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#1600
Death at Dutch Springs
lerpy - 6/18/2015 5:22 AM
Category: Health & Safety
Replies: 10

Anyone have any information on this? Sa very short article that someone had died diving at Dutch.
#191
eod13x - 6/18/2015 6:11 AM
I found this... Very sad. Always have a buddy and pay close attention to said buddy.
#191
eod13x - 6/18/2015 6:15 AM
If clicking my post doesn’t work to take you to the story...

wfmz.com/news/news-regional-lehighvalley/diver-di...tch-springs/33633754
#12120
Eric_R - 6/18/2015 10:59 AM
That’s a shame. I’m curious what her actual cause of death was as a buddy may not have made a difference.
#3083
RichKeller - 6/19/2015 5:11 AM
Another one who should have dropped their weights.
#147
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Sandman2008 - 6/19/2015 12:40 PM
On the link above if you read the comments below the article I could not believe what I was reading for people calling for Dutch Springs to be shut down. I know this is a horrible incident for the friends, family and everyone involved, but Dutch Spring really does due their diligence to make sure it is a good safe place to dive. As a diver I can choose to go to the ocean and do a beach dive about anywhere I want without any oversight. As with any sport there are risk involved and this is something we should remember and not take for granted. But as for Dutch Springs I will continue to support them and dive there; as they really do show they care and want people to be safe.
#1600
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lerpy - 6/20/2015 4:03 AM
Sandman, I agree with your sentiment, Dutch is a good place to dive and is very safe. The have look outs posted all around. Although the loss of any life is tragic especialy for those involved it does not mean that a place is a death trap that needs to be shut down, if that is the case then diving should be outlawed, but as we know these deaths are often and unfortunatley due to mis-judgement or mis-calculations on behapf of the diver or dive team. Dutch is a place that when I go I make a point of using their platforms and features to do independant "training" or skills practice, and I do this as part of many of my dives. It is always good to refresh and practice, you never know when you might need the skills.
#3720
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tstormdiver - 6/20/2015 7:40 AM
From Sandman2008: On the link above if you read the comments below the article I could not believe what I was reading for people calling for Dutch Springs to be shut down.

This is a big thing we see when an OW diver enters into & dies in one of the cave systems. There is always calls to close off the system to everyone, even responsible divers. A year & a half ago, there was an OW father who took his uncertified son into a system called Eagle’s Nest Christmas day 2013. Eagle’s nest is a very advanced dive, even for a cave diver (requires trimx & much decompression because of depth). After the tragedy, there were multiple calls to close the site down,... That was after the cave diving community worked hard for years to get access to it. Closing access to dive sites is not the answer. Education of people is.
#2635
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John_giu - 6/20/2015 8:26 PM
I found this....

This diver was not with a group getting certified but, in fact, a highly trained diver using Rebreather diving equipment and worked for the New York Aquarium. She was diving with 3 other people when she said she was going to surface and go back to the shore. They don’t know what led to her not making it.

Source: Me. I was there getting my own certification when it happened. It was an awful thing to see.

Very poor judgement if true.
#3720
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tstormdiver - 6/21/2015 2:30 AM
With a rebreather, ascents can be one the most dangerous part of the dive. As a rebreather diver ascends, the PO2’s drop & if PO2’s are already low, these levels can drop to dangerous & life threatening levels. The rebreather, even if automatic, can be too slow to catch up. An uncontrolled ascent can cause the PO2’s to drop to non- life sustaining levels. It is believed that this is what happened to cave diving explorer & videographer, Wes Skiles while filming footage in the Keys. He had signaled that he was going back up to the boat to get more film & was found unresponsive back on the bottom. Rebreathers take a constant diligence & one can not let their guard down, even for a moment.
#3808
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ChristopherBurgert - 6/22/2015 9:19 AM
That’s a shame, and just another reason to dive within your limits.