diving accident

[Cougar Diver]

Ariz. officer dies in scuba mishap off San Diego

Sept. 30, 2009 03:59 PM
Associated Press
[COLOR=green! important][COLOR=green! important]SAN [COLOR=green! important]DIEGO[/color][/color][/color] - A police officer at the University of Arizona in Tucson has died in a scuba diving accident in southern California.
Lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum says 46-year-old motorcycle officer Daniel Forchione slipped under the ocean's surface at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. He had apparently taken off his air tank following a dive from a [COLOR=green! important][COLOR=green! important]charter [COLOR=green! important]boat[/color][/color][/color] about a mile off the San Diego shore.
His body was found about 65 feet underwater about an hour later. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
University police Sgt. Juan Alvarez says Forchione was a 15-year veteran of the department who was vacationing with his family. His wife is also a [COLOR=green! important][COLOR=green! important]university [COLOR=green! important]of [/color][COLOR=green! important]Arizona[/color][/color][/color] police officer.

[BubblesMcCoy]

Originally Posted by Cougar Diver

Ariz. officer dies in scuba mishap off San Diego

Sept. 30, 2009 03:59 PM
Associated Press
[COLOR=green! important][COLOR=green! important]SAN [COLOR=green! important]DIEGO[/color][/color][/color] - A police officer at the University of Arizona in Tucson has died in a scuba diving accident in southern California.
Lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum says 46-year-old motorcycle officer Daniel Forchione slipped under the ocean's surface at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. He had apparently taken off his air tank following a dive from a [COLOR=green! important][COLOR=green! important]charter [COLOR=green! important]boat[/color][/color][/color] about a mile off the San Diego shore.
His body was found about 65 feet underwater about an hour later. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
University police Sgt. Juan Alvarez says Forchione was a 15-year veteran of the department who was vacationing with his family. His wife is also a [COLOR=green! important][COLOR=green! important]university [COLOR=green! important]of [/color][COLOR=green! important]Arizona[/color][/color][/color] police officer.

I'm not sure I understand what happened. Did he fall off the boat, or was he did he take off his tank to reboard?

What a terrible loss. These accidents are always tragic, but this one seems especially so. My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

[h2odragon1]

From other reports, he removed his BCD before his weight belt, and sank immediately.
My sympathy to his family.

[Desert_Diver]

Originally Posted by h2odragon1

From other reports, he removed his BCD before his weight belt, and sank immediately.
My sympathy to his family.

Did he make any attempt to release his weight belt?

I am assuming (always dangerous) that he was wearing a wet or dry suit which you would think would offer some buoyancy. But finding his body at sixty five feet suggests he was negatively buoyant.

Too bad. Sympathy to family.

Art

[TJDiver]

Man, that's just awful...something as seemingly simple as the correct sequence of gear removal, or incorrect in this case, cost this man his life. I know my son's getting tired of it, but I quiz him on the basics every time we head out for a dive.

Condolences to this guy's family and friends. Very sad.

[cowgirldiver]

Originally Posted by TJDiver

Man, that's just awful...something as seemingly simple as the correct sequence of gear removal, or incorrect in this case, cost this man his life. I know my son's getting tired of it, but I quiz him on the basics every time we head out for a dive.

Condolences to this guy's family and friends. Very sad.

I know what you mean. After reading the thread on getting caught in the down current and having to hold/claw your way back up-I decided to have a little chat with my 17 yr old about what to do if that happened. They lost two girls in Cozumel to a down current not too long ago.

[fisheater]

From what I've read on local sites, he got caught in kelp and panicked, rejecting the DM trying to help him. He doffed his BC and was overweighted by his weightbelt that he didn't jetison.

Lessons: DON'T panic, even when entangled. If you can breath, you have an inconvenience not a problem.

Learn and practice dumping weight.

Don't weight yourself so you're negative at the surface without your BC. Need more weight? Should go with the BC.

Listen to your DM, especially when you're from out of town.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by fisheater

From what I've read on local sites, he got caught in kelp and panicked, rejecting the DM trying to help him. He doffed his BC and was overweighted by his weightbelt that he didn't jetison.

Lessons: DON'T panic, even when entangled. If you can breath, you have an inconvenience not a problem.

Learn and practice dumping weight.

Don't weight yourself so you're negative at the surface without your BC. Need more weight? Should go with the BC.

Listen to your DM, especially when you're from out of town.

Yes, there was more detail in other news reports.

He was on the surface entangled in kelp, pushed away the DM who was trying to help, doffed his BC in an effort to get untangled, and promptly sank. It's really not clear to me why he couldn't dump his weight belt... in a 7mm wetsuit and no weight belt, even thick kelp would have had a hard time keeping him underwater.

Definitely a tragedy.

I won't get into a discussion on my feelings about the charter operator in question, however, because it MAY not be relevant.

[Lulubelle]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

Yes, there was more detail in other news reports.

He was on the surface entangled in kelp, pushed away the DM who was trying to help, doffed his BC in an effort to get untangled, and promptly sank. It's really not clear to me why he couldn't dump his weight belt... in a 7mm wetsuit and no weight belt, even thick kelp would have had a hard time keeping him underwater.

Definitely a tragedy.

I won't get into a discussion on my feelings about the charter operator in question, however, because it MAY not be relevant.

How awful. I just went out with a "six pack" for the first time where you have to remove your gear before getting back on the boat. The Captain/crew is great and wants his hand on your gear solidly before you start. 2 were wearing weight belts I think, the rest of us were integrated. But he has his hand on your before he wants you to start. Good reminder regardless.

We have had a number of very experienced tech divers bite it here in NC. One last summer was impatient to be the first in the water and was diving doubles. Jumped without his air on and was done. Couldn't/didn't get to his air on descent and did not remove his equipment.

Panic does kill.

Panic

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Lulubelle

How awful. I just went out with a "six pack" for the first time where you have to remove your gear before getting back on the boat. The Captain/crew is great and wants his hand on your gear solidly before you start. 2 were wearing weight belts I think, the rest of us were integrated. But he has his hand on your before he wants you to start. Good reminder regardless.

We have had a number of very experienced tech divers bite it here in NC. One last summer was impatient to be the first in the water and was diving doubles. Jumped without his air on and was done. Couldn't/didn't get to his air on descent and did not remove his equipment.

Panic does kill.

Panic

Agreed.

I've been on many boats where you pass your gear up, but (a) this was not one of those, and (b) the first thing you pass up, ALWAYS, is your weight belt or weight pockets.

Regardless, he wasn't trying to get into the boat at that point, just get out of the kelp. He refused the assistance and the advice of the DM, and removed his rig by himself. That's all I know of the matter... not sure how close the DM was after being waved off/fought off (reports vary), but still, the cause of the accident is as clear as it gets: bad judgment due to panic caused a fatal error.