Overseas Incidents
Overseas Incidents
Fatalities
November 2005 06/018
Two pairs of divers planned a dive to a maximum depth of 80m using rebreathers with trimix 14/50. At 80m the pairs separated. After about 15 min one pair came back to the shotline to start their ascent. They saw the other pair moving back towards the line. The first pair started their ascent and they noted bubbles coming up from below them, indicating that the other pair was ascending too. At their first stop they deployed a delayed SMB and drifted under this to complete their ascent. Once at the surface they saw the SMB of the other pair. The other divers did not surface and after a long wait the SMB was pulled up. They found a reel with 50m of line but no divers. An extensive surface search was conducted but the divers were not found. The two divers' bodies were later recovered from a depth of 63m.
February 2006 06/064
Three divers dived on a wreck in a maximum depth of 50m. After 27 min they started their ascent completing the following stops; 3 min at 12m, 7 min at 9m, 5 min at 6m and 3 min at 3m. After a surface interval of 2 hours 26 min they dived again. One diver entered the water before the others and descended to the shotline to the wreck. They planned to meet on the wreck. They agreed that they would not enter the wreck. When the other two reached the wreck they could not see the third diver. They swam around the wreck and found his stage cylinder outside an entrance to the engine room. One of the divers looked inside but could not see anyone. They continued their dive and on their return the cylinder was still there. They looked again for the third diver but found nothing. The divers returned to the shotline and one of them ascended while the other returned to look for the third diver. He entered the wreck and called out through his mouthpiece. He heard a reply from the third diver. He realised that the diver was on the lower level of the wreck without his reel. Visibility inside the wreck was poor due to disturbed silt. The searching diver was now low on air and made his way to the shotline to make his ascent. During the ascent a cloud of bubbles was seen to rise from the wreck and a partially inflated delayed SMB rose up towards them. After they surfaced a search was conducted down current but nothing was found. It is thought that the missing diver was trapped inside the wreck.
Decompression Illness
November 2005 06/026
A diver conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 97m using trimix 12/52. He started his ascent after a dive time of 13 min and decompressed using nitrox 32 and 50 and then pure oxygen. Once back in the boat he noticed small aches in the middle muscles of his arms. He breathed oxygen for 15 min. After about 40 min he noticed visual disturbances. He was placed on oxygen. He started to vomit. The emergency services were alerted and the boat returned to shore. He lost consciousness on arrival at the shore. He was taken to a recompression facility by ambulance and required resuscitation on two occasions during the transfer. He received recompression treatment and a further two sessions a day for the next week. He was left with damage to his sense of balance. Tests showed that he had a PFO; this had not been found during a previous test.
March 2006 06/093
A group of divers were briefed for a dive on a reef. They were warned that towards the end of the dive they might encounter a current and if they did so a signal would be given. They would then swim against the current for about 50m to go round the end of the reef and then they would be collected by their boat. The dive progressed and the dive leader signalled one of the divers to move nearer to the reef wall. He mis-understood the signal and thought that a strong current was imminent. He finned hard and quickly moved ahead of the group, descending as he did so. The dive leader passed the rest of the group to another dive leader and went after the disappearing diver. At 27m the diver ran out of air. The dive leader caught up with him and gave him her octopus regulator. She used a controlled buoyant lift to bring him to 10m. At this point she was unable to vent the diver's BCD fully and they rose to the surface without completing any stops. Once back in the boat both were placed on oxygen for 30 min. They went to a recompression facility and the dive leader received a series of treatments for a skin DCI.
May 2006 06/102
A diver conducted a dive to 44m with a 2 min stop at 24m, a 2 min stop at 14m and a 4 min stop at 5m. 1 hour later she dived to 42m for a total time of 29 min including a 2 min stop at 24m, a 2 min stop at 13m and a 6 min stop at 5m. Decompression was conducted using nitrox 50. During the second dive she failed to notice her computer's requirement to make a stop at 14m. The computer then required her to switch to tables, which she did. 30 min after the second dive she noticed a feeling of heat and intense itching in her left shoulder. The feeling spread round her right shoulder and down the front of her chest. At first she thought that this was an allergic reaction to her undersuit. Soon the itching became an intense pain that ran from under her right arm across her chest to her right breast. The skin showed a dark blue mottling and swelling. She was placed on oxygen and taken ashore. Medical advice was sought and the diver went to hospital. A lymphatic DCI was diagnosed. She was placed on a saline drip. Her symptoms were resolving and she was taken off oxygen. The following day she was left with a slight tenderness in the area that had been affected. Dehydration was thought to have been a factor.
June 2006 06/239
A diver conducted a 36 min dive to 35m with a 3 min stop at 6m. 5 hours later he dived to 30m for 31 min with a 3 min safety stop at 6m. During this stop he started to cough. Back on the boat he cough up some blood but the coughing stopped after 5 min and he thought no more of it. The following day he dived to 36m. On ascent he deployed a delayed SMB at 14m and continued his ascent. At 7m he began to experience breathing difficulties. He started a safety stop at 6m but after 2 min he began to cough uncontrollably. He signalled to his buddy that he was having difficulties and they ascended to the surface. Once back in the boat he continued to cough and there was blood in the mucus. He was placed on oxygen and the party returned to the shore. After an hour the coughing stopped. Advice was sought from a recompression facility. The diver went to a hospital for a chest X-ray and other tests; nothing abnormal was found. The diver had suffered a recent accidental blow to his chest. The subject was advised to refrain from diving pending further expert medical opinion.
July 2006 06/218
A diver conducted a series of fifteen dives over a six day period. No dive was deeper than 29m and safety stops were conducted at the end of each dive. 1 hour 30 min after the last dive she felt dizzy and had a migraine aura. 30 min later she found a slight mottling on both her upper arms. The symptoms resolved. She had had a severe skin DCI three years earlier and had tested negative for a PFO. As a result of this second incident she was tested again and again nothing was found. She was advised to dive using nitrox and to take a day's break in the middle of future dive series.
July 2006 06/152
A diver with symptoms of DCI attended a hospital. He had a sharp pain in his right shoulder, pain in his right elbow and muscular weakness of his right hand. He was transferred to a recompression facility for treatment.
September 2006 06/253
A diver conducted a dive to a depth of 32m for 40 min with a 3 min safety stop. The average depth during this dive was 17m. After 2 hours 30 min the diver dived to 31m for 43 min with a safety stop at the end. Again the average depth was 17m. 1 hour later the diver complained of dizziness. The diver was diagnosed with a vestibular DCI. She also had signs of a skin DCI on her torso. She was placed on oxygen and airlifted to a recompression facility where she was treated.
Illness / Injury
October 2005 06/011
Two divers entered the water after a full briefing. They descended against a wall. At 3m one of the pair indicated a problem with his ears and ascended 1m. He then descended to the seabed in a depth of 6m at which point he experienced a pain in his forehead. They ascended to the surface. Once back in the boat he reported sinus and ear pain. Medical advice was sought and anti-inflammatory drugs and a nasal spray were prescribed for ear and sinus barotrauma.
October 2005 06/186
Five pairs of divers conducted a night dive from the shore in a bay. After about 40 min four pairs had returned but the fifth pair could not be seen in the bay. The divers on the shore spotted the lights of the missing divers outside the bay. The shore party crossed some salt pans to get closer to the fifth pair. These divers were making their way slowly back to the bay in rough water. The shore party suggested that they exit the water outside of the bay, across some rocks. The first diver approached the rocks. The water surged and members of the shore party grabbed him, however, two of the shore party were swept into the sea. One of the shore party who was swept in was not wearing a diving suit. As he was recovered from the water his legs were scraped across some sharp rocks and his shoulder was dislocated. The other shore party member and the other diver were then recovered from the water. The injured person was helped back to the party's vehicles. The emergency services were alerted and the injured person was taken to hospital for treatment and released later that night. The injured person had suffered a dislocated shoulder on previous occasions.
November 2005 06/029
Whilst underwater a diver picked up an old bottle that he found on the seabed. The bottle shattered and he received a cut to the base of his left thumb. He made a normal ascent with his buddy. They were recovered into their boat and first aid was given. The diver was taken to hospital and several stitches were required. A tendon had been cut requiring micro-surgery to resolve.
November 2005 06/033
A trainee diver entered the water with an instructor and started a descent. At about 3m he indicated a problem with his ears. They ascended a little and the student was then able to proceed down to a maximum depth of 9m. Upon surfacing he was found to have suffered a nose bleed. Three days later he conducted a similar dive. He experienced no problems during this dive but after the dive it was found that he had had a second significant nose bleed. He sought medical advice.
December 2005 06/048
A diver conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 31m. About 10 min into the dive, at a depth of about 20m, he began to feel anxious and experienced breathing difficulties. As the dive progressed his condition worsened. After a further 5 min he signalled to the rest of the group that he was going to ascend. His condition became worse as he ascended. At the surface he gave the emergency signal and got back into a boat. He was placed in the recovery position, on oxygen. He was transferred back to his own boat, still on oxygen. When the group leader returned, about 30 min after the casualty had surfaced, he alerted the emergency services. He was taken by boat to a medical centre where he was treated for pulmonary oedema of immersion. He was referred to a cardiologist.
January 2006 06/092
A diver conducted a series of two dives per day for four days. Prior to the dive trip she had been feeling tired and run down but her GP confirmed that she was fit to dive. On the fifth day she dived on a shallow reef. Towards the end of the dive she inadvertently descended to 17m. She quickly noticed and made her way back up to 10m. She then ascended, making a 3 min safety stop at 6m. Her ascent from 6m was a little fast. Her dive duration was 50 min. 10 min after leaving the water she noticed 'pins and needles'. She was not concerned as she often got this feeling in her hands and feet, last thing at night, when she was tired. The symptoms persisted and, once ashore, she sought medical advice. No symptoms of DCI were found and she was placed on oxygen for 2 hours. She was given a vitamin B injection and rehydration salts. The following day the symptoms were still present. A diagnosis of peripheral neuritis was made. She had a final check-up the next day and it was confirmed that she was fit to fly home. On arrival home she felt tired and unwell and she took the next week off work. Her symptoms worsened. She felt more tired and nauseous. Twelve days after returning she felt 'spaced out' and had a tightness across her head. She contacted a recompression facility and received four sessions of recompression treatment. It was suggested that she be tested for a PFO prior to diving again. It was suggested that antidepressant medication and Sudafed that the diver had taken before the dive together with the nicotine patch that she had been wearing may have been contributing factors. Although unclear, the final diagnosis excluded DCI.
March 2006 06/068
A diver was finning over a wreck in a depth of 17m. She was wearing pool fins. Her right foot struck part of the wreck and she received a cut to her foot. Medical attention was required.
March 2006 06/069
A group of divers planned a dive on a wreck to a maximum depth of 35m. One pair started their descent but at 27m one of the pair, who was using a rebreather with air as the diluent, experienced problems breathing. He signalled to his buddy then deployed a delayed SMB and they started an ascent. At 14m he handed the reel to his buddy. At 9m he switched to his baleout system. At 6m he lost control of his buoyancy and rose to the surface. His buddy followed. At the surface he was distressed and breathless. He was recovered into his boat. He stated that he thought that he was suffering from carbon dioxide poisoning. He was placed on oxygen. The emergency services were alerted and the other divers were recalled. The casualty was taken ashore and then by ambulance to hospital. He was released later that day. No fault was found with his rebreather. It was suggested that the hoses of his rebreather may have been trapped, twisted or collapsed, thus causing an increase in breathing resistance.
April 2006 06/124
Three divers dived to a depth of 15m. At this point the dive leader saw that the face mask of one of the other divers was forced very tightly onto her face causing her eyes and lids to bulge. He indicated to her to equalise the mask but she did not do so. The dive leader brought her to the surface using a controlled buoyant lift. When they reached the surface they swam towards the shore. Once in standing depth they stopped and discussed the problem. The third diver had not surfaced so the dive leader returned to find this diver still on the bottom. They resurfaced. All three regrouped and then conducted an uneventful dive. The diver who had had mask squeeze suffered from facial bruising and red eyes.
May 2006 06/106
Two divers descended an anchor line to a wreck. The water was very calm and as they descended one of the pair released her hold on the line and drifted down. At 20m she encountered a current that carried her away from the line and downwards. She tried to swim against the current but quickly became out of breath. Her buddy went after her. They reached a deep part of the wreck at 40m and were able to regain control. Due to her struggle to regain control and the rapid descent the diver who had been swept away from the line was unable to clear her ears and she suffered a ruptured eardrum. They aborted the dive and made a safe ascent to the surface. Oxygen was given as a precaution.
May 2006 06/288
A trainee diver conducted a 45 min dive to a maximum depth of 6m. 2 hours 30 min later he dived again. He had difficulty clearing his ears on the descent. Once back on the boat blood was found in his mask. 30 min later he complained of problems with his ear. It was later found that he had suffered a perforated eardrum.
June 2006 06/198
A diver conducted a series of dives from a 'live-aboard' dive boat. She then flew home. On arrival home she was lethargic and dizzy. She sought medical advice and was referred to an 'Ear, Nose and Throat' department at hospital. No problems were found but she was given two sessions of precautionary recompression treatment.
August 2006 06/207
A diver had just completed a 48 min dive to 30m with a 5 min stop at 6m. At the end of the dive she climbed a ladder back into the boat. Someone removed one of her fins. At this point the skipper moved the boat and the diver lost her balance and fell backwards. She fell onto a metal water tank and injured her right arm in the triceps region. She suffered bruising and skin discolouration and was in pain for the next 24 hours. She continued to dive.
August 2006 06/289
A group of six divers entered the water from a boat. A surface marker buoy was thrown from the boat towards the group and a gust of wind caught it and carried it into them. One of the divers was struck by the reel. Someone from the boat entered the water and helped the injured diver. All the divers were recovered into the boat. The injured diver had a 5cm cut above his right eye. He was given first aid treatment. Once ashore he attended hospital where the injury was treated with three stitches.
September 2006 06/242
A group of eight divers conducted a dive to a planned depth of 30m. During the dive two of the group decided to go down to 50m. At this depth one of the pair started to behave irrationally, digging in the sand and tapping her head. Her buddy took hold of her and brought her up. At 40m she started to improve. She then started to panic and her buddy had a problem controlling the ascent. At the surface they were recovered into a boat and brought ashore. Their dive duration was 20m and they had missed decompression stops. The distressed diver was placed on oxygen. The emergency services were alerted and she was taken to hospital where she remained for two days. Her problem was a result of nitrogen narcosis. No subsequent ill effects were experienced.
September 2006 06/290
A group of divers were getting out of a boat. As one of the divers stepped out of the boat into shallow water a large wave lifted the boat. The boat caught the bottom of the diver's cylinder and lifted it up causing the pillar valve to strike the back of the diver's head. He took his cylinder off and was assisted out of the water. He was treated for a minor cut to his head. No subsequent ill effects were reported.
September 2006 06/292
An instructor working with two trainees on controlled buoyant lift skills made two ascents from 5m. He then dived to 18m for a total dive time of 42 min. 1 hour 30 min later he dived again to 18m for 39 min. 4 hours after this dive he noticed a stiffening and pain in his right shoulder. He thought that the cause was a muscular strain and took pain killers. 2 hours later the pain continued and the diver was placed on oxygen and medical advice was sought. He attended a recompression facility and received treatment. The pain did not resolve and it was concluded that it was not DCI. He was given further pain killers.
Boating and Surface
October 2005 06/015
One fuel tank of a petrol engined RHIB was filled with diesel fuel in error. The engine cut out when the fuel tanks were changed over. Others recovered the boat and divers safely to the shore.
January 2006 06/054
A dive boat arrived at a wreck site and commenced trying to locate the wreck. A dive guide entered the water and was towed backwards and forwards to find the site. Another boat eventually located the site. The guide then made two dives to 30m to secure a bow line and a stern line to the wreck. The divers made their first dive down the stern line and returned the same way. They dived to a maximum depth of 30m for 43 min with a 5 min stop at 6m. 1 hour 30 min later they dived down the bow line. On arrival at the wreck they noticed that the bow line was being cut by abrasion against the side of the wreck. On returning to the bow line to ascend they found that it was not there. They moved against a current to the stern line. Two pairs ascended the line. One pair completed their stops but one of the divers stayed with the second pair in case they needed additional air for their stops. With about 2 min decompression left the line went slack and started falling down towards them. They started towards the surface. As they approached the surface they saw a boat coming towards them. One of the three swam down and to one side. The second diver was struck by the boat and pushed under the bow. The third dive took hold of her and fended them off of the boat. They were recovered into their boat without further incident.
September 2006 06/293
A dive boat was in transit between dive sites in rough sea conditions. Two divers were on deck when a large wave swept one of them overboard. She was able to swim back to the boat and was assisted back onboard.
September 2006 06/295
A group of divers were diving from a boat that was secured to a wreck. At the end of the dive they were carrying out safety stops on a line secured to the stern of the boat. When they had finished their stops they swam at a depth of 3m to one of two ladders which were secured to the stern platform of the boat. One diver was on the ladder and two others were swimming towards it when the captain started the engine and put the boat in gear. The prop wash knocked the diver off the ladder and carried the other two violently away from the boat and underneath another boat about 30m away. The divers were recovered by tenders to the dive boat. They later learned that the bow line had parted and the captain had manoeuvred his boat to avoid a possible collision with the other boat. No injuries were reported.
Ascents
January 2006 06/049
Two divers entered the water to conduct a shore dive. They dived to a maximum depth of 21m. After 20 min they started their ascent. At 8m one of the divers, who was using a drysuit, lost control of his buoyancy and made a rapid ascent to the surface; his buddy surfaced normally. He was placed on oxygen for 20 min and given water to drink. Medical advice was sought. The casualty was monitored for symptoms of DCI; none were found and no further action was taken.
Technique
October 2005 06/024
Two divers conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 27m. One of the pair was using nitrox 35, the other was using air. Both had computers and they agreed to follow the air diver's computer and limit their decompression to a maximum of 10 min. During the dive the nitrox diver checked the air diver's computer, but it was quite small and he did not understand it. They started their ascent after 39 min and ascended to 6m and made a 5 min stop. The nitrox diver had had no decompression requirement, he signalled to the air diver asking if they could ascend and the air diver indicated that they could. They completed the dive. Unknown to others at the time, the air diver's computer had registered missed stops and moved into error mode. When they planned their second dive the air diver said that his computer had no planning mode and the tables would not allow a sensible second dive. They therefore planned to make the second dive using the air diver's computer and limit decompression to a maximum of 10 min. After a surface interval of 1 hour 48 min they dived to 28m. After about 30 min the nitrox diver thought that they should be approaching the need for a 10 min stop on the air diver's computer and he looked at it. It made no sense to him. They swam on and the diver realised that he had been trying to read it up-side-down. He read it again and realised that it was in an error state. He asked the air diver if this was 'OK' and got a 'problem' signal. They ascended the boat's anchor line making a 2 min stop at 9m and a 10 min stop at 6m. The nitrox diver was now at 50 bar and they ascended to the surface. Afterwards the air diver stated that his computer had been in an error state after the first dive. He was placed on oxygen for 45 min and monitored for DCI. No symptoms were seen and no further action was taken.
July 2006 06/240
Two divers swam in a cross current, following a guide rope, at a depth of 14m. During the swim the two became separated and surfaced separately. Their dive duration was 35 min. No subsequent ill effects were experienced.
September 2006 06/243
Two divers descended an anchor line to a wreck in a maximum depth of 20m. As planned, they swam along the wreck to an entry point. Underwater visibility was poor. One diver entered the wreck but shortly afterwards lost contact with her buddy. She looked around for him and then made a normal ascent. Her buddy surfaced some time later having looked for her for 2 min and then completing a 3 min safety stop.
September 2006 06/291
An instructor and a trainee descended a shotline. The trainee had problems clearing her ears and the descent was halted for 30 seconds. They reached a depth of 19m. After 15 min the trainee felt her weightbelt slipping down and she became very agitated. The instructor decided to abort the dive and used a controlled buoyant lift to bring them both to the surface. The ascent took over 1 min and the instructor's computer did not show any missed stops. However the computer did show that part of the ascent had been rapid. Both instructor and trainee were placed on oxygen and given water. The boat returned to shore and the divers went to hospital for a check up. No symptoms were found. The trainee's outer ear was found to show bruising and she was advised to refrain from diving for one week.
Equipment
April 2006 06/194
Two divers conducted a night wreck dive to a maximum depth of 9m. 16 min into the dive, one of the pair turned his pressure gauge around to check his air. The gauge blew off the end of the hose, and out of the rubber housing. The diver's buddy heard the noise and passed him his alternative air source. The divers surfaced, signalled 'OK' to their cover boat and swam to the shore. No subsequent ill effects were reported.
April 2006 06/195
Two divers entered the water for a night dive, and started their descent down the chain of a buoy. One of the pair noticed water entering his mask but felt that he could solve the problem. The problem continued and he stopped just short of the bottom to try to resolve the problem. He unclipped his torch to use this to attract his buddy's attention. He dropped the torch, but was able to recover it. Once on the bottom his buddy tried to assist him, but could see no problem with the mask. The troubled diver felt as if he was spinning round and became concerned that he might pass out. He grabbed hold of his buddy. The buddy assisted him to the surface. They were recovered into their boat. The diver had ingested some water and was sick in the boat and again once back on shore. He was monitored for subsequent problems but none occurred. It was later found that the seal around the lens of the mask was faulty.
August 2006 06/241
A pair of divers dived on a wreck to a maximum depth of 35m. One diver was using nitrox 30 and the other was using air. They planned to ascend slowly up the wreck structure, never incurring more than 10 min decompression on their computers. 20 min into the dive, at a depth of 28m, they discovered that one of their dive computers was flashing and not giving decompression information. They decided to abort the dive and spent 5 min trying to find the shotline. They were unable to do so and they deployed a delayed SMB and started their ascent. At 6m the failed computer appeared to be working again and it indicated no decompression requirements. They conducted a 3 min safety stop and left the water without incident. After the dive it was found that the computer had been incorrectly set for use with nitrox 48 for that dive and the preceding 29 dives.
Miscellaneous
July 2006 06/449
A number of live-aboard dive boats were moored up together. During the night divers from one of the boats poured hot chilli sauce into a number of divers' regulators on one of the other boats. The sauce was found the following morning prior to any diving and attempts were made to clean it out. Some of the regulators subsequently required new mouthpieces. The divers expressed concerns about the effects that this would have had if the sauce were to have been inhaled at depth.
Page last modified: 21st Dec 2006 - 17:48:06