Posted by on February 06, 2005 at 21:11:30:
In Reply to: Details from someone involved in the rescue. posted by Chuck Tribolet on February 06, 2005 at 10:20:28:
From: "Ben Troxell" A little later I saw a person on the surface with air escaping loudly. It turned out that he was her husband (with a different buddy) had his problems with his second stage and was heading in. I helped him in through the surf (it wasn't too big but he looked like he could use some help). I then launched my wife with her kayak, and was getting ready for mine when the guy came to me and asked where we had come in because he had lost the second stage. I helped for a minute and then went out to meet my wife. As I paddled out, I saw my wife heading towards two people who looked like After a few minutes, T's partner, took off her equipment and clipped it to my boat. We then clipped my wife's boat to mine and I paddled all to shore as the lady hang onto the boat and her partner kept her calm. Close to shore, T's partner and her husband's partner (who we met on the way in) helped her to shore. On shore, she was complaining that she had pain in her shoulder so they called emergency and they took her to the hospital and admitted her. I talked to her partner afterwards. He (thank goodness for T.) was an instructor and well trained. While they were heading out the Medridiums Fields, be noticed T. had became unresponsive (`deer looking into headlights'). He then brought her to the surface as `safely' and `controlled' as possible. On the surface, she was in a total panic and uncommunicative. She had apparently aspirated seawater. I'm not sure she had stopped breathing underwater, but she was breathing on the surface. She was lucky that she had a good partner who knew what to do in an emergency. In fact, he did a great job. She was an experienced diver, but I don't know how experienced. Something could have happened while swimming to the Metediums and things went downhill from there.
Date: Sun Feb 6, 2005 10:00 am
Subject: Re: Accident at the Breakwater Saturday, February 5, 2005
Here are the details (long version) that I know. She and he husband were down from Washington and hooked up with some friends from Modesto (maybe a dive club). As I was taking my equipment to the beach, I watched her enter the water and she had problems right off the bat. She ended up rolling around the surf as her buddy tried to get her up and out.
they were having problems. When my wife came along side them, the lady (I'll call T.) tried to crawl onto the kayak and almost flipped her. T's partner and my wife tried calming her down and I got along side of my wife to stabilizer her. T was in a total panic and severely coughing.