Instructor Incident

[Sarah]

Below is a post I received. I hope all the best and a speedy reocovery to the instructor.

From Quest list - by JJ:

It is with mixed emotion that I write to report a diving accident
experienced by our friend and fellow GUE instructor. My emotions are mixed because his accident was serious but his prognosis is hopeful. Over the last few days our focus has been to support his family. Yet, I want to take a moment to communicate information about this unfortunate accident.

It remains difficult to establish the precise cause; however, as more
information becomes available I will pass along what we discover. I have
been asked by the family not to reveal a name or personal details regarding his medical condition which is serious, involving the central nervous system. Until they decide otherwise I will honor this request. Yet, I am willing to discuss any other details that are known to me.

The diver collapsed after surfacing from a dive in 2 degrees C water
temperature. The dive lasted for 105 minutes at an average depth of 27m (max of 34) while breathing 30/25; the diver completed 22 minutes of
decompression on oxygen at 6m. There were no problems on the dive and the ascent to 6m was slow. The diver appeared okay when first surfacing; shortly thereafter he reported feeling "warm", after which he collapsed and became unconscious. He was transported to the hospital where he began a series of hyperbaric treatments. He is conscious but the full extent of his injuries are unclear; over the next couple weeks we are likely to learn more details.

The lack of problems on the dive, together with the slow, controlled ascent
make this accident somewhat mysterious. The diver has conducted hundreds of similar profiles with many, more aggressive dives. Of course, it is possible that a shunt (PFO or pulmonary) allowed gas to pass to the arterial side. Given the nature of the dive this seems most likely. However, preliminary evaluations have not established the presence of a PFO and a proper test is not practical at this point. It is unclear whether the diver had been previously tested for a PFO. We will have to wait to get clarity on this
issue. Our thoughts are with our friend and his family.

[Chad]

Something must have been off for him that day.

My best for a full recovery.

Chad

[Zero]

Any accident sucks no matter who or how they were diving.
All the best on a speedy recovery.

Matt