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THE DIVER
The diver was a 48-year-old woman
who was open-water certified 20
years ago but had not dived since
then. She had recently taken a
second open-water diving course.
She was 5 feet 7 inches tall,
weighed 230 pounds and had a
body mass index (BMI) of 36. She
had recently lost 45 pounds and
was still in the process of weight
reduction, though she was not
dieting during this seven-day
liveaboard trip in Australia.
THE INCIDENT
On the second day of diving the
diver reported “getting carried away
while taking pictures.” She stopped
looking at her gauges and realized
at 97 feet that she had only 1,000
psi of breathing gas left. Her dive
buddy was motioning for her to
ascend, so she began to purposefully
do so. She reported feeling worried
and determined that she should not
shoot to the surface. She began a
steady ascent.
At 45 feet she looked around
and initially was unable to locate
her dive buddy. She watched her
air supply dwindle. Finally she
reached 20 feet with about 300
psi of air left. She opted to make a
safety stop, and watched her gauge
intently the whole time. As soon as
she finished she motioned for her
buddy to ascend the mooring
line. She ascended in a slow,
controlled manner but stated that
her mind was racing and that
she felt relief as her depth gauge
approached zero.
On the surface the diver
inflated her BCD, looked at her
gauge and saw that her tank was
completely empty. She recalled:
RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
INCIDENT INSIGHT
58
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WINTER 2017
It can be easy to lose sight of depth, time and
gas supply when you’re in search of the perfect
image. Stay alert — don’t compromise your
safety for the sake of a photograph.
STEPHEN FRINK
DISTRACTED WHILE DIVING
By Peter Buzzacott, MPH, Ph.D.