recovered into the boat and quickly brought ashore. Resuscitation techniques were applied and the emergency services were alerted. A paramedic arrived and a defibrillator was used. Resuscitation attempts continued. The casualty was taken by ambulance to hospital but failed to recover.




April 2006 06/079
Two divers entered the water to conduct a drift dive in a maximum depth of 12m. One of the pair was using a rebreather with air as the diluent, the other diver was using open circuit nitrox 32. Initially the rebreather diver had difficulties leaving the surface. At the bottom he held onto a rock and his buddy had to swim against the current to get to him. As previously agreed, the open circuit diver deployed a delayed SMB. As she deployed the buoy it jammed momentarily and she rose slightly. She watched the buoy ascend and then realised that her buddy was not there. She believed that he had started the drift and she moved with the current for 15 min. She then surfaced, making a 3 min safety stop at 6m. Surface conditions were rough and initially she couldn't see the boat. She was recovered into the boat and reported the separation. The missing rebreather diver was then seen floating on his back at the surface. Two divers entered the water. They found that the diver was unconscious. He was recovered into the boat and oxygen assisted resuscitation techniques were applied. The Coastguard was alerted. He was airlifted to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

 April 2006 06/081
A pair of divers descended a shotline to a wreck. The wreck was on a steeply sloping seabed. They reached the wreck at a depth of 8m and then followed it down to a maximum depth of 50m, exchanging 'OK' signals as they went. They started their ascent, following the wreck back up. They exchanged 'OK' signals at 40m and again at about 30m. The next time the lead diver looked back his buddy was no longer there. There was a current flowing. The lead diver looked around for a minute and then continued his ascent. The missing diver was seen by those in the boat, floating face down in the water at the surface. He was unconscious and did not have his regulator in his mouth. He was recovered into the boat and oxygen enriched resuscitation was applied. The emergency services were alerted and a lifeboat with a doctor on board was tasked to assist. The lead diver ascended as fast as he safely could and was recovered into the boat. The boat set off back to the shore and was met by the lifeboat. Further resuscitation attempts were made, but the casualty was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was found to be drowning.

April 2006 06/080
A rebreather diver conducted a solo dive. Another diver from the same party found him motionless on the seabed. He brought him to the surface and he was recovered into the boat. The Coastguard was alerted and resuscitation techniques were applied. A lifeboat was launched to assist. The boat returned to the shore where the casualty was declared dead.

May 2006 06/088
A diver and an instructor entered the water from the shore. They dived to a maximum depth of 4m. The diver developed a problem at 4m and ascended to the surface. The instructor tried to assist her but she sank again without her mouthpiece in place. The instructor had experienced a free flow and was unable to re-descend as he now had no air. The alarm was raised. The instructor was recovered by into a boat and others found and recovered the missing diver. Resuscitation techniques were applied and the casualty was taken by ambulance to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

May 2006 06/087
A diver who had been using a rebreather in a maximum depth of 24m was found unconscious at the surface. He was recovered into the boat and resuscitation techniques were applied. The Coastguard was alerted and the casualty was airlifted to hospital. He failed to recover.

June 2006 06/103
A diver entered the water and started a descent down a shotline to a wreck. After reaching a depth of 8m he returned to the surface and was seen to be in distress. The boat approached the diver. The diver, who did not have his regulator in his mouth, let go of the buoy and attempted to swim to the boat. After a short distance he sank and did not resurface. The Coastguard was alerted and a search was organised involving three lifeboats, a helicopter and a naval warship. Navy divers searched underwater. The lost diver's body was recovered from the seabed four days later. His drysuit inflation hose was found to have been disconnected. It is thought that the diver had attempted to drop his weightbelt but had undone another buckle in error. The cause of death was drowning.

June 2006 06/114
Four divers were diving on a wreck to a maximum depth of approximately 22m. One of the divers entered the wreck. Another diver then went after him and found him unconscious with his regulator in his mouth. He brought him out and recovered him to the surface. He was lifted into the boat and the emergency services were alerted. The diver was airlifted to hospital where he later died. The diver had a 15l main cylinder and a 3l pony cylinder. After the event the main cylinder was found to be full. A press report of the Coroner's inquest suggests that the casualty had 'mixed up his air supply tanks'. The cause of death was drowning.




June 2006 06/117
An instructor and two trainees entered the water to conduct a dive. One of the three missed the shot buoy and was picked up by the boat and returned to the others at the buoy. They exchanged 'OK' signals and descended. They reached the bottom at 14m and swam down to a maximum of 20m. The diver who had initially missed the buoy was first to reach 50 bar. At this point they deployed a delayed SMB and started their ascent. During the ascent, at about 10m, the diver who was low on air started to become buoyant and was pulling them towards the surface. The instructor took him off the line and made himself negatively buoyant in order to control the ascent. The buoyant diver then dumped air and they sank back down to 14m. They started back up and as they passed the third diver the diver who had been buoyant signalled that he was out of air and took the regulator out of his mouth. The instructor gave him his own main regulator and breathed from his alternative air source. They exchanged 'OK' signals. The instructor took hold of the diver and they made a fast but controlled ascent to the surface. At the surface the instructor put some air into his BCD, removed his alternative regulator and started to orally inflate the troubled diver's BCD. The troubled diver was conscious but the regulator was out of his mouth. The instructor put the regulator back into his mouth and shouted at him to keep it there. He put more breaths into the troubled diver's BCD and when he looked back at him the regulator was partly out of his mouth again. He shouted at him but got no response. He laid him back in the water and, with some difficulty, released his weightbelt. The instructor then removed the casualty's mask and gave him two breaths mouth to nose. He gave an emergency signal to the boat and gave two more breaths. The casualty was recovered into the boat and oxygen assisted resuscitation techniques were applied. The third diver made a normal ascent. The Coastguard was alerted and the casualty was airlifted to hospital where he was declared dead. The cause of death was a cerebral gas embolism.

July 2006 06/131

July 2006 06/153
Two divers conducted a dive to 25m for 33 min with a 3 min stop at 6m. 4 hours 10 min later they dived to a maximum depth of 17m. Towards the end of the dive one of the pair deployed a delayed SMB and they made a normal ascent, with a 1 min safety stop at 6m. At the surface the diver with the SMB gave an 'OK' signal and made himself buoyant. At this point he lost consciousness and rolled face down in the water. His buddy righted him and started giving him rescue breaths. The emergency services were alerted and two divers from another boat entered the water to help. The casualty was recovered into the boat and resuscitation techniques were applied. The boat returned to the shore where they were met by paramedics. A doctor arrived and the casualty was declared dead at the scene. The other divers from the party were recovered by the assisting boat. Later it was determined that the diver had suffered a pulmonary embolism.

July 2006 06/453
Two divers conducted a dive on a wreck to a maximum depth of 66m. After 31 min they made an ascent to 50m. At this point one of the pair appeared to develop a problem. He then deployed a delayed SMB and commenced a rapid ascent to the surface. His buddy tried to assist during part of the ascent then re-descended, from an intermediate depth, to complete his stops. The diver who made the rapid ascent arrived at the surface missing 90 min of decompression stops. He was recovered into the boat and the Coastguard was alerted. The diver was suffering from chest pains accompanied by shallow breathing. He was airlifted to hospital but pronounced dead at the landing site. The diver had been using trimix. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.

August 2006 06/165
A diver conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 18m. During his ascent he was conducting a safety stop at 5m when he became unresponsive and stopped breathing. He was recovered into the boat and resuscitation techniques were applied. The Coastguard was alerted and the casualty was airlifted to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

August 2006 06/177
The alarm was raised when it was realised that a solo cave diver's car had been left in a car park for over 24 hours. A cave rescue team attended and the diver's body was located about 17m into a flooded passageway. It was found that the casualty had suffered a heart attack.

August 2006 06/166
Four divers were wading across a causeway to conduct a shore dive. Strong currents swept them off their feet and they were washed off the causeway into deeper water. One of the group was able to regain his footing. The three others were swept away. The Coastguard was alerted and a search involving two helicopters and three lifeboats was initiated. Two of the divers were quickly recovered but the fourth was not found for an hour. She was found about 200m out to sea. She was taken to hospital but died later.