# Young diver lost in accident LA rig diving



## Billybob+

Hey Folks,

maybe this will serve as a painful reminder to be safe. Remember the friends and family of this one in your prayers

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...er-lost-gulf-mexico-oil-rig-spearfishing.html


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## Billybob+

By the way....I spoke with one of the "Helldivers", the dive club some of these guys were affiliated with, and they said that the data collection monitor showed the diver that tried to find his lost partner had hit 270 feet.

that is hear say, as I got it verbally from one of the HD's that know of this story, so it may or may not be accurate


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## King Mike

Wow. Prayers sent for the divers family. I'll stick to 130 or less!!!


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## CCC

Do they have any idea as to what might have caused his death ?????


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## polar21

I too shall stick with the less than 120ft club...


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## Billybob+

You know as much as I do if you read the article. the letter was actually written by the Diver's boat Captain and diving buddy.

anything else would be conjecture, but I think it would be reasonable to suspect depth could've played a contributing factor. I think a lot of those guys over there do some really deep depths bounce diving for one quick shot with straight air and Aluminum 80's. If that was the case here, it clearly provides no room for errors.



CCC said:


> Do they have any idea as to what might have caused his death ?????


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## Fielro

Prayers for the family. So sad....


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## lastcast

Heard the Coast Guard last week on the radio about a diver. Didn't sound good then. Sorry to hear the outcome. Condolences for the family and friends.


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## Addict'd

The dive buddy posted his story on FB. There is a "tribute to mike reed" page with the story and a way to donate to the family


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## Jason

Hate to hear that....can't imagine a death in the depths like that!!!


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## El Kabong

CCC said:


> Do they have any idea as to what might have caused his death ?????


On air at 190ft, you hit 1.42 ppO2 as soon as you arrive. Assuming a 50ft/min descent to 190ft, and a 10 minute bottom time (from hitting the water to the 10 minute mark), a decent breather will empty an AL80 right about the time he clears his decompression obligation. An advanced spearfisher would run out of air before completing deco, and a beginner, or novice is SOL.

I'm a technical diver with hundreds of deep dives under my belt. I can function and perform very simple tasks at around 150, but I'm very limited. Your brain does not work properly at those depths breathing air or nitrox. I wouldn't consider spearfishing, or cave diving at that depth without helium, and I wouldn't want to dive with folks that were doing the same, because I wouldn't be an effective buddy. You really need a helium mix to properly think below about 90ft. You can function, but it's like driving drunk. Helium helps manage this as it is less narcotic than CO2 and Nitrogen.

I've seen experienced divers get caught in repetitive loops at 140ft. They do the same thing over and over, and over, and don't comprehend that their gas is burning away very quickly. You have to pull those folks up, or they'll stay there doing the same thing for the rest of their life.

When you dive deep, get excited, or exert yourself underwater, you retain CO2, which is more narcotic than Nitrogen. Nitrogen is an anesthetic, that they actually use to put children to sleep for certain medical procedures, and again, CO2 is worse.

I strongly suspect that the victim either seized from O2 toxicity (air hits 1.61 ppO2 at around 220ft), or anesthetized himself with nitrogen and CO2 (has happened MUCH shallower). Since he floated up, I'm leaning toward option 2.

He probably sank to the bottom, likely with his eyes open, and continued to breathe until his tank ran out of air. When his tank emptied, it became buoyant, and if he wasn't dead already, he was by the time he hit the surface. A buoyant ascent from that depth would embolize his lungs, and boil his blood with nitrogen.

This isn't the first time this kind of thing happened over there. You can't keep spinning that cylinder, and then be surprised when you end up with mouth full of lead.


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## hjorgan

Sad story. Big love to you divers, but if I hit the water my boat is on fire. Have done it, got spooked, I'm done.


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## WhackUmStackUm

Very sad.

A diver on air at 270' would be at *1.9* ppo2, and narc'ed for sure.


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## SaltAddict

Below is JUST my speculative opinion and observation. 

Twice in Rok's account of his pre dive briefing, he explains how he calms/corrects what I call an over eager diver. Those two things threw up red flags to me. Add in the fact of how extreme they dive and one could see how the simplest mistake could lead to a tragedy such as this. I'm sure Rok trusted the man (given the way he speaks of him). Certainly a sad event. 
My thoughts to his family and friends.


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## WhyMe

Sad to hear the lose of a diver. I pray for the family's.
WhyMe 
Mako My Dayo


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## Sequoiha

so sad for the family,, if you read the entire article at no time did they have Mike in their view, the only thought he was there,, the dive should have been aborted. but with that said there were many things going on, I have bounce dive many times for that one shot, looking back its not worth it,,


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## FreeDiver

Mike Reed is a legend in the freediving community with and epic talent behind the lens. His work can be found with koah spearguns and spearing magazine. Horrible accident to happen to some one so young and full of skill. I hate the fact I had be talking about hunting Pelagics in a few months and making jaws mounts of different species with Reed A little over 24hours before he left the dock for this dive. May he rest in peace and watch over his brothers he left.


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## Chapman5011

No one has talked about the 35 year old that fell out of a fishing boat a few days ago at night. Coast guard suspended search. I have not seen one person on here discuss it. 
Did anyone know him or was he for the forum. 
I have mentioned It one other time with no response.

Yes I know this is the scuba section.


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## no woryz

Very sad this happened, condolences to the family and friends of Mike Reed..... It's hard to know the exact depth, but it does matter in the understanding of what happened.. in the op on scubaboard, Rok said it was 240 and also later that he was 5' off [email protected] w/500psi... later we hear 270'..... No real matter cause this lesson started when they all passed 218’ on air, IMO...

I am not going to speak about the science in specifics because I have no desire to argue with a keyboard cowboy but oxygen toxicity & narcosis affects us all, some differently than others in the same way alcohol affects people differently but we are all affected whether we realize it or not… I feel that Reed talking about "going to the bottom” whether 240’ or 270’ on air and string up some scamp was the telltale that a tragedy would happen whether that day or on a future dive trip… Question, do you think he was trying to impress the helldivers or did Reed not understand the physics in what he was doing? ..... Rok apparently had to argue w/Reed about 1 shot and return to boat... Red Flag--I would not dive with a person with that reckless of a mentality, it’s usually not enough that they kill themselves.... sometimes they will take their dive buddy with them....... it didn't seem that they followed the "all in" "all out" together rule as the story tells they never really had Reed on visual during the dive….

Scuba diving is inherently dangerous, there are rules of physics in play that affect us individually and that needs to be learned and adjusted….I am affected more differently at age 44 now than when I was 18 years old but even at age 18 there were limits…. There are gas mixes available to allow divers to semi-safely go beyond recreational depth but even that is dangerous in itself, if you desire to eliminate some of the risk…….. I love scuba diving, I go every week & log tween 200-400 individual dives a year between rec, tec, & SAR diving but it’s not worth dying over….

What I take away from this fatality, Know your limits, diving beyond them is scuba roulette…. Watch for red flags, Reed’s head may not have been right for the dive, i.e. lack of sleep, fatigue, whatever……Call a dive if you have to, it may save their life and your own…Plan your dive & dive your plan…. If you’re a team, stay together & again, know your limits……

Condolences to family and friends.....


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## Grehgory

Didn't sound good then. Sorry to hear the outcome. Condolences for the family and friends.


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