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FALL 2014
I
began diving in 1975, became an instructor in
2000 and became a DAN instructor in 2002.
As an independent instructor for more than
a decade, I thought I had experienced almost
everything that could happen in or near the
water. How wrong I was.
The Blue Lagoon in Huntsville, Texas, is a dive-
training mecca 70 miles north of Houston. It is an old
alkali quarry, so it does not support life, but it has great
visibility for a Texas mud hole. Because the quarry has
platforms and a few other structures in it, it is perfect
for training open-water (OW) divers. The maximum
depth at the quarry is 25 feet. There is a full-service dive
shop, cabins, shelters and air available for divers; this is
in the middle of the East Texas Piney Woods, so there
isn’t much else for miles around.
On one beautiful day, with sunshine and half a
breeze, I had four students in the water completing an
OW training course. Two other students were on the
shore waiting to do their advanced open-water (AOW)
navigation run along with my son Bradley, who was a
rescue-diver candidate. The final OW student had just
reached the surface after completing his controlled
emergency swimming ascent when I suddenly became
short of breath. Thinking quickly, I called for Bradley
to come help me. Believing that I was either simply
drilling him or just feeling lazy, he leisurely swam
out to tow the “tired diver” to the shore that was at
least 100 yards away. When he arrived on scene and
performed his assessment, however, he realized that
this was no drill.
I was worried that I had a collapsed lung, but I was
still coherent and able to speak. I yelled for my other
son, Christopher, to get the oxygen out of the vehicle.
“How appropriate,” I thought to myself, “to finally meet
my end while teaching a class in 25 feet of water.”
Bradley towed me to shore and made an egress. Even
though he had watched me teach the DAN Emergency
Oxygen course several times before, he hadn’t yet
completed it himself, so he had to use his memory to
figure out how to put together the equipment on his
own. Luckily, he must have been paying attention.
Bradley and Christopher soon administered oxygen per
the briefing plan.
After 15 minutes of trying to catch my breath without
success, emergency medical services (EMS) were finally
called. Upon arrival, they ruled out the collapsed-lung
theory and discovered that I was in atrial fibrillation
of an unknown cause. I was immediately transported
and hospitalized overnight and have since made a full
recovery and have been cleared to dive. I never lost
consciousness or awareness of what was happening.
Blue Lagoon Rescue
RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
//
S K I L L S I N A C T I O N
B Y B R A D L E Y M O R R I S O N
STEPHEN FRINK
