Continuing on with the incident, the on-duty lieutenant of the Coast Guard station told us to proceed to the St. Andrews boat docks. He had notified the local fire rescue paramedics to meet us there. We still had the diver on O2 and lying on the deck of the boat continuing to take his vitals.

We arrived at the docks to see about half-dozen FWC officers as well as several park personnel. The paramedics arrived there about the same time we did. The dock was in a very confined area to access but the captain threaded the needle and got the boat docked safely. The whole time we had the lieutenant on the phone and giving him updates on the diver’s condition.

After we docked I met with the FWC officers, I identified myself as the diving instructor and I asked if they want custody of the equipment the diver was using and they declined. You see as with any accident investigation there s a term called “chain of custody” that has to be followed to determine if it was a gear malfunction, improper gas mixture, or diver error that could have caused the issue with the diver.

I asked the Coast Guard lieutenant if he would take the equipment for testing and he said yes. So I asked the other instructor if he would put tape around the tank valves and gather the equipment up in one place. Once the ambulance took the diver we had to get the boat out from the docks. Like I said, it was difficult getting the boat to the docks much less getting it out, but with the skill of a good captain he was able to get us safely away and headed to the marina.

Once in the marina, the dive master and I wrote down our statements to give to the Coast Guard. I got the equipment loaded in the truck and took it to the dive shop and had it locked in a room until the lieutenant could come and pick it up for testing the next day. A little later, after a shower and some lunch along with a briefing by the captain, I contacted the hospital to find out if they had to get him to a decompression chamber but they wouldn’t give me any information because I was not family. I asked the nurse if I could get his truck to the hospital and drop the keys off at security and she said yes.

We headed to the hospital with his truck and as I turned into the ER parking lot the diver comes walking out to meet me. I was shocked but relieved to see him there.

Apparently he had gotten dehydrated and was a little anxious about the dives and that’s why his body reacted the way it did. He was fine and a little embarrassed by what happened but I told him we could only react based on the symptoms and how they presented themselves. He was grateful and drove back home on his own.

This event had a great outcome but it was because of training and calm heads during this stressful ordeal. This is why I strongly encourage instructors and divers alike to continue to get more training to be prepared for this type of event.

I would also recommend to ALL divers new or old to get Divers Alert Network (DAN) insurance because if you do have to have the special treatment for DCS (decompression sickness) it can cost you about $300,000 to $400,000 for the treatment because there is no medical insurance that will pay for a scuba diving accident or injury.

So call or get on DAN.org to find out what is right for you. I personally have had DAN for years and I have their best policy and my cost is $175 yearly.

So until next week keep safe and blow bubbles.