Posted by Ken Kurtis on August 28, 2000 at 12:08:57:
In Reply to: Fatality at Casino Point? posted by CalDiver on August 28, 2000 at 11:33:02:
(CalDiver asked) Is there better information available on what happened here, how the dive went wrong?
The information you posted seems consisternt with what I was told this morning by some folks who were there at the time. The only info I'd add, and I don't think it factored into the cause of this tragedy, is that he was diving with what appeared to be twin 72s and generally older gear.
Since he was (seemingly) diving alone, it may be difficult to detrmine what went wrong. Clues might be found at autopsy or with gear testing but, since there were no eyewitnesses, sometimes that's just a best guess.
However, the lesson for ALL of us to walk away with is that this guy failed to ditch his weightbelt and died with it on. While there's no guarantee ditching the belt would have saved his life, we do know that he would have floated to and been found at the surface, and we've always got a much better chance of success there than when we're asked to find someone who's still on the bottom, in an unknown location.
Ken Kurtis
NAUI #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, Ca.