Diver dies on the Kamloops

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johnhens
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Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by johnhens »

SCUBA Diving Fatality on KAMLOOPS: Sadly, a recreational diver exploring the shipwreck at Isle Royale National Park lost consciousness during the dive and could not be revived. Park rangers responded to the incident after receiving a distress call on marine band radio from the charter company vessel LAKE SUPERIOR DIVER. Park Superintendent Phyllis Green has temporarily closed the KAMLOOPS to diving. “We are deeply saddened by this SCUBA accident" stated Green. “Divers understand the risks involved in diving at such extreme depths, but accidents can happen. We will do a thorough examination of the accident and review operations at the site before opening it to further recreational diving.”

The KAMLOOPS is considered an expert dive due to the depths involved; most of the wreck lies below 200 feet. It is located approximately 300 feet from the north shore of Isle Royale near Todd Harbor. The ship, a 250 foot Canadian package freighter, wrecked in a severe storm in December 1927. The location of the shipwreck was unknown until sport divers located the wreck in 1977.
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Re: Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by Nym90 »

Very sad news.

Hopefully delayed response time due to the fact that the nearest open ranger station was Windigo as opposed to Amygdaloid Island as would normally be the case was not a factor in the death.
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Re: Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by drobarge »

sad news.... such a deep wreck
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Re: Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by drobarge »

Nym, Park Service response time is not a factor. Dives of this depth are not something the park can help with.
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Re: Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by Ernest T Bass »

drobarge wrote:Nym, Park Service response time is not a factor. Dives of this depth are not something the park can help with.
Ditto...
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Re: Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by Rafiki »

I am not familiar with the sport/hobby/recreation of diving. It was said that this person sadly lost consciousness, would this be the result of diving at such great depths and the body having a negative reaction? Or was it a coincidental incident that lead to the fatality? Regardless, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
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Re: Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by Tom »

Rafiki wrote:I am not familiar with the sport/hobby/recreation of diving. It was said that this person sadly lost consciousness, would this be the result of diving at such great depths and the body having a negative reaction? Or was it a coincidental incident that lead to the fatality? Regardless, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
Tough to say, but as a recreational diver myself, I can say that there are many, many things that could go wrong, and very few options if they do.. Which is why we plan every dive, and have some levels of redundancy, including a dive buddy. The depths those divers were at would be limited to quite experienced divers (the recreational dive limit is 130ft) but even then, there are things that will play with the mind, and tax the body. Unfortunately, all it might take is one gas bubble to form in your blood, and you could be gone. At that depth, even with other divers, if you lose consciousness there is little that can be done. The other divers will need to perform decompression stops, so they themselves aren't put at risk, which is why they 'sent him up' and hoped for a miracle at the surface. Unfortunate, but the diver would have known those risks.
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Re: Diver dies on the Kamloops

Post by divedeep »

A lot of things can happen when you dive, and that include accidents. It's always sad to know that a fellow diver died from an accident, they happen so the best thing we can do is to be prioritize safety all the time.
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