Tödlicher Unfall im Höhlensystem Woodville Karst Plain, Florida -HS-
Nach Angaben des Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP, eine Non-Profit-Tochtergesellschaft der Global Underwater Explorers GUE) kam es am 11.06.2011 zu einem tödlichen Unfall im Höhlensystem des Woodville Karst Plain (Einstieg Whiskey Still Sink)
Der verunglückte Höhlentaucher Jim M., seit 2002 als WKPP-Supporttaucher eingesetzt, galt als überaus erfahren, methodisch und detailorientiert.
Der Ablauf des tragischen Tauchgangs nach Angaben der WKPP:
Am Samstag, den 11.06.2011 beginnt Jim seinen Tauchgang im Dreierteam am Einstieg "Whiskey Still Sink".
Beim Stageablegen auf dem 21m/70ft stop legt Jim dem Vernehmen nach wohl versehentlich (und von der Gruppe unbemerkt) eine der bottomstages, 75m 240ft ( MODmarker 240 ) ab und behält das Heliox50, 21m Gas am Mann.
Im weiteren Tauchgangsverlauf beim Gaswechsel auf 120ft/36m, wechselt Jim wohl versehentlich auf das 50er Heliox / 21m Gas. Nach etwas weniger als einer Stunde geht es geplnat zurück. Kurz nach der Wende krampft Jim in offensichtlich schwerer O2-Vegiftung und ertrinkt, die Hilfsversuche seiner Buddies sind vergeblich. Das Team kann Jim M. nur noch leblos mitführen.
Text (gekürzt) nach einer Übersetzung (vielen Dank!) von Jan Hinrich Hoffmann, mod DIR-GER.
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Die Originalmitteilung von Todd Leonard, einer der Projekt-Koordinatoren des WKPP (stellenweise gekürzt)
.... I`m very sorry to report to you that our friend and fellow explorer Jim M. died today during a dive in the WKP.
It`s too early for us to report on the dive in great detail, but what I can tell you is that he seized and drowned in the cave after breathing a 70ft deco bottle for an extended period of time on his way into the cave. The bottle was marked and analyzed correctly. The depth was approximately 200ft and the incident occurred soon after the team turned and began their exit. He was brought back to
the basin by his buddies following an unsuccessful attempt to revive him at depth, and then to the surface by other team members.
I posted more as I received additional detail, and as I received questions from CDF members who were wondering various things. Rather than trying to assemble and repost all that, however, I think I`ll just try to present a chronological summary of the dive:
Jim was diving with two buddies Saturday, each using an RB80 rebreather. They entered at a site in the WKP (Woodville Karst Plain) called Whiskey Still Sink. From Whiskey, the conduit proceeds at a shallow depth to Innisfree Sink, and beyond Innisfree it drops deeper to a max depth around 220ft and continues. Thus, their decompression was to be done on the other side of Innisfree. Their bottom mix was 240 gas. They carried deco gas to be used at 120, 70, and oxygen at 20.
Given the offset profile, they did their own deco setup.
They began the dive on their 120 bottles, which are suitable for the shallow cave between Whiskey and Innisfree. Passing Innisfree they dropped deco bottles at their respective depths. The first error occurred at the 70ft stop, where Jim dropped one of his 240 bottles -- he should have dropped his 70ft bottle, and it should not have been carried any further into the cave.
After proceeding down to the 120ft stop, the team stopped for their switch to 240 gas (their bottom gas). At this point the second and most serious error occurred - Jim switched onto his 70 bottle. Part of our standard procedure and a very critical step in each and every bottle switch is to check the MOD sticker on the side of the bottle, which would have made very clear that he was about to switch to the wrong bottle; we don`t know why, but this check was missed. We also want
buddies to watch each others` switches carefully enough to confirm the correct bottle is in play, but this secondary check was not performed and the error was not caught. Following the switch the team dropped their 120 bottles, and proceeded into the cave.
They continued into the cave for a little less than an hour (with Jim breathing his 70 bottle), and turned the dive as planned. Not long after the turn, Jim experienced a seizure. His buddies tried unsuccessfully to help him recover from the seizure, and Jim drowned.
After a prolonged exit the team was able to bring Jim back to the basin at Innisfree, and shortly thereafter a pair of our support divers brought him back to the surface.
So, that`s the crux of it. There was a significant error, a critical error, plus missed opportunities to catch and correct those errors.
Jim was a very experienced and responsible diver, and known among his friends for his exceptional meticulousness. We`re profoundly shocked and saddened to lose him, and he`d be one of the last people we`d ever imagine might die this way.
This dive was well within his skill and experience levels, and the site was very familiar to him.
------------------------------------------------
Bitte beachtet, beim Posten, dass nur folgende Postings freigegeben werden:
- neue Informationen zum Unfallhergang
- neue Fragen die sich daraus ergeben
- neue Lösungsansätze für das beschriebene Problem
Nicht freigegeben werden:
- reine Beileidsbekundungen
- allgemeine Betrachtungen
- ungesicherte Spekulationen über den Unfall
- off Topic Beiträge
- Fragen und Beiträge die schon vorliegen
Der verunglückte Höhlentaucher Jim M., seit 2002 als WKPP-Supporttaucher eingesetzt, galt als überaus erfahren, methodisch und detailorientiert.
Der Ablauf des tragischen Tauchgangs nach Angaben der WKPP:
Am Samstag, den 11.06.2011 beginnt Jim seinen Tauchgang im Dreierteam am Einstieg "Whiskey Still Sink".
Beim Stageablegen auf dem 21m/70ft stop legt Jim dem Vernehmen nach wohl versehentlich (und von der Gruppe unbemerkt) eine der bottomstages, 75m 240ft ( MODmarker 240 ) ab und behält das Heliox50, 21m Gas am Mann.
Im weiteren Tauchgangsverlauf beim Gaswechsel auf 120ft/36m, wechselt Jim wohl versehentlich auf das 50er Heliox / 21m Gas. Nach etwas weniger als einer Stunde geht es geplnat zurück. Kurz nach der Wende krampft Jim in offensichtlich schwerer O2-Vegiftung und ertrinkt, die Hilfsversuche seiner Buddies sind vergeblich. Das Team kann Jim M. nur noch leblos mitführen.
Text (gekürzt) nach einer Übersetzung (vielen Dank!) von Jan Hinrich Hoffmann, mod DIR-GER.
------------------------------------------------
Die Originalmitteilung von Todd Leonard, einer der Projekt-Koordinatoren des WKPP (stellenweise gekürzt)
.... I`m very sorry to report to you that our friend and fellow explorer Jim M. died today during a dive in the WKP.
It`s too early for us to report on the dive in great detail, but what I can tell you is that he seized and drowned in the cave after breathing a 70ft deco bottle for an extended period of time on his way into the cave. The bottle was marked and analyzed correctly. The depth was approximately 200ft and the incident occurred soon after the team turned and began their exit. He was brought back to
the basin by his buddies following an unsuccessful attempt to revive him at depth, and then to the surface by other team members.
I posted more as I received additional detail, and as I received questions from CDF members who were wondering various things. Rather than trying to assemble and repost all that, however, I think I`ll just try to present a chronological summary of the dive:
Jim was diving with two buddies Saturday, each using an RB80 rebreather. They entered at a site in the WKP (Woodville Karst Plain) called Whiskey Still Sink. From Whiskey, the conduit proceeds at a shallow depth to Innisfree Sink, and beyond Innisfree it drops deeper to a max depth around 220ft and continues. Thus, their decompression was to be done on the other side of Innisfree. Their bottom mix was 240 gas. They carried deco gas to be used at 120, 70, and oxygen at 20.
Given the offset profile, they did their own deco setup.
They began the dive on their 120 bottles, which are suitable for the shallow cave between Whiskey and Innisfree. Passing Innisfree they dropped deco bottles at their respective depths. The first error occurred at the 70ft stop, where Jim dropped one of his 240 bottles -- he should have dropped his 70ft bottle, and it should not have been carried any further into the cave.
After proceeding down to the 120ft stop, the team stopped for their switch to 240 gas (their bottom gas). At this point the second and most serious error occurred - Jim switched onto his 70 bottle. Part of our standard procedure and a very critical step in each and every bottle switch is to check the MOD sticker on the side of the bottle, which would have made very clear that he was about to switch to the wrong bottle; we don`t know why, but this check was missed. We also want
buddies to watch each others` switches carefully enough to confirm the correct bottle is in play, but this secondary check was not performed and the error was not caught. Following the switch the team dropped their 120 bottles, and proceeded into the cave.
They continued into the cave for a little less than an hour (with Jim breathing his 70 bottle), and turned the dive as planned. Not long after the turn, Jim experienced a seizure. His buddies tried unsuccessfully to help him recover from the seizure, and Jim drowned.
After a prolonged exit the team was able to bring Jim back to the basin at Innisfree, and shortly thereafter a pair of our support divers brought him back to the surface.
So, that`s the crux of it. There was a significant error, a critical error, plus missed opportunities to catch and correct those errors.
Jim was a very experienced and responsible diver, and known among his friends for his exceptional meticulousness. We`re profoundly shocked and saddened to lose him, and he`d be one of the last people we`d ever imagine might die this way.
This dive was well within his skill and experience levels, and the site was very familiar to him.
------------------------------------------------
Bitte beachtet, beim Posten, dass nur folgende Postings freigegeben werden:
- neue Informationen zum Unfallhergang
- neue Fragen die sich daraus ergeben
- neue Lösungsansätze für das beschriebene Problem
Nicht freigegeben werden:
- reine Beileidsbekundungen
- allgemeine Betrachtungen
- ungesicherte Spekulationen über den Unfall
- off Topic Beiträge
- Fragen und Beiträge die schon vorliegen