RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
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I N C I D E N T I N S I G H T
60
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FALL 2014
B Y B R I T T A N Y T R O U T
Entangled in Kelp
THE DIVERS
On his first-ever night dive, Sam, an uncertified and
inexperienced diver with fewer than 15 lifetime dives,
descended to catch lobsters with two other uncertified
divers (Dave and Tim). The three descended, while a
fourth diver (Ron) planned to freedive and assist with
hauling in the anticipated lobster catch. A fifth diver
(Eric) remained on the boat. (Note: All names are
fictitious.)
THE INCIDENT
Dave’s tank slipped out of his BCD strap five minutes
into the dive. He alerted Tim of the issue and signaled
that he was going to surface to adjust his gear. Dave
and Tim went to the surface, while Sam, unaware of
their decision, continued with the dive. When Dave
and Tim returned to the boat, they realized Sam had
not followed them and were unsure of his location.
They conducted a brief surface search and concluded
he must still be at depth. While freediving, Ron saw
Sam entangled in kelp at approximately 25 feet. Sam
was still wearing his mask, and his regulator was in his
mouth. He was conscious and fighting to free himself
from the thick kelp.
Sam began to panic, causing him to flail and become
even more entangled. After several unsuccessful
attempts to free Sam from the thick kelp, Ron returned
to the surface and alerted the others that Sam was
entangled and needed help. Eric responded with
scuba gear from the boat. Unfortunately, by the time
Eric got there, Sam was no longer wearing his mask,
his regulator was not in his mouth, and he was not
breathing. Eric cut Sam free and brought him to the
surface. Another boat that had heard the distressed
calls for help was there to pull Sam out of water. CPR was
started immediately, and Sam was transported to a local
hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
FATALITY ANALYSIS
Understanding the root causes and the series of events
leading to a dive fatality is important for the prevention
of future incidents. Investigators recovered the dive
gear, which they tested and found to be working
properly. The tank contained more than 2,000 psi on
recovery, indicating that Sam did not run out of air;
however, his regulator was found out of his mouth
when he was recovered.
The trigger in this case was kelp entanglement, which
made this dive an emergency and began the chain of
events that led to the fatality. Sam’s panic served as
the disabling agent, causing him to engage in irrational
behavior that did not help to resolve the entanglement
and led him to drop his regulator. Losing his regulator
caused him to suffer asphyxia and drown.
ALLISON SALLMON
Entrapment and entanglement are the
triggers in approximately 20 percent of
fatal dive accidents. All divers should
be prepared to manage these hazards.
