More details (& some speculation) on Shuger dive accident


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Posted by ken Kurtis on June 19, 2002 at 23:46:32:

I got a call this evening from one of our divers who asked me if I'd heard about the death Saturday. When I said that I had, he told me that he was the kayaker who had discovered Scott Shuger in the water and towed him in. He gave me more details of the accident which I pass on here in the spirit of analysis and learning, but hopefully NOT to provide a platform for anyone to jump up and down and say, "See???? Told you so."

My guy and his girlfriend were out kayaking (2-person kayak) near Malaga Cove on Saturday. As they were heading back in, they noticed a diver floating at the surface, perhaps 80 yards off-shore. They headed towards him, curious as to how his dive had been. They shouted and got no response. They came closer, shouted again, and got no response. When they drew alongside, they could see that he was non-responsive.

Shuger was floating face-up, no mask or snorkel, and BC barely inflated. It was unclear if he had ditched any integrated weights (our guy didn't check for that) but he didn't have a weight belt on (our guy checked for that) and was floating fairly high.

They checked the carotid for a pulse, found none, and tried to haul him into the kayak to give CPR. But they couldn't do that with the gear in place and decided instead, since they were now about 50 yards from the shore, to head straight in. A surfer came over to join them for the paddle in and helped out.

Lifeguards had already been alerted, a truck was in place, and a lifeguard swam out to meet them. They beached the kayak, and began CPR on shore. During this time, our diver took a look at the gear and made the following notes:

• 2047psi in the tank based on computer readout
• Probably an aluminum tank as it was yellow, not silver/metal
• Purge was tested on the reg and reg gave air
• Fins were clipped to a D-ring on the BC
• No readily apparent head wounds or contusions
• Was wearing full wetsuit with hood, with a skin underneath
• Dive computer (possibly an Oceanic Datamax Pro) showed a 1:47
surface interval, which could also be the time since the
unit was turned on
• Ankle-slapping surf at Malaga that day

CPR was performed for about a half hour and then Shuger was transported off the beach. At no time was another buddy observed, nor did anyone come down from the Malaga Cove School parking lot looking for a missing diver. The presumption is that Shuger was diving alone, although two witnesses reported seeing two divers enter the water together about two hours before the accident.

Now for the speculation . . .

It would seem from the fins being clipped to the BC that whatever happened, happened during entry or exit and probably in very shallow water since, without fins, you wouldn't clip your fins off unless you thought you could stand up. And the surf was low enough that day that a wading entry/exit was feasible.

The air pressure in the tank (2047 psi instead of 3000 for a full aluminum tank) might indicate the accident happened at the end of the dive on the exit. Or, it could be that the first dive had occured, a surface interval ensued, and the accident happened during entry on the second dive. It could also be that Shuger dove with a buddy on a first dive, the buddy bailed on the second dive, and Shuger decided to do the second dive alone.

However, if it's the Datamx Pro thsat he was using (our guy wasn't sure of the model, but from th ephysical description of the computer, that's my hunch), that computer turned off after one hour if you hadn't started a dive. (The newer versions turn off after two hours.) So if the unit read 1:47 (they estimate it was 1:30 when they found Shuger and took 15 minutes to get him to the beach) then my bet would be that one dive already had been made, which would also account for the tank being near 2000 psi, instead of 3000 psi. (For those not familiar with Malaga Cove, it's very shallow and you could easily do a reasonable dive there and only use 1000 psi.)

It probably won't be possible to pinpoint when the accident occured until the computer is examined more closely. If it is the older version of the Datamx Pro, the unit's not downloadable and it doesn't time/date stamp the dives. But the last profile might indicate whether or not a dive had been made at Malaga. For instance, if the last dive shows anything deeper than 25-30 feet, it probably wasn't Malaga.

If the accident happened at the start of the first dive, it means Shuger was floating in the water for over an hour and a half before he was spotted. If it happened at the end of the first dive, same possible scenario. But if it happened after a surface interval, it's anyone's guess as to how long it was before he was spotted.

The most puzzling aspect of this are the weights. Although our guy didn't check specifically, he assumes that because Shuger was floating so high on top of the water (and they found him out in water that was probably 20' deep) that he had ditched his weights, or they had somehow come off.

Now for the dilemma.

If he had gotten in trouble in water deep enough that ditching the weights was a reaction, why were his fins clipped to his BC, since water that deep would require fins? But if he was in water shallow enough to stand up in (again, speculation because of the clipped fins) why would he ditch his weights since your first reaction would probably be just to stand up?

If the weights are found, their location may provide another clue. (And note, if anyone should find weights at Malaga over the next few days, mark the location carefully and then notify the Palos Verdes Estates Police, who have assumed jurisdiction.)

Autopsy results (conducted Wednesday afternoon) are still pending.

If nothing else, perhaps this points out the difficulty in determining with absolute certainty exactly what happened and what went wrong. As with many dive accidents, it may leave us with more questions than answers.

Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, CA


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