Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
October 2007    Download the Entire Issue (PDF) Available to the Public Vol. 33, No. 10   RSS Feed for Undercurrent Issues
What's this?

Diver’s Death Blamed on Few Skills and Faulty Valve

from the October, 2007 issue of Undercurrent   Subscribe Now

Inexperience coupled with a faulty valve led to a diver’s death during a Canadian diving trip two years ago, say coroners in British Columbia. Ronald John McKindsey had 20 dives under his belt and an Open Water certification when he went with a local diving club in May 2005 for his first ocean dive.

According to the coroner’s report, he completed one dive in the morning at Denman Island, in British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia. Despite not feeling well at lunch, he went back for an afternoon trip. Shortly after getting in the water, McKindsey surfaced in obvious distress, then sank before others could reach him. He was found a few days later in 65 feet of water.

The coroner’s report states that McKindsey’s second stage regulator was turned to its highest setting. “This level would have required severe physical breathing effort,” said the report. That led to McKindsey suffering severe coronary atherosclerosis, resulting in sudden cardiac arrest.

The coroners also put blame on the certifiers. “The entire process from being a non-diver to an advanced open water diver (as McKindsey was) can be accomplished in under a week,” coroner Kerry J. Clarke stated. “It was suggested in the inquest that the term ‘advanced’ is misleading and leads to a perception by new holders of the certification that their skills are greater than reality. This can lead to new divers putting themselves in positions beyond their ability, leading to potential serious consequences.”

I want to get all the stories! Tell me how I can become an Undercurrent Online Member and get online access to all the articles of Undercurrent as well as thousands of first hand reports on dive operations world-wide


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

cd