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| Hobby Forum Index » Scuba » Death of KY diver as reported, also CA death... |
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| Greg Mossman... |
 Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 1:25 pm |
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"WEEKI WACHI, Fla. — A Kentucky man has died scuba diving in caverns
off Florida's Gulf Coast. Underwater search crews were looking late
Tuesday for the body of 39-year-old James D. Woodall II. The Richmond
man was diving hours earlier with a friend near Weeki Wachi when he
apparently had equipment problems. Fellow diver Gregory Snowden said
the two were about 500 feet under when he saw his friend in trouble.
Snowden swam out and surfaced to call authorities."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571608,00.html
"A scuba diving accident in Florida near Tampa has left a Madison
County man dead. Rescue crews Wednesday were searching for the body
of 39-year-old James D. Woodall, II of Richmond. Woodall was diving
with friends near Weeki Wachi when he apparently had equipment
problems. Fellow diver Gregory Snowden said the two were about 275
feet under when he saw his friend in trouble. Snowden swam out and
surfaced to call authorities."
http://www.lex18.com/news/madison-county-man-dies-in-florida-scuba-diving-accident/
And we had one out here for good measure:
"AVALON -- A 56-year-old woman seeking her deep-sea scuba diving
certification died after a dive off Santa Catalina Island, authorities
said. Los Angeles County sheriff's officials say Mona Towle, of
Redlands, was diving with her instructor Sunday at the Avalon dive
park when something went wrong. The two were more than 65 feet below
the surface when Towle apparently had equipment trouble and rose to
the top. She was taken by boat to the Two Harbors medical facility
operated by the University of Southern California, where she was
declared dead.
Divers who ascend too quickly are at risk of developing Decompression
Sickness, also known as "the bends," which is a painful physical
condition that can lead to paralysis and death, according to online
sources.
There was no immediate word on Towle's exact cause of death."
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-catalina-diver-dies,0,3535797.story?track=rss |
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| Greg Mossman... |
| Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 1:28 pm |
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On Nov 4, 3:25 pm, Greg Mossman <moss... at (no spam) qnet.com> wrote:
Quote: "A scuba diving accident in Florida near Tampa has left a Madison
County man dead. Rescue crews Wednesday were searching for the body
of 39-year-old James D. Woodall, II of Richmond. Woodall was diving
with friends near Weeki Wachi when he apparently had equipment
problems. Fellow diver Gregory Snowden said the two were about 275
feet under when he saw his friend in trouble. Snowden swam out and
surfaced to call authorities."
http://www.lex18.com/news/madison-county-man-dies-in-florida-scuba-di...
More on the above story:
"A Madison County man died Tuesday in a scuba diving mishap in Florida
near Tampa. Rescue crews early Wednesday morning recovered the body of
39-year-old James D. Woodall, II of Richmond. Woodall was diving with
friends in the Eagle Nest Underwater Caverns located in the
Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area near Tampa. Woodhall and a
friend, Greg Snowden, were about 275 feet down inside the cave system
when Woodall experienced problems with his breathing system. Snowden
tried to Woodhall, but was unable to save him. Police say Woodall's
body was recovered by certified cave divers shortly after midnight
Wednesday. They say both Woodall and Snowden were uncertified and
inexperienced cave divers. No foul play is suspected in the case."
http://www.lex18.com/news/police-kentucky-man-drowns-in-underwater-caves-near-tampa/ |
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| Greg Mossman... |
| Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 1:31 pm |
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On Nov 4, 3:28 pm, Greg Mossman <moss... at (no spam) qnet.com> wrote:
Quote: On Nov 4, 3:25 pm, Greg Mossman <moss... at (no spam) qnet.com> wrote:
"A scuba diving accident in Florida near Tampa has left a Madison
County man dead. Rescue crews Wednesday were searching for the body
of 39-year-old James D. Woodall, II of Richmond. Woodall was diving
with friends near Weeki Wachi when he apparently had equipment
problems. Fellow diver Gregory Snowden said the two were about 275
feet under when he saw his friend in trouble. Snowden swam out and
surfaced to call authorities."
http://www.lex18.com/news/madison-county-man-dies-in-florida-scuba-di...
More on the above story:
"A Madison County man died Tuesday in a scuba diving mishap in Florida
near Tampa. Rescue crews early Wednesday morning recovered the body of
39-year-old James D. Woodall, II of Richmond. Woodall was diving with
friends in the Eagle Nest Underwater Caverns located in the
Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area near Tampa. Woodhall and a
friend, Greg Snowden, were about 275 feet down inside the cave system
when Woodall experienced problems with his breathing system. Snowden
tried to Woodhall, but was unable to save him. Police say Woodall's
body was recovered by certified cave divers shortly after midnight
Wednesday. They say both Woodall and Snowden were uncertified and
inexperienced cave divers. No foul play is suspected in the case."
http://www.lex18.com/news/police-kentucky-man-drowns-in-underwater-ca...
Even more:
http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2009/nov/04/deceased-diver-was-not-certified-sheriffs-office-s/
By TONY HOLT | Hernando Today
Published: November 4, 2009
WEEKI WACHEE - They were submerged in the murky water, ascending
slowly as required for deep cave dives.
About halfway toward the entrance point, Gregory Snowden noticed his
friend was struggling with his breathing apparatus.
Sgt. Donna Black, a spokeswoman with the Hernando County Sheriff's
Office, described what happened next.
The divers had been more than 270 feet below the surface and were 500
feet upstream from their destination, so time was critical for James
Woodall to get his breathing gear working properly.
During his struggle, Woodall pushed his friend into a pile of sand,
which covered his mask.
By the time Snowden regained his sight of Woodall, it was too late,
Black said.
"He realized he was lifeless and could not resuscitate him," she said.
The two traveled from Madison County, Ky., to Eagle's Nest Underwater
Caverns in the Chassohowitzka Wildlife Management Area. The site, also
known as Lost Sink, is a popular destination for local and out-of-town
cave divers, according to employees at several local diving shops.
Snowden reached the surface shortly after 6 p.m. and called 911.
Recovery divers were called from St. Petersburg and Citrus County,
according to the sheriff's office.
By that time, both men were underwater for approximately four-and-a-
half hours, Black said.
The body was recovered shortly after midnight, according to a media
release.
Woodall, along with Snowden, was certified through the Professional
Association of Diving Instructors, according to New Horizons Diving
Center in Lexington, Ky., where both men are members.
Neither was certified in cave diving, Black said.
Multiple calls to both men's homes in Lexington were not answered.
"Our entire shop is doing all we can for the family," said Matthew
Skaggs, manager of New Horizons. "That's all we're focused on right
now."
Skaggs said he could not say whether Woodall or Snowden had any
certifications in cave diving, but according to the shop's Web site,
the two had been on similar dives prior to their trip to Eagle's Nest.
Walter Pickel is a certified cave diver out of Tampa. He said he spoke
with some of the divers who searched and recovered the body.
He owns a similar type of life-support system both men used for their
dives.
It is known as a rebreather. It recycles exhaled gas and allows the
diver to be submerged for an extended amount of time. It is a device
commonly used by Navy SEAL teams.
Pickel said he has never used it for a deep cave dive. To do so would
break the number one rule known by mostly all cave divers – if you're
not trained for it, don't do it.
"I have a rebreather, but I'm not certified with it so I don't use
it," he said. "I promised my wife I wouldn't, so I don't."
Jeff Petersen is another local cave diver. He estimated he has had
upward of 30 dives at Eagle's Nest.
"To even get a rebreather, you have to go through some pretty
elaborate training," Petersen said. "It's a very involved process. You
need to be vigilant on what your equipment is doing while you're
concentrating on where you are.
"If you put a rebreather diver in there without a cave certification,"
he continued, "that's the same as a death warrant."
Both Petersen and Pickel were reluctant to guess what led to Woodall's
fatal accident because it might have resulted from a number of
factors. For starters, if the mixture of gases contains too much
oxygen, the results can be toxic and cause the diver to convulse.
Oftentimes during a seizure, the diver spits out the mouthpiece and
loses consciousness. If someone nearby doesn't jam the regulator back
into the diver's mouth, he or she could drown quickly, Petersen said.
Pickel said he constantly hears stories about people who continuously
go on cave dives in spite of not ever pursuing the necessary
certifications.
"They will say something like, 'I've been doing this for so long, I
don't need to be cave trained,'" he said. "That's just a horrible
attitude. Those people might as well say, 'I'm going to go ahead and
die soon.'"
Six divers have died at Eagle's Nest since 1981. The previous fatal
accident was in June 2004 when two local divers drowned while being
stuck in the caves, according to news reports |
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