Posted on 03/18/2007 12:14:32 PM PDT by driftdiver
KEY LARGO -- Three divers died on Friday while diving on the Spiegel Grove ship wreck, the Monroe County Sheriff's office said.
In an e-mailed statement, Becky Herrin, spokeswoman for MSO, said the three men were part of a four-man team that was diving on the popular wreck from the commercial dive boat Scuba-do. All were reportedly advanced certified divers and planned a penetration dive into the sunken wreck. That's when something apparently went wrong.
``These wrecks can be very confusing inside,'' Herrin said. ``There's a lot of places to go wrong.
None of the four divers were immediately identified but Herrin said all were from New Jersey. They were not related, but were friends traveling together.
Herrin said the four divers dove on the Spiegel Grove wreck the day before. They did a penetration dive at that time as well, she said.
Here's what Herrin said happened on Friday:
One of the divers was stationed at the entrance of the and the other three went inside. The release did not say how deep the divers were. The ship was sunk about 5 miles off Key Largo in the Atlantic.
The diver left outside the wreck began to run out of air, according to detectives. He surfaced safely.
Two divers from another boat went down to look for the others. They surfaced with one diver who was in distress. That diver was taken on board a Coast Guard vessel where CPR was performed. Paramedics met the boat at shore and transported the victim to Mariner's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
ping
"Cave/wreck dives are too risky for me. I get the heebeegeebees which makes me use my air way too fast."
These guys pushed the limit and penetrated very deep into the wreck. They also didn't use the proper safety equipment. Its a shame.
I don't go into wrecks or caves, nothing in there worth dying to see. I have done swim thru's but could see the exit from the entrance.
The line seems uncool or unnecessary at times, but time and time again I've heard from people who had close calls and won't push the limits again.
When in doubt, always use a line. Always.
You know, it seems to me that divers should have a way to put some sort of strobe light at any entrances they use, and maybe even some sort of colored lights along their way, so they can more easily find their way back.
"You know, it seems to me that divers should have a way to put some sort of strobe light at any entrances they use, and maybe even some sort of colored lights along their way, so they can more easily find their way back."
Wouldn't really help in many cases. One of the dangers in caves and wrecks is the silt that builds up. A few errant kicks with your fins and you stir up the muck. Can't see 6 inches when that happens so the strobe wouldn't help. The line I mentioned previously is there so they can follow it out by touch when visibility is low.
As deep as these guys were there isn't much time to figure a problem out as the air goes quick.
"The ship was quite large but not too deep. But they needed a string because of the ship's size. What's the visibility like 5 miles out?"
I've dove it twice and the vis was between 80-120 feet. The top of the ship may be at about 60 feet but the bottom is at 135 feet. The deck is at about 80 feet. The current was very strong which adds to the stress level for the more inexperienced divers.
This ship is for experienced divers and thats when you don't plan to penetrate it.
The usual manner is to unreel a line as you go in, that way you can always follow it back out. The problem with lights is that they can fail and inside a wreck you can stir up the silt and end up not being able to see your hand right in front of your face. You might also end up losing some expensive lights.
Cave diving and wreck diving's a little too hardcore for me though and I'm sure others here have more knowledge about it.
I was down to the Keys this time 2 years ago. Lovely place. Too bad this turned into a nightmare for these vacationers. May they rest in peace. Prayers for their families.
Prayers up for the familes of these divers who have made the final ascent.
I cannot imagine why anyone would think they would be OK doing a penetration without a line. I don't do penetration dives, but I would use a line even if I could see the exit, simply because a bad siltout could obscure it. Of course, the problem here might just be that went too far in to get back out in time, or went to a reasonable limit and then stayed too long.
As with any high-risk recreational activity, complacency is often deadly. There's nothing more dangerous than thinking "Oh, I've got this all figured out, we've done this before...".
This is very sad indeed. Diving at those depths sure doesn't allow much bottom time for taking your time to explore. Were they on Nitrox?
A basic fundamental of wreck diving certification.
The USS Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) used to be homeported at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base VA.
"I cannot imagine why anyone would think they would be OK doing a penetration without a line. "
They used staging tanks so they weren't totally unfamiliar with safety. The rescuers mentioned a high level of silt so perhaps that was a factor. Or someone could have had a problem and panicked. Say your reg quits and you go to your buddy. It would be easy to use all the air in one tank really quick.
Lots of possibilities but this incident like most diving tragedies reminds us the rules are there for a reason.
I had a close call on the speigel which was mostly due to inexperience. The step from 80 feet to 100 feet is a big step.
Thanks for the Ping, Siver.
Amen.
Came away with a nasty case of fire coral on my thigh cause I brushed against a bulkhead that had an orange tint to it and was only wearing a shorty.
I'm not too sure I'd want to dive a wreck in 60'+ with tight spaces and little light.
Too bad about these guys but it highlights the fact that no matter how advanced you are, you can never forget the first three rules of diving safety: Plan your dive, dive your plan, and keep your eye on your air gauge.
Amen indeed!
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