Incidents List
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Year Month Day Surname Forenames Location Contractor Client Depth Type of Diving Details -
1997 6 20 Not Recorded USA Fireman SCUBA A veteran firefighter died Friday following a routine scuba practice dive in Lake Michigan, fire officials said. [The diver], 46, a firefighter for 17 years and an experienced member of the Air-Sea Rescue Unit, was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital shortly before 5 p.m. according to fire department spokesman Patrick Howe. That was about an hour after [the diver] went out on a routine practice dive with [another team member] about 25 feet off Meigs Field, where the water temperature was 62 degrees. ``[The team member] noticed his partner was moving rapidly to the surface,'' said Howe. The member followed [the victim] to the surface, where the victim removed his mask. Other firefighters brought [him] to shore and administered CPR, Howe said. At that time, the victim did not have a pulse and was not breathing, Howe said. Paramedics were subsequently called and administered advanced life-saving techniques before transporting the victim to the hospital, Howe said. [The team member] also was admitted to the hospital as a procedural step and was listed in good condition. An investigation into the cause of [the diver’s] death was underway. ``We don't know if it was an equipment failure, or a heart problem, or what,'' Howe said, adding that the divers were wearing the proper equipment. ``We can't speculate right now.'' An autopsy will be conducted Saturday. Fire officials also said they would examine the scuba equipment being used by [the diver] for any potential malfunctions. [The diver] is survived by a wife and two daughters, ages 13 and 16. Chicago Tribune -
1997 6 19 Not Recorded USA Police 18 SCUBA Quote:- “Two Milford police divers were injured, one critically, in a diving accident during routine training drills in Long Island Sound, authorities said. The officers, ages 34 and 41, apparently became entangled in debris around noon on Wednesday, said a police spokesman. One was submerged at least eight minutes and had no pulse when fellow divers pulled him from the water. He was in critical condition at Norwalk Hospital early this morning. The other officer freed himself, and surfaced to get help, but came up too quickly and suffered from decompression sickness, commonly called the bends. He was in serious condition early this morning also at Norwalk Hospital. Both divers were among eight officers performing routine training about two miles off the mouth of Milford harbor. Police said the divers were training in murky water about 60-feet deep. Visibility was less than a foot. ``This is the first mishap the dive team has ever experienced,'' the spokesman said. The team has been in action at least 25 years. Both men have been dive team members more than five years News Times regional News -
1997 5 22 Rayment David William Canada Working at Ganges Harbour on Saltsprint Island (Between Vancouver Island and the mainland), died, trapped underwater, pinned against the broken wharf he was working on by his collapsed crane. Awarded the Medal of Bravery for his part in trying to save people trapped under an overturned boat in 1993. His best friend said:- "It's ironic he was killed in the same situation, by being trapped underwater". -
1997 5 21 Little Jim USA Acadiana Divers Chamber American, died during surface decompression, smoking inside the DDC, chamber fire. Reported in the press simply as:- “On Sunday, a professional diver undergoing decompression on the dive boat 'White Dove' was killed when the chamber caught fire, the Coast Guard said� Reported in the Orlando Chronicle -
1997 5 19 Kassim Aminnuddin Che Singapore Aged 41, one of two experienced divers (the other diver was Salleh Kudin) killed clearing debris from the cooling inlets of the petrochemical plant at Pillau Ayer Merbau on the same afternoon. Differential Pressure incident but no details. Straits Times -
1997 5 19 Kudin Salleh Singapore Aged 41, one of two experienced divers (the other diver was Aminnuddin Kassim) killed clearing debris from the cooling inlets of the petrochemical plant at Pillau Ayer Merbau on the same afternoon. Differential Pressure incident but no details. Straits Times -
1997 5 0 Lewis Brent R GOM American, jetting under a Casino barge (Isle of Capri) in Shreveport, no bailout, hose severed (pulled into pump inlet) ditched hat, drowned -
1997 3 18 Mestaz Charlie "JR" USA Yakima Fire Department SCUBA American, aged 37. One of a two man (Hauber) fire team trying to rescue two divers (Rhode/Eberle) from a 2210 long, 13 foot diameter irrigation tunnel, their lights were seen returning to the entrance but they failed to surface, they were pulled out by two stand-by divers. They had run out of air, died in hospital three days later. Qudruple fatality (Rhode, Eberle, Hauber) -
1997 3 15 Eberle John USA Roza Irrigation district 30 SCUBA America, aged 41, employed to remove cars from 2210 feet long, 13 foot diameter irrigation canal tunnel "syphon", trapped by flowing water, ran out of air, drowned. Two man team, no stand-by divers/equipment. Two firemen died trying to rescues them, quadruple fatality (Rhode, Hauber, Mestaz) -
1997 3 15 Hauber Rusty USA Yakima Fire Department SCUBA American, aged 34, One of a two man (Mestaz) fire team trying to rescue two divers (Rhode/Eberle) from a 2210 long, 13 foot diameter irrigation tunnel, their lights were seen returning to the entrance but they failed to surface, they were pulled out by two stand-by divers. They had run out of air, drowned. Quadruple fatality (Rhode, Eberle, Mestaz) -
1997 3 15 Rhode Marty USA Roza Irrigation district 30 SCUBA America, aged 33, employed to remove cars from 2210 feet long, 13 foot diameter irrigation canal tunnel "syphon", trapped by flowing water, ran out of air, drowned. Two man team, no stand-by divers/equipment. Two firemen died trying to rescues them, quadruple fatality (Eberle, Hauber, Mestaz) -
1997 3 10 Helton Eric J USA Subaqueous Services 4 Aged 20, dredging a dock using a hand-held suction hose on the lighthouse Point Canal, Broward, trapped and buried under 12' sand and rock, body recovered 24 hours later using twin water jets, reported in the Miami Herald. -
1997 3 0 IMCA SF 01 97 IMCA Topsides ROV technician lost fingers during an on deck maintenance operation, IMCA Safety Flash SF 01/97 -
1997 2 0 Schroeder Robert West Indies, Barbados Strongwork Diving (USA) for Healey Tibbets 37 S/S Air Aged 50. Sewage outfall installation at Queen Ann's Fort, diving off Needhams Point. He was the diving supervisor and dived to check work progress on pipeline in trench. Came out of trench and tide pulled him from 120' to 50' . He grabbed the downline but complained of feeling unwell on stops. Brought to the surface climbed 15 foot ladder ( no cage) and collapsed on deck. Put into chamber unconscious, not breathing and with blood on lips. chamber tender managed to resuscitate him at 165' in chamber. Doctor (SCUBA) arrived and made decision to bring up to 60 feet. Diver started to have difficulties breathing - breaths  became shallower and shallower until stopping - diver died at 60 feet'. Cause of death: reported as suspected pneumothorax with CNS complications, due to uncontrolled ascent from 120’. Personal communication -
1997 0 0 Broom Stephen UK Stolt Comex Seaway Saturation Everest field, bell contamination by condensate flashing off (See IMCA SF 02/97) -
1997 0 0 Cruikshank Paul UK Stolt Comex Seaway Saturation Everest field, bell contamination by condensate flashing off (See IMCA SF 02/97) -
1997 0 0 Edmonds Graham UK Stolt Comex Seaway Saturation Everest field, bell contamination by condensate flashing off (See IMCA SF 02/97) -
1997 0 0 IMCA SF 02 97 IMCA Saturation Bell contamination incident (hydrocarbon - condensate - contaminated over-suits off gassing in the bell atmosphere) IMCA Safety Flash SF 02/97. Relates to SCS incident in the Everest Field involving Stephen Broome, Paul Cruikshank and Graham Edmonds (TC) -
1997 0 0 Kurishio 1, Heavy Lift Barge, Bongkot field, Total, Japanese diver Thailand 80 Saturation 9 divers in sat, three man bell run, Barge hit broadside by large wave, roll sufficient to cause failure of the bolts connecting the crane boom to a “spindle� at the foot of the crane. The boom fell to the deck (just missing sat chambers but ripped the HRC off. HRC was not pressurized, doors closed) then fell overside taking the crushed HRC with it. Bell knocked sideways by falling jib, filled with water. The bellman emptied the bell and pulled one of the divers back in. When he tried to pull the second diver , all he got was the umbilical with bail out and mask still attached. The diver had bailed up to the surface. (The jib landed next to him, whipped by cables. (Heavy bruises on his back). He may have come across the HLC under the jib and assumed it was the bell flattened under the jib (similar colour and size as the bell), and having been trained in the Gulf where divers ditch rather than cut their umbilical, he ditched and swam to the surface where he was rescued alive. He was put in a DDC (on air) but died soon after. Fundamental cause was that the bolts on the crane had always been assumed to be in compression, not tension, and had never been inspected (specifically excluded by the certification body) . A number had previously completely failed due to corrosion. No allowance for wave motion. Reported by IMCA SF 03 98 (TC) -
1997 0 0 Not Recorded Netherlands S/S Air Umbilical snagged on lifting basket, tried to cut umbilical but prevented by steel comms cable -
1997 0 0 Not Recorded USA During 1990-1997, nine persons in Alaska died in work-related diving incidents (four were investigated by OSHA, 3 separately reported, above, TC – July 1996, October 1996 and September 1997- only one had training beyond a recreational diving certificate, and three lacked any certification. Three were harvesting sea cucumbers, three were diving to clear tangled lines or nets from fishing boats, two were conducting vessel-related activities (i.e., hull inspection and anchor attachment), and one was a U.S. Navy diver undergoing training. Six divers were using scuba gear, and three were using surface-supplied air. Three deaths were attributed to equipment failure, two to entanglement in lines or nets, one to exhaustion of air supply, and three to unknown causes. None of the divers had an adequately prepared standby diver, the three divers using surface-supplied air and one scuba diver were line tended, one diver was accompanied, and one diver carried a reserve air supply -
1997 0 0 Not Recorded UK Subsea “Mudslide, circumstances unknown� Probably double report Gary Carey fatality in August 1996, -
1997 0 0 Not Recorded USA S/S Air Florida, entrapped in soft mud, surface unable to recover diver, no st/by, possible one man crew. Probable DP incident, use of sports diver to perform commercial dive. Probable duplication/alternative report of 1995 Kevin Sass fatality -
1997 0 0 Ragot Philippe France Recreational diving organisation 9 SCUBA French diver inspecting the upstream side of a leaking valve. Got sucked in and killed.- No safety plan, victim the director of the dive organisation, recreational diving instructor - Court decided the manager of the dam was guilty -
1997 0 0 Rig 'Ranger 4' USA Jack Up, sank after breakthrough/slide into crater -
1997 0 0 Tucker John Venezuela 9 S/S Air American, Porto Cabala, Inspection dive during the salvage of the vessel "Zinnia", stopped responding to surface/line signal, stand-by found him on the bottom, unresponsive, helmet flooded. -
1996 12 15 McFadden Timothy J USA SCUBA American, aged 34, described as “a commercial diver from Ventura", died diving off the fishing vessel "Sea Worthy" harvesting sea urchins, flown to a DDC but died, Daily News, California -
1996 12 4 Engel Yair Israel Navy SCUBA OC Navy has appointed an inquiry committee to determine the cause of the mysterious deaths in a routine training exercise of two IDF frogmen, whose bodies were found yesterday in Haifa Bay 16 hours after they went missing. The two, First-Sgt. Matan Polibuda, 20, from Mevasseret Zion and First-Sgt. Yair Engel, 19, from Kibbutz Ramat Rahel, were veterans of dozens of dives. They were approaching promotion to they were 16 months in the unit and approaching their graduation into the elite Shayetet 13 underwater commando battalion -
1996 12 4 Polibuda Matan Israel Navy SCUBA OC Navy has appointed an inquiry committee to determine the cause of the mysterious deaths in a routine training exercise of two IDF frogmen, whose bodies were found yesterday in Haifa Bay 16 hours after they went missing. The two, First-Sgt. Matan Polibuda, 20, from Mevasseret Zion and First-Sgt. Yair Engel, 19, from Kibbutz Ramat Rahel, were veterans of dozens of dives. They were approaching promotion to they were 16 months in the unit and approaching their graduation into the elite Shayetet 13 underwater commando battalion -
1996 12 0 Brannigan? Norman Canada Dominion Diving Clearing a blocked road culvert in Halifax, Nova Scotia, differential pressure, name not confirmed. PC (Possibly a double report for one of the too culvert deaths reported for 1995? TC) -
1996 11 16 Rig 'Maersk Victory' Australia Apache Jack Up, built 1981 by Mitsui, Japan. Suffered fire and expolsion and damage to the aft legs from an air attack during the Iran/Iraq war (October 1986). Transferred from Australian Northwest shelf to South Australia by the Mighty Servant II in November 1996. No site survey. During pre-load with 2 metre air gap the rig listed, punch through, after attempts to jack level it was found that the legs were severely damaged. Divers were used to cut the legs free and the hull was towed to Port Adelaide. The legs were salvaged by the Dock Express 10 and delivered, along with the hull, to the Far east Levingston ship yard in Singapore for repairs. The South Australia Department of Mines and Energy Resources (MESA) undertook the investigation and determined that the immediate cause of damage was the failure of the sub-sea sediments beneath the rig. There was no evidence of structural failure contributing to the incident. The report concluded that there was a failure to fully evaluate the risks of a new drilling location, a failure to fully evaluate the geotechnical data of the sub-sea sediments with particular reference to the load bearing capacity of the sub-sea sediments, and a failure in management systems and procedures for locating the rig -
1996 10 8 Richards Jessica Anna Australia Australian Institute of Marine Sciences 10 SCUBA British, aged 19. Volunteer scientific diver, check out dive on Davies Reef, 55 miles NE Townsville. Separated from group near end of dive, low on air, surfaced and screamed for help, some delay in rescue due to fouled anchor on tender. Cerebral arterial gas embolism (CAGE). Investigation concluded inadequate system of competence and experience assessment. Workplace Health and Safety, Queensland. -
1996 10 0 Not Recorded USA 12 S/S Air In October 1996, a 32-year-old certified recreational diver with minimal experience was harvesting sea cucumbers using surface-supplied air in approximately 40 feet of water. After approximately 1 hour, the tender *** lost sight of the diver's air bubbles. The diver did not respond to a recall signal, and the tender pulled him to the surface. His air regulator was not in his mouth, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was unsuccessful. Inspection of the dive gear indicated it to be fully operational, with no obvious defects. The cause of death was drowning, but the specific cause of the incident was unknown. NIOSH review of occupational diving fatalities in Alaska -
1996 8 10 Carey Gary A UK Subsea Offshore 100 Saturation British, aged 38. DSV "Discovery", Ness subsea manifold. Crushed by wellhead blown off base by locked in pressure Mobil/Cooper Cameron were fined £175,000 and £45,000 respectively. -
1996 7 0 Not Recorded Indonesia Comex/PT Komaritim 20 SCUBA Indonesian diver, vessel sent out to confirm location of a pipeline leak, passed leak and dropped a marker buoy. As the vessel made a second pass, two divers in SCUBA jumped in with a marker buoy on a line to attach to the pipeline near the leak. (Possibly a 10"or 12" pipeline, hole was in the 6 o/c position.). While they were underwater attaching the rope, the leak stopped. It is reported – not confirmed – that the client representative was for some reason not happy that he could no longer see bubbles and radio'd the platform asking them to inject more gas. Whether true or not, the leak did restart, violently. The product was gas plus condensate. One diver was found dead tangled in the marker rope, his face virtually stripped of flesh from where the high pressure gas/condensate had blown off his SCUBA mask, the other diver did not surface, missing, his body was not located at the time (Not reported whether it was found later). PC -
1996 7 0 Not Recorded USA 1 SCUBA In July 1996, a 24-year-old commercial fisherman with no diving certification used scuba gear while attempting to clear a fishing net wrapped around the propeller of a fishing vessel. He became entangled in the net and was unable to free himself. Other crew members were unable to assist because they had no diving gear. He was retrieved approximately 3 hours later, and no attempt was made to resuscitate him. The scuba tank still contained an adequate amount of air. The cause of death was drowning. NIOSH review of occupational diving fatalities in Alaska -
1996 5 27 Loveday Julian Malaysia Aged 30 or 31, diver on the Pergau hydroelectric dam project at Kelantan, drowned during leak repair operations two weeks before he was due to be married (Not clear whether he fell off the barge or was killed in an underwater accident). No other details. Straits Times -
1996 4 27 Binney John L USA SCUBA Aged 28, research assistant at the University of Oregon, hired by the US Army Corps of engineers to inspect a 130' deep shaft at the Hills Creek Reservoir dam. With partner Lavoy went to 90' in basket, Lavoy then went to 130' to inspect the bulkhead, returned to 90' basket and both ascended to 10' and then Lavoy climbed onto the wall to remove his gear. Binney's lifeline went slack and was pulled up, no diver. Lavoy got a fresh cylinder plus pare and went back into the water, down to 90'. After he had been there about 5 minutes, surface team reported that his bubbles suddenly got larger and then stopped. Basket recovered but Lavoy was dead. Binney's body was recovered from 130' by two SCUBA divers from Portland Commercial divers who completed the inspection work the following day. Double fatality. -
1996 4 27 Lavoy Kenneth USA SCUBA Aged 22, owner of a SCUBA supply shop, hired by the US Army Corps of engineers to inspect a 130' deep shaft at the Hills Creek Reservoir dam. With partner Lavoy went to 90' in basket, Lavoy then went to 130' to inspect the bulkhead, returned to 90' basket and both ascended to 10' and then Lavoy climbed onto the wall to remove his gear. Binney's lifeline went slack and was pulled up, no diver. Lavoy got a fresh cylinder plus pare and went back into the water, down to 90'. After he had been there about 5 minutes, surface team reported that his bubbles suddenly got larger and then stopped. Basket recovered but Lavoy was dead. Binney's body was recovered from 130' by two SCUBA divers from Portland Commercial divers who completed the inspection work the following day. Double fatality. -
1996 4 15 Lesley Vincent Charles UK SCUBA Professional scallop diver in Orkney (North of Scotland). No details PC -
1996 4 0 Rig 'Jalapa' USA Jack Up, sank in a storm (Structural failure) -
1996 3 19 Fahey David M USA 27 SCUBA 31 year old professional scallop harvester, ran out of air trying to carry heavy bag up embankment from depth -
1996 3 17 Teow Yap Hock Singapore SCUBA Aged 45, checking reclamation materials earlier laid on the seabed off Pulau Sakra, 'died after losing his mask and tank'. No other details. Straits Times -
1996 3 4 Pilkington Brian USA 9 S/S Air Contaminated air, drowned Data to add, TC -
1996 2 10 Sawyer Jerry USA Professional fish farmer harvesting sea urchins off the vessel 'Wave Dancer'. Subsequent court case decided he was not an employee of the vessel owner so no liability. No details of the incident -
1996 1 0 Palin Carl UAE 18 S/S Air Apparently surfaced normally but lost consciousness, into zodiac, transferred to DDC (13 minute surface interval), at 60' no response, down to 165', partially regained consciousness, behavioural issues, sedated with valium, doctor locked in, gradual decompression, mated to a sat system two days later at 60', cardiac arrest, resuscitated but no brain stem, activity then suffered another cardiac arrest. -
1996 1 0 Rig 'Offshore Bahram' Egypt Jack Up, sank in a storm on tow in the Gulf of Suez -
1996 0 0 Noordhof Ellard Netherlands GB Diving 0 S/S Air Working off a jack up, umbilical caught on wellhead, asphyxiated on the surface -
1996 0 0 Not Recorded Japan Chamber e patient Sheffield and Desautels “Hyperbaric and hypobaric Chamber fires, a 73 year analysis�, Undersea Hyperbaric Medicine, 1997, 24 (3): 153-164. -
1996 0 0 Not Recorded Australia S/S Air Two pearl divers died as a result of carbon monoxide being sucked into the air compressor and down their air hoses. A new compressor had been installed, but the appropriate air intake pipe had not been attached because a necessary part was being repaired. The carbon monoxide came from the vessel’s engine exhaust which was situated close to the air compressor intake. NOHSC. Quoted in a Report into Work-related deaths as a result of incidents involving workers employed in the fishing industry in Australia were studied as part of a larger study of all work-related traumatic deaths from 1989 to 1992. For further information regarding work-related deaths see: National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. Work-related traumatic fatalities in Australia, 1989 to 1992. Ausinfo: Canberra, 1998 -
1996 0 0 Weir Jock Asia McDermott Negative pressure pipeline accident (incoming tide) sucked him into the pipe, body was recovered using a pig to push him out of the pipeline some 28km upstream of the accident location. -
1996 0 0 Zimmerman Frank USA Divetech? Romulus, Missouri, three man team on dam spillway, diver trapped in valve? Confusion, valve may have been operated on diver or umbilical, diver possibly crushed in valve -
1995 8 1 Rig 'Ocean Developer' Angola Semi Submersible, sank during towing -
1995 7 31 Westell Bradley UK Stena 26 Saturation British. DSV "Orelia". Shallow saturation, DP, tied off umbilical released, caught in thruster. Head injuries and multiple trauma. Supervisor fined for erasing black box tape, family awarded £104,000 in compensation, Contractor fined £200, 000 -
1995 4 0 Stephen Lamb Australia Contract diver at the BHP Newcastle steelworks, drowned, 'sucked into an underwater pipe that was not meant to be in use at the time' No details. WSWS Org., Greenleft.org.au -
1995 3 0 Not Recorded Australia S/S Air A professional diver was checking a boat mooring below the water surface and did not resurface. The diver was found on the sea bottom. It appears that the air intake hose was situated very close to the exhaust of the compressor on that dive and that exhaust fumes entered the diver’s air hose. NOHSC. Quoted in a Report into Work-related deaths as a result of incidents involving workers employed in the fishing industry in Australia were studied as part of a larger study of all work-related traumatic deaths from 1989 to 1992. For further information regarding work-related deaths see: National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. Work-related traumatic fatalities in Australia, 1989 to 1992. Ausinfo: Canberra, 1998 -
1995 2 14 Ayers Wendell USA Pacific Grove Marine Rescue One of a three man dive rescue team attempting to rescue two people from a 40' cabin cruiser that had run aground on rocks 100 yards from shore. The boat rolled trapping him against the rocks. In this case they swam to the boat so not strictly a diving incident but included in the list as this was a professional diver at work as part of a rescue group. Reported in the San Jose Mercury News -
1995 1 0 Kimche Israel SCUBA Israeli commando training dive, lost contact with partner, body recovered the day after, reported as “human error�, Jerusalem Times -
1995 0 0 IMCA International Marine Contractors Association formed with the amalgamation of AODC and DPVOA -
1995 0 0 Not Recorded Israel Naval Commando Sgt Gal Azoulay, aged 19, died during a training dive for Israeli Naval Commando in December 2009 (Simulation of combat dive in enemy port) Reported at the time as the first fatal accident in training for the unit since 1995 but can find no details of the 1995 accident in the public domain, details needed, TC -
1995 0 0 Not Recorded Canada SCUBA Diver and supervisor clearing a Culvert, penetrated 90' up a 4' diameter pipe, upstream of blockage, dislodged debris, both swept down, supervisor survived, diver trapped in rope and debris, drowned. -
1995 0 0 Not Recorded Canada 6 SCUBA Diver clearing a Culvert, upstream of blockage, dislodged debris, sucked through culvert and ejected but drowned. -
1995 0 0 Sass Kevin S GOM 6 S/S Air Jetting in a 20' deep trench from a four point barge, trench wall collapsed, two standby divers recovered him, suffocated under mud, did not respond to treatment -
1995 0 0 Webb John India CCC Saturation Salvaging concrete coated pipe lost off a materials barge in zero visibility on Bombay High, crushed between pipes during crane operations. When the incident happened, the bellman (On his first sat) was slow into the water and did not flood the bell, could not reach the diver so had to climb back into the bell to release more umbilical, diver's umbilical trapped under pipe, the bellman initially cut the divers umbilical on the wrong side of the pipe and then had to use the divers's own knife (his own knife by then being blunt) to release the diver and take him back to bell. The diver's KMB 17 side block had been knocked off, probably by impact from a swinging pipe caused by a sling coming off, and his umbilcal trappd. Pipe sections were scattered in a loose unstable pile and recovered using modified shackles hooked into the ends of the pipe sections (This method - as opposed to burning lifting holes in each end of the pipes - was adopted because 'the client wanted to speed things up and avoid damaging the pipe'. Longstreath blog. -
1994 12 11 Buckley Todd USA Puget Watermen 18 S/S Air American student at Evergreen State College aged 22, time off to earn money, harvesting sea urchins. Bubbles stopped, pulled to surface, lifeline and weight belt wrapped around airline, unconscious, respiratory arrest, hypothermia and decompression illness, died in hospital. -
1994 12 9 Robinson James USA Aged 42, commercial sea urchin harvesting vessel off San Miguel Island, at the end of a dive as he was leaving the water, attacked by a shark, major leg injuries, died in hospital. Los Angeles Times -
1994 12 5 Not Recorded Canada Diver died while harvesting red urchins in Freeman Passage, BC, from the fishing vessel 'Paul Freeman'. Transportation Safety Board of Canada marine occurence report M94W0096 -
1994 12 1 Rig 'Rowan Odessa' USA Jack Up, Leg hit a pipe (line?), damaged but repaired, 1 fatality. The rig was later reportedmissing, presumed sunk, by hurricane Rita in September 2005 -
1994 9 26 Not Recorded USA Caldive 91 Saturation High Island, Block 0376, G02754, Andarko. "A Cal Dive International diver injured his right hand when he opened a valve to flood a pipeline, and his hand was sucked to the valve due to the differential pressure. He was hung up for approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes. The nature of his injury was a cut nerve on his right index linger. To prevent a recurrence, a diffuser should be installed before operating. OCS Incidents database 1991 to 1994, page 73 -
1994 4 15 Hone Lt Cmdr Don A Guam American, aged 345, based in Seoul, Korea, on manoeuvres, diving on 5/4/1994, collapsed after surfacing, died 10 days later. Dayton Daily News -
1994 4 8 Eriksen Sgt. Morten Denmark Navy 8 Machine sergeant on the mineseeper 'Flyvefisken', reported as having died during a routine dive in Helnaes Bay. No other details. Reported by navalhistory.dk -
1994 3 23 Sirry Tarek USA Bay Diving Company SCUBA Aged 35, owner/operator of his own diving company, salvage dive off Poole Island in the mouth of the Sassafras River, Chesapeake bay. 20-25 minute dive, reported as drowned 'when he accidentally let his SCUBA tank run low on air and passed out' according to the USCG investigation. Reported by HometownAnnapolis.com -
1994 2 20 Copeland Dave USA 87 Went crazy, took his hat off, stand-by unable to control him -
1994 2 4 Stapp John Quinton USA 2 SCUBA Aged 38, surveying the Hunter's Point Marina on Lake Travis near Cat Hollow to plan repairs to its dock, diving solo, no team. No details -
1994 2 2 Dean PO Second Class Carter M USA Aged 26, from Knoxville, Tennessee, navy diver (gunners mate with SEAL Delivery Team Two) assigned to a special operations unit at the Little creek Naval Amphubious Base, afternoon training exercise in Little Creek Harbour, reported as losing consciousness underwater, was pulled from the water and transported to the diver recompression unit at Mobile Diving Salvage Unit Two, but died. No other details. Daily Press. -
1994 0 0 Walker Pat USA 24 SCUBA American, aged 24, Tightening a pipeline flange at working pressure, flange parted, gas explosion blew his hat off, body recovered some days later -
1993 11 21 Bisley Richard Australia "Pearl diver killed by a Tiger Shark off Roebuck bay, Broome" No othr details. Reported by PerthNow -
1993 11 3 Maxwell David USA SCUBA Aged 25, off Maine, less than two weeks diving experience, trying to untangle catch bag alongside rocks, caught in surf, found 20 minutes later, drowned, boat owner cited for violations of commercial diving standards -
1993 11 1 Knowles Keith B Bahamas UNEXSO SCUBA American aged 22, working for the Underwater Explorers Society , lost at sea of Grand Bahama -
1993 11 0 Rig "D. M. Saunders' Arabian Gulf Jack Up, flooded and sank during towing (caught in a storm). -
1993 10 16 Roussy Eduardo Canada Oceantech (Quebec) 5 S/S Air Aged 26. Air diving quals from Fort William in 1992, also CSWIP 3.1. Accident occurred 15th October, Inspection dive at the Scott Paper plant on Crabtree dam, uncontrolled ascent and then swept over outfall, helmet still on and lifeline intact but umbilical severed, recued (It took between 5 and 10 minutes to pull him back to the dive site) but died in Montreal General hospital the next day (Life support removed as he was brain dead). Coroner criticised lack of planning, method of work, lack of co-ordination, inadequate risk assessment, lack of emergency response procedures. Cause of death recorded as asphyxiation/acute anoxic encephalopathy following severed umbilical, no physical injuries. No stand-by dressed in. Nobody realised umbilical severed and helmet was left on (disorganised rescue resonse, rest of team not familiar with the helmet locking system and couldn't unclamp it). Coroner noted that "everybody acted in good faith even though they did not know what to do (Factory workers helping out) which unfortunately resulted in a death that could have been avoided if the helmet had been removed quickly". Also home modified Dive Dynamics helmet - had a cross connector added so baliout gas would flow out into the umbilical as well as the hat (No check valve). Quebec Coroner's Report -
1993 10 13 Locke Stewart UK J Allan Diving Services 3 S/S Air Hired by Customs and Excise to recover £20 million worth of drugs (Cannabis) from the yatch 'Ambrosia' beached on Scotstown beah (Peterhead, Scotland). Diving contractor was fined £1,200 after some kind of legal deal. Allegations during the inquiry that he committede suicide by cutting his umbilical, Sherriff determined it was accidental death with the most probable cause being that he got into difficulties and was forced to cut his umbilical and ditch his helmet. Diving conditions in the rough shallow water were described as 'hazardous'. Criticism by the Sherriff for it only a 3 man team (the diver, a supervisor who doubled as stand-by diver and an unqualified tender), lack of involvement/supervision by Customs and Excise, lack of communication with a police diving team on site. Widow intended to sue (defunct) diving contractor and Customs and Excise. No further details. Reported in the Herald Scotland -
1993 9 21 Paldhe Amar India Indian Navy Surface Swimmer Diver with the Eastern Naval Command. Had just returned to duty after a 45 day leave, was the most junior member of a 4 man team involved in a helicopter exercise off Visakhapatnam, had not been trained in jumping from a helicopter, was not provided with a life jacket or quick release belt. Family initially told an SAR could not be launched because it was high tide (it was low tide at the time), body not preserved properly. Navy report states that he died of "the combined effects of shock, haemorrhage, multiple injuries and drowning". The family contest that account referring to the post mortem which reports anti-mortem injuries to his axilla and near his ear and claim negligence by his superiors. Reported by DNA -
1993 9 7 Rice Matthew USA 9 SCUBA Aged 24, off Maine, sports diver and student gathering sea urchins, first salt water dive, tender lost sight of bubbles, found on seabed 20 minutes later, drowned, boat owner cited for violations of commercial diving standards. -
1993 8 21 Not Recorded USA SCUBA Aged 21, off Maine, commercial diver/fisherman repairing vessel, skiff drifted away, diver drowned after attempting to swim after drifting boat -
1993 8 19 Costain Donald R USA SCUBA Aged 52, off Maine diving in a four man team from a 36' fishing vessel, harvesting sea urchins, heavy fog, surfaced for replacement tank, disappeared, found on the seabed after 30 minutes, drowned. Bangor Daily News. -
1993 7 6 Fassnacht James USA Police 6m SCUBA American police officer aged 42, East Orange, New Jersey. With two other divers clearing intake grill in Weequahic park lake, drowned. Another report states "James Fassnacht, a 42 year old police officer was killed in 15-18 feet of water on 07/06/93. The officer was asked to assist another officer in checking a screen on an intake pipe used for irrigating of a municipal golf course. Officer Fassnacht advised his dive partner that he was "uncomfortable". Officer Fassnacht stayed at the surface while his partner submerged to check the screen intake. After a short period of time, Officer Fassnacht indicated to an officer on the shore that he needed assistance. Officer Fassnacht grabbed a buoy that was on the surface, but the buoy did not support the officer. About fifteen seconds after the officer and buoy sank, the buoy popped to the surface but Officer Fassnacht did not. A search was begun and Officer Fassnacht was quickly recovered. CPR was initiated, but was pronounced dead a Beth Israel Hospital after efforts failed. The cause of death was ruled accidental drowning.". PSDiver.com -
1993 6 4 Lechauve Eric France Military Rebreather Aged 25, double fatality with Stephane Bengloan, night training exercise (Simulated attack) in Brest harbour. Both found entangled under a pontoon with empty cylinders. In 1996, 5 men (2 admirals, a Captain, the course lecturer and course director) were charged. Outcome unclear. Reported by www.liberation.fr -
1993 6 4 Bengloan Stephane France Military Rebreather Aged 26, double fatality with Eric Lechauve, night training exercise (Simulated attack) in Brest harbour. Both found entangled under a pontoon with empty cylinders. In 1996, 5 men (2 admirals, a Captain, the course lecturer and course director) were charged. Outcome unclear. Reported by www.liberation.fr: https://goo.gl/vGWrML -
1993 5 25 Masadi Singapore Indonesian, aged 29, died in an underwater explosion during a salvage operation on a shipweck. No other details. Straits Times -
1993 5 1 Not Recorded USA Police SCUBA American police officer, Missouri, attempting to rescue a canoe accident victim in a rain swollen river, swept away and drowned even though he had breathing apparatus. -
1993 3 27 Wells, USN PO Kimberley L Honduras USN American, aged 24, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 working with a group of salvage experts from Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, , died while working to raise a sunken coastal freighter. The ship was blocking the entrance to a harbour in Roatan, Honduras. No details except that it was during underwater cutting operations. Reported in the Virginia Pilot -
1993 2 12 Herpin Jude USA AOD 42 South Timbalier, Block 0152, 00464, Structure E, Chevron, "Cutting a window in the 10 ¾ inch casing. The surface personnel heard an explosion on the diver’s monitor. A standby diver went into the water immediately and when he reached the other diver he found him unconscious and his helmet off. The injured diver later died in the decompression chamber of cardiac arrest" OCS Incident database 1991-1994m page 65 -
1993 2 0 Rig 'Actina' Vietnam Semi Submersible. Blow out -
1993 1 23 Vognetz David A. USA SCUBA (Surname was Vognetz, not Bognetz, incorrectly reported in early articles). Aged 39, described as an experienced diver, Unami Creek at the Delmont Boy Scout Camp in Marlborough township. "Attempt to rescue diver fails Phoenixville man". The victim and two other men were at the dam attempting to drain water through the pipe to lower the overall water level of the dam and may also have intended to clear the pipe of debris. With a rope tied to him, he descended into the pipe. His co-workers soon realized he was in trouble, Buza said, and called in rescue personnel. Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, rescue workers tried to stop the tremendous flow of water through the pipe, without much success. The danger of the strong current prevented any rescue divers from venturing into the pipe. When a plug could not be found to fit over the mouth of the pipe, rescue personnel tried a different idea. His body was finally retrieved from the pipe at 7:20 p.m. after rescue workers built a temporary dam to divert water around the pipe. After diverting the dam water, rescue personnel were able to retrieve the body with the tripod winch. The Morning Call -
1993 1 8 Pashkosky Vladimir Singapore Russian, aged 37, diving from a barge working off Jurong, one o'clock in the morning, failed to surface. No other details. Straits Times -
1993 0 0 Avillanoza Dandy UAE S/S Air Died inside a power stations intake pipeline at Jebel Ali D Station early 90's when the Kirby 10 Hood retainer / steel band came away from the hat as someone had not tightened it after service/drying the hood, local civils contractor. -
1993 0 0 Fredericks Craig Canada Ocean Tech Saturation DSV Discovery, crushed finger during mattress installation work on the CoPan field, decompressed, medivac, reduced mobility in the injured finger -
1993 0 0 Not Recorded Japan Chamber Clinical chamber (Hospital) fire, first of 4 (the others were in 1967, 1989 and 1996) in Japan caused by patients taking butane or chemical hand warmers into the hyperbaric O2 rich environment. Sheffield and Desautels “Hyperbaric and hypobaric Chamber fires, a 73 year analysis�, Undersea Hyperbaric Medicine, 1997, 24 (3): 153-164. -
1993 0 0 Not Recorded China Chamber Clinical chamber (Hospital) fire, The fire was initiated by the patient lighting a cigarette in a multi-occupancy treatment chamber, 5 fatalities. Sheffield and Desautels “Hyperbaric and hypobaric Chamber fires, a 73 year analysis�, Undersea Hyperbaric Medicine, 1997, 24 (3): 153-164. -
1993 0 0 Not Recorded Indonesia Comex SCUBA Indonesian, securing a down line to a leaking gas pipeline, not isolated, caught in the venting gas, double fatality. No details. -
1993 0 0 Not Recorded Canada 18 SCUBA 40 year old Canadian, sports diver hired to carry out a commercial dive to recover a hatch cover from a lake bed. Descended with rope/shackle, rope went slack, surface crew redeployed rope with a ne shackle in the area bubbles last seen. No response. Body found on lake bed. Drowned. -
1993 0 0 Not Recorded Australia A pearl diver failed to resurface at the conclusion of a dive and was found drowned. Circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear. However, it appears the five dives the diver made the previous day and general fatigue may have contributed to the occurrence of the incident. NOHSC. Quoted in a Report into Work-related deaths as a result of incidents involving workers employed in the fishing industry in Australia were studied as part of a larger study of all work-related traumatic deaths from 1989 to 1992. For further information regarding work-related deaths see: National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. Work-related traumatic fatalities in Australia, 1989 to 1992. Ausinfo: Canberra, 1998 -
1993 0 0 Silva Jose Luis Mexico A diver died while cleaning storm drains in Mexico City in 1994, clearing a blockage which suddenly gave way, drowned. Reported in an interview in 2004 with Julio Cuc, one of the founder divers with the permanent Mexico city sewer diving team formed in 1982, article in UK Guardian. Futher reported as�Silva was killed after he dislodged a tire that was blocking a floodgate west of the city. Like a stopper removed from a bathtub, the sudden suction of the free-flowing water pulled Silva through a small opening in the dam. His co-workers found his battered body more than a mile downstream.� Los Angeles Times -
1992 12 31 Schumacher Arthur E USA SCUBA Aged 46, assistant chief in charge of rescue with with the Liverpool township fire department, searching for victims of a car crash in Plum creek, trapped in a culvert, drowned. Akron Beacon Journal. -
1992 12 0 Truffant David USA SCUBA Aged 28, Harvesting Sea urchins in Casco bay,reported as his first commercial dive, swam to the surface without exhaling properly, a carpenter by trade with no diving training. The Sun Journal -
1992 11 20 Mavrostomos Theo France Comex Saturation The deepest trial saturation dive on record, in Toulon with the Hydra programme reaching 701 metres using Hydreliox. The deepest Hydreliox working dive is still Comex with a simulated pipeline intervention in the Mediterranean in 1988 with the Hydra 8 dives to 534 metres (The 'Atlantis' trials (Duke University, USA,) reached 686 metres in 1981, Comex ran a series of deep diving programmes (Physalie, Janus, Sagittaire, Hydra, etc) mostly in France and finally Aurora at the NHC in Aberdeen reaching 470 metres in 1993In September 2010). In September 2010, 4 Chinese divers were reported to have reached a storage depth of 480 metres with an excursion to 493 metres on Heliox. -
1992 9 29 Rig 'Blake IV' Rig Disaster Jack Up, Blow out, caught fire -
1992 8 17 Not Recorded USA 3 Cleaning barnacles from the hull of the yacht 'Wutnext', natural causes, heart attack. No details. Reported in the South Florida Sun Sentinel -
1992 8 7 Rig 'Marlin 3' USA Rig Disaster Jack Up, Hurricane damage -
1992 7 6 Not Recorded USA 56 EI 273, "Preparing platform for drilling rig, under investigation by USCG" -
1992 6 0 Howard Kenneth W USA SCUBA Aged 34, professional tropical fish 'catching' for the aquarium trade. No details -
1992 4 17 Navarro Terry USA ProDiver, Ottawa 15 S/S Air Aged 37, Lasalle, Illinois, Commonwealth Edison nuclear Power plant, contracted in to seal a valve. To reach the repair had to descend 60', penetrate laterally 20' and then ascend 20' to reach the valve. He finished the work but then appeared to be in distress. They tried to pull him out but the line snagged. Supervisor went in and pulled him out but he died in hospital the following day. Was diving a Desco with what appears to be an inadequate air supply resulting in high CO2 and asphyxia. Three man team, supv, diver, tender. Court proceedings in 1995 concluded faulty (low) air supply/high CO2 and upheld OSHA citations. -
1992 3 31 Not Recorded USA SCUBA "Baltimore fire officials recovered the body of a diver who apparently got into trouble (failed to surface) while working on the hull of a vessel at Berth 5 of the Dundalk Marine Terminal". The diver may have had a safety line, unclear whether he was trapped under the vessel or injured underwater, on site treatment was carried out, but he failed to respond to treatment. No other details. Reported in the Baltimore Sun -
1992 3 8 Harada Kazuta Japan 22 S/S Air Aged 41, professional diver was collecting the pen shell Atrina pedinata, (Japanese name Tairagigai), at a depth of 22 m about 2.3 km offshore of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. At about 15 : 20 he was attacked by a large shark, and only a severely damaged diving suit and helmet were recovered. The right half of the trunk and right leg of the suit were torn off. A rescue rope and a rubber radio cable, both of which connected the diver to a support boat were severed, but the diver's air tube remained intact. The diver's body was not recovered, nor was a shark captured that might have perpetrated the attack, despite extensive fishing efforts by local fishermen. A small piece of a broken shark tooth was recovered from the rubber surrounding the neck of the diving suit. The tooth fragment contained two large serrations of about 0.85 mm in width. The suit's steel shoulder protector had a single hole (6 mm X 3 mm), penetrated by a shark tooth. The edge of the hole showed regular minute undulations, and the cut surfaces on the rubber and the cable had minute parallel streaks, both apparently made by the serrations of shark teeth. Tracing of the scratches and cuts on the shoulder protector and back part of the diving suit made it possible to estimate a jaw size of about 40 cm in width, suggesting a very large shark. The water temperature was low about 11.6°C, at 20 m depth at a nearby locality. These facts support the contention that the shark involved in this incident was a white shark of about 5 m in total length. Shark attacks in Japanese waters were investigated, and at least sixteen shark attacks on people and boats were recognized. Reported in the Japan. J. Ichthyol, 40(1): 35-42, 1993 by Kazuhiro Nakaya -
1992 1 2 Tortorella Franco Italy Drafin Sub 55 SCUBA Italian, aged 43. Ligurian Sea (off Genoa), off a small boat with a partner inspecting (plus cleaning and fishing!) a loading facility. Died during ascent. Unisuit too small, clear signs of haemorrhage on neck and top of shoulder. -
1992 0 0 Not Recorded USA SCUBA Two reported deaths off Maine during professional sea urchin harvesting -
1992 0 0 Palin Carl UAE CCC 0 Died in the DDC (Brain aneurysm) -
1992 0 0 Rogers Greg USA 11 S/S Air American, jetting off a lift barge, flooded band mask, recovered to DDC but did not respond to treatment -
1991 12 17 Leager Christopher USA 5 S/S Air Aged 23, working an oyster bed in Chesapeake bay, one and a half miles off Kent Point, pronounced dead at the Anne Arundel Medical Centre. No details. The Washington Post -
1991 12 6 Not Recorded USA SM 0565, P0450, Hildago, Chevron. "While waterblasting sea growth from platform legs, a diver inadvertently passed the waterblaster across his right fool causing a deep laceration. The diver was medivaced to Goleta Valley hospital". OCS Incidents database 1991 to 1994, page 96 -
1991 12 3 Beauregard Robert J USA Pioneer Hydroelectric SCUBA American, aged 30, off duty fireman, working for "Pioneer Hydro" of Ware, Massachusetts, down a tunnel inspecting a turbine, got trapped underwater, tugged on his lifeline, but ran out of air. Unclear if there was a standby diver. -
1991 11 25 Lillard Billy Ray GOM Cal Dive SMG Age 25, Came off the downline on Waterstop. Died in Chamber on deck. 1) Young Diver First surface Gas Dive 2) Stage was not at first stop when he reached it. It was being lowered. 3) Seas Heavy, surge, and current. 4) There was a serious bend previous to this dive. Source: JC Roat post in Incidents forum -
1991 11 18 Goh Cpt. Chong Kiat Singapore Aged 35, Singaporean Naval Officer, went missing during a training exercise, body found by Singapore Authorities tugboat 2 km north of Pulau Bukom and recovered by the Republic of Singapore Navy. Inquiry was held in February 1994. No other details. Straits Times -
1991 8 15 Barringer Leonard South China Sea McDermott British, Electrician, drowned when the McDermott DB 29 got caught in typhoon 'Fred' in the South China Sea, POB 195, 22 fatalities. Has been erroneously reported by some sources as one of the divers in saturation. -
1991 8 15 Dennison Terence South China Sea McDermott 18 Saturation British, aged 46, one of four divers in saturation who died when the McDermott DB 29 got caught in typhoon 'Fred' and sank in the South China Sea, POB 195, 22 fatalities. Diver's HRV was the bell, but the barge developed a list and the bell could not be mated to the TUP. Saturation system had been decompressed to around 60' before the barge capsized and sank. As the barge, upside down, sank, the pressure equalised with the TUP, the door was opened and three divers (Steve Hardy, John Lyons and Terry Dennison) swam for the surface but drowned (dragged down by the suction of the barge sinking?). Their bodies were recovered from the sea. Autopsy revealed no signs of decompression illness indicating that although decompression had been accelerated, the high ppO2 had been effective. Cause of death was salt water drowning. The body of Brian Shepherd was recovered from the flooded dive system (still complete, intact and attached to the upturned hull of the barge) by saturation divers some two months later. He was located still wrapped in a hammock slung in what would have been a gas bubble in the capsized system Autopsy revealed leg injuries leading to speculation that he was injured when the barge capsized, was unable to make the escape attempt with the other three divers. The barge was never salvaged and still lies upside down under the South China Sea. Telegraph and Argus plus Personal Communication. -
1991 8 15 Hardy Steve South China Sea McDermott 18 Saturation British, aged 33, one of four divers who died when the McDermott DB 29 got caught in typhoon 'Fred' in the South China Sea, POB 195, 22 fatalities. Diver's HRV was the bell, but the barge developed a list and the bell could not be mated to the TUP. Saturation system had been decompressed to around 60' before the barge capsized and sank. As the barge, upside down, sank, the pressure equalised with the TUP, the door was opened and three divers (Steve Hardy, John Lyons and Terry Dennison) swam for the surface but drowned (dragged down by the suction of the barge sinking?). Their bodies were recovered from the sea. Autopsy revealed no signs of decompression illness indicating that although decompression had been accelerated, the high ppO2 had been effective. Cause of death was salt water drowning. The body of Brian Shepherd was recovered from the flooded dive system (still complete, intact and attached to the upturned hull of the barge) by saturation divers some two months later. He was located still wrapped in a hammock slung in what would have been a gas bubble in the capsized system. Autopsy revealed leg injuries leading to speculation that he was injured when the barge capsized, was unable to make the escape attempt with the other three divers. The barge was never salvaged and still lies upside down under the South China Sea. Telegraph and Argus plus Personal Communication. -
1991 8 15 Lyons John South China Sea McDermott 18 Saturation New Zealander, one of four divers who died when the McDermott DB 29 got caught in typhoon 'Fred' in the South China Sea, POB 195, 22 fatalities. Diver's HRV was the bell, but the barge developed a list and the bell could not be mated to the TUP. Saturation system had been decompressed to around 60' before the barge capsized and sank. As the barge, upside down, sank, the pressure equalised with the TUP, the door was opened and three divers (Steve Hardy, John Lyons and Terry Dennison) swam for the surface but drowned (dragged down by the suction of the barge sinking?). Their bodies were recovered from the sea. Autopsy revealed no signs of decompression illness indicating that although decompression had been accelerated, the high ppO2 had been effective. Cause of death was salt weater drowning. The body of Brian Shepherd was recovered from the flooded dive system (still complete, intact and attached to the upturned hull of the barge) by saturation divers some two months later. He was located still wrapped in a hammock slung in what would have been a gas bubble in the capsized system. Autopsy revealed leg injuries leading to speculation that he was injured when the barge capsized, was unable to make the escape attempt with the other three divers. Cause of death was asphyxiation. The barge was never salvaged and still lies upside down under the South China Sea. A letter to his wife and children was found in John Lyon's diving under-suit (“He left a very personal love letter. It's a goodbye letter. John knew he was going to die and wrote to me and the children� His wife Sue, speaking after the event). Telegraph and Argus plus Personal Communication. -
1991 8 15 Rig 'DB 29' South China Sea McDermott Vessel sunk McDermott DB 29, sank when caught in typhoon 'Fred' in the South China Sea, POB 195, Total 22 fatalities, dive team in sat, 4 divers died. Reported that McDermott changed their policy after this incident and have always used mobilised an HRC with every system. -
1991 8 15 Shepherd Brian South China Sea McDermott 60 Saturation British, aged 44, one of four divers who died when the McDermott DB 29 got caught in typhoon 'Fred' in the South China Sea, POB 195, 22 fatalities. Diver's HRV was the bell, but the barge developed a list and the bell could not be mated to the TUP. Saturation system had been decompressed to around 60' before the barge capsized and sank. As the barge, upside down, sank, the pressure equalised with the TUP, the door was opened and three divers (Steve Hardy, John Lyons and Terry Dennison) swam for the surface but drowned (dragged down by the suction of the barge sinking?). Their bodies were recovered from the sea. Autopsy revealed no signs of decompression illness indicating that although decompression had been accelerated, the high ppO2 had been effective. Cause of death was salt water drowning. The body of Brian Shepherd was recovered from the flooded dive system (still complete, intact and attached to the upturned hull of the barge) by saturation divers some two months later. He was located still wrapped in a hammock slung in what would have been a gas bubble in the capsized system. Autopsy revealed leg injuries leading to speculation that he was injured when the barge capsized and was unable to make the escape attempt with the other three divers. Cause of death – asphyxiation. The barge was never salvaged and still lies upside down under the South China Sea. Telegraph and Argus plus Personal Communication. -
1991 6 11 Hansen Kenneth USA Surface Swimmer Police diver aged 26, drowned during a rescue exercise in New York Harour, not wearing lifejacket or strobe, Officer in command charged with "Failure to supervise", speculation that he was told not to wear a lifevest to make it more realistic exercise staged for visiting German TV crew. NY Times -
1991 5 18 Worthington Chris USA Aged 22, Killed while preforming a wheel job when the engines were started and engaged. Body recovered -
1991 3 24 Sugrue Jim USA AOD 76 DSV 'American Eagle' U/W explosion, face plate blown in, drowned. “Chasing Hangers after doing an inside burn-off. Paraphrased from reports:- “Chasing hangers after doing an inside burn off below the mud line, almost at the end of his bottom time (gas dive), Said 'One more burn and then I'm getting off bottom'. Topside heard a loud bang, then incoherent speech. His standby diver reached him very quickly (overshot his gas because he wouldn't stop for the switch in order to get to the diver faster) but when he reached him, the faceplate was gone and the diver was unresponsive. He was recovered to the chamber and treated but never regained consciousness. The incident led to a brief and informal moratorium on inside burn offs at AOD but they quickly resumed them when they started to lose work to other companies who did not follow suit. The final verdict the divers all heard was 'improper equipment usage' (as opposed to equipment failure) since Jim's hat (SL 17B) was old and beat up. This incident was a major factor in the introduction of the 'T' type faceplate screw anchors�. -
1991 3 13 Wallace Timothy USA 8 SCUBA Aged 27, from Winter Harbour, one of 4 men onboard the scalloper 'Yellow Bird' trying to raise another scallop dragger that had sunk at its moorings in Gouldsboro bay the day before. Reported as diving alone, surfaced, told his companions - which included his father - that he had found the boat and asked for a marker buoy which was thrown to him. He didn't catch it but disappeared below water at around 09:00 and did not resurface. Reported in the Sun Journal. -
1991 2 8 Hynes Master Seaman William Portugal Canadian Navy SCUBA Aged 31, diving off the Canadian destroyer 'Margaree, visiting the Madeira Islands. It was stated that the propeller being started had nothing to do with the death of the two divers who were inspecting the hull who both drowned after being trapped in the engine room cooling water intake pipe. Double fatality (Sub Lieutenant Corey Wells). Reported in the Toronto Star -
1991 2 8 Not Recorded Portugal Canadian Navy SCUBA One of two un-named Navy divers injured and hospitalised in Madeira during the rescue of diver sub-lt Corey Wells and Master Seaman Willian Hynes who both drowned when sucked into the engine cooling intake of the Canadian destroyer "Magaree" when her engines were started whilst they wrre undertakung a hull survey. Reported in the Ottawa Citizen -
1991 2 8 Wells Sub-Lt Corey Portugal Canadian Navy SCUBA Aged 27, diving off the Canadian destroyer 'Margaree', visiting the Madeira Islands. It was stated that the propeller being started had nothing to do with the death of the two divers who were inspecting the hull who both drowned after being trapped in the engine room cooling water intake pipe. Double fatality (Master Seaman William Hynes). Reported in the Toronto Star -
1991 1 31 Bailey Clifford Wilfred Bangor, Wales SAR Diving Cliff Bailey died in what appears to be a Delta P incident while working with SAR diving while carrying out routine maintenance work on a pipeline running between Anglesey and Holy Island. Source: Emails from Cliff Bailey's Sister. -
1991 1 9 Juan Cpl. Soh Taim Singapore Navy Aged 21, went missing during a night exercise off Sembawang, reported as drowned. No other details. Straits Times -
1991 0 0 Bennett Marc or Mark Indonesia Pelita Mustika Mandiri 6 S/S Air New Zealander, “Died in an accident on an Indonesian oil rig�, no details However we have now received the following information:- “Diving off the DLB Shillelagh' (360' x 100') during a pipeline shore pull. He became entangled in fishing net debris near shore in shallow water and lost umbilical supply (umbilical believed to have become wrapped/kinked in fishing lines). Unclear if he exhausted his bailout. Managed to surface briefly but was still entangled, at one stage was clinging to a buoy for flotation. Stand-by diver was deployed and found the diver still entangled mid-water with his hat off. Recovered to barge but did not respond to treatment�. A further correspondent has added, "the vessel was carrying out a beach pull, Mark was on the end of his hose (can't remember the umbilical length on this barge, normally they were 400-600ft on the barges in these days). His helmet (KMB17) detached from the neck-dam, but he could still breath and had communications, he informed the supervisor who instructed him to make his way back to the barge slowly along the seabed while the standby was jumped. Instead he decided to climb a buoy-line to the surface, (I think about 6-7mt water depth).... while doing this his hat came fully off due to him climbing and the standby pulling himself along his hose. One thing to point out is that Mark was fairly new to the game and the standby was on his first job. On the surface while holding onto the Norwegian buoy, he tried to dump his gear, but was being pulled under by the standby traveling along his hose.... there was a pelican clip attaching the umbilical to his harness; when he pulled it to release the umbilical, the rope broke on the ring attached to the clip and he couldn't release himself, then he tried to cut himself free, this failed and he was dragged under and drowned. Mark was pulled back to the barge and CPR was preformed to no avail. This all happened in the early hours of the morning, the big rig operator at the time could see what was happening as he had his spot light focused out the stern of the barge. He could see but didn't know the big picture. PC/Longstreath. -
1991 0 0 Black George Netherlands Comex 37 Saturation Bellman, 2 divers in the water, died of a heart attack in the bell. No details -
1991 0 0 Howard Kenneth W USA SCUBA Aged 34, drowned whilst collecting specimen fish for aquaria. Unlicensed diver, led to calls for the trade to be regulated. Los Angeles Times -
1990 12 13 Julien Thiery France Comex Topsides Opened a regen pot that was still under pressure, massive chest injuries. An interlock would have prevented this accident. PC -
1990 12 10 Clark Ron L. USA S/S Air Aged 54, Working on repairs at the Archer Daniels Midland plant in Peoria, on the Illinois River. Reported as drowned when he was sucked under river water while working to clean screens on intake pumps at the plant. No other details. Reported in the Pantagraph, Bloomington, Illinois -
1990 12 6 Gunhus Ted USA USN 20 Aged 37, Reserve officer with the Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Naval Reserve Mobile Diving Salvage Unit One Detachment 522 (NRMDSU-1DET 522) attempting to salvage flying boat PBM-5 (sank in 1949) from lake Washington. Described 'a weekend training exercise'. Seattle Times -
1990 12 0 Warrender Stuart UK STS Topsides British, drill support, ROV launch via moon pool, fell out of latches hitting handrails, crushed against container, chest and neck injuries, pronounced dead offshore. -
1990 11 15 Bartholomew Captain Al 'Black Bart' USA USN SCUBA Aged 50, director of ocean engineering for the Navy and supervisor of its salvage and diving operations, died during a diving recertification exercise, disappeared from sight in 200 feet of water. His body was recovered Nov. 17, but the cause of death was not been determined. -
1990 11 1 Miles Carl USA Undersea Systems Inc Aged 34, one of a three man team conducting 'routine maintenance' on the screens at the New Johnsonville power plant (Part of the Tennessee Valley power Authority) near Waverly. They drained the water intake tunnel to recover the body. No details but inference is compromised screen, SCUBA, no lifeline, pumps running, sucked in) -
1990 10 4 Parks Michael USA SCUBA From Baltimore, surveying extent of zebra mussels in a 130' long pipe at the Monroe County Water Authority pumping station on Lake Ontario. Body was pulled out some two hours after he lost contact with the surface. "He got trapped and we couldn't get him out". No other details. The Evening News -
1990 9 12 Dol Tadayoshi Singapore Japanese diver, aged 41, killed in an underwater explosion in an underwater pile cutting operation at a lighter berth (Location unclear, reported in the Singapore press but incident could have been Indonesia or Malaysia). Straits Times -
1990 8 31 Mortimer Michael USA SCUBA Aged 31, Lake Worth fire fighter, recreational dive for lobster off Juno Beach in the notorious 'mini-season'. Died due to air in this cylinder being contaminated carbon monoxide. Reported in the Miami Herald. Later, it was reported in the Sun Sentinel that “Attorney Tracy R. Sharpe, who represents the victim's widow, said he thought the carbon monoxide got into the tank when [Michael R. Mortimer] filled it with oxygen from a larger oxygen tank that National Weldco of Miami had delivered to his home� (Doubtful it was oxygen for a sports lobster dive, probably decanting air, but still no explanation of where the CO came from, TC) -
1990 8 20 Rig 'West Gamma' Germany Accommodation jack-up, ran into a gale (with waves up 12 meters and winds gusting 60 knots) as it was being towed by the Normand Drott from the Norwegian sector to the German sector. The rig first lost its helideck to a large wave, then lost its tow with the Normand Drott during the storm, causing the rig to drift towards the German coast. As night fell, one of the deck lifeboats broke loose, damaging vent pipes and access hatches and causing down-flooding in the rig's hull. By 0100 hours, the rig had assumed a 10 degree list. By 0200 on 21 August, conditions deteriorated to the point where it became necessary to evacuate the crew. Evacuation by helicopter was not possible due to the damage sustained to the helideck and helicopter winching was not possible due to the high winds. The excessive movement as the rig pitched and rolled in the heavy seas also made it all but impossible to launch the lifeboats. Fortunately for the rig's crew, two Danish ESVAGT standby/rescue vessels (the Omega and the Protector) were despatched from the Danish sector to aid the evacuation. Members of the rig's crew tied themselves together in groups of 5 or 6 and jumped into the sea from the first level of the accommodation as a rescue helicopter's searchlight illuminated the scene. Four fast rescue craft belonging to the ESVAGT vessels formed a horseshoe downwind of the rig then picked up the crew. At 0307 hours on 21 August 1990, the rig sank off the coast of Helgoland, Germany, in 44m of water, with the highest point of the rig only 10m below sea level at low tide. As German authorities decided in 1993 to use this area as an emergency anchorage area, the underwater obstruction created by the West Gamma had first to be cleared. In 1994, the rig was demolished in stages. The legs were first cut then blown free of the rig with explosives. Using an underwater hydraulic jackhammer, the West Gamma's hull was then crushed until the highest point was 25m below low tide sea level. Bad weather, loss of the towline, structural failure and flooding all contributed to the eventual sinking of the West Gamma. The captain of the Normand Drott said after the event that the risk to the rig crew would have been lessened if "the UK practice of using two tugs and an auxiliary vessel had been used". ESVAGT -
1990 7 27 SCUBA Sports Divers Reported in the Miami Herald “There is a saying that scuba diving is so much fun you could just die. Unfortunately, many do. Divers get swept away by currents, snagged in underwater wrecks, tangled in seaweed, hit by boats, lost under ice or in light less freshwater caves like the ones that honeycomb North Florida. In the 18 years ending in 1988, 2,562 divers died in scuba accidents, 499 of them in Florida, according to the National Underwater Accident Data Center (NUADC) at the University of Rhode Island�. -
1990 7 5 Ratif Ishak bin Abdul Singapore Reported as drowned during a scanning operation off Pulau Ayer Chawan, found unconscious by a colleague. No other details. Straits Times -
1990 5 30 Rig 'Keyes Marine 303' USA Jack Up, Blow out -
1990 4 18 Buckley Todd USA Puget Watermen 18 S/S Air 22 year old student at Evergreen state College, taking a gap period between semesters to earn money, had been working for 2 months on a commercial operation harvesting Sea Urchins (“Geoducks�) using surface supplied gear from a 30' fishing vessel out of Olympia. Bubbles stopped, pulled to surface not breathing, weight belt and harvesting line wrapped round airline. Flown to medical centre, transferred to hospital, died. Reported as respiratory arrest, hypothermia and decompression syndrome. Spokane Chronicle -
1990 0 0 Bonebaker Guus Netherlands GB Diving 5 S/S Air ETPM 1601, Dive basket on fixed rails, basket jammed during recovery, diver attempted to free it whilst surface pulled on lift wire, his head got trapped between cage/barge, broken neck -
1990 0 0 DPVOA Dynamically Positioned Vessel Owners Association founded -
1990 0 0 Drill ship Petromadril Northsea China Ex Glomar Northsea, after drilling in the Irish Sea sailed directly to Singapore (Keppel) for conversion from steam to diesel electric works before working off Australia. Returned to Asia and was sunk in the South China Sea off Thailand (Off Great Nantune Island) when it struck gas, massive blow out and sank in the aerated water. No loss of life. There was a diving team onboard (At least one diver was Indian). The wreck appears to be lying on it's port side in 48 metres of water approximately 100 miles south of the wreck of the drillship 'Seacrest' (Sank 4th November 1989 with the loss of 91 crew). PC. Is this a dual report for the 'Petromar V', sank 27/8/1981? (TC) -
1990 0 0 Hiersche Jerome L USA Employed to inspect/clean submerged fish screens on the hydroelectric intakes on the John Day dam, Oregon, head sucked into an orifice, court case in January 1991, no details -
1990 0 0 Not Recorded Australia A professional diver went missing whilst snorkeling and diving for trochus shells on a reef. NOHSC. Quoted in a Report into Work-related deaths as a result of incidents involving workers employed in the fishing industry in Australia were studied as part of a larger study of all work-related traumatic deaths from 1989 to 1992. For further information regarding work-related deaths see: National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. Work-related traumatic fatalities in Australia, 1989 to 1992. Ausinfo: Canberra, 1998 -
1990 0 0 Thomlinson Goeorge USA SCUBA Ex Seal, professional urchin diver, died of an embolism after an ascent in rough water near Depoe Bay. Reported as the only fatality in that industry in Oregon that year. Eugene Register-Guard -
1989 12 0 Connors USN Lt. John Patrick Panama USN SEAL Topsides Aged 25, Navy SEAL Diver, killed on land in action in Panama, reportedly deployed to Panama Airport to capture General Noriega -
1989 12 0 Not Recorded USA Police SCUBA A 28-year-old member of a fire department dive team lost his life in a lake in Oklahoma in December of 1989. The dive team was conducting a search for the victim of a parasailing accident that had occurred the previous October. While attempting to recover the equipment and the body of the accident victim this diver became thoroughly ensnared in the parachute’s lines -
1989 11 30 Not Recorded USA US Armry Corps A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diver installing a boom to catch ice in the St. Marys River died when he lost his safety line -
1989 11 8 Rig 'Interocean II' UK Whilst on tow to a new location in the Southern North Sea ran into a gale with 85 mph winds and 25 foot seas. Lost one of its towlines, the coast guard was notified and two helicopters were scrambled from Bristow's North Denes base in Norfolk to extract 43 of the rig's 51 crew. The first chopper reached the rig 30 minutes later to find the rig pitching and rolling, with the helideck tilted at 10 degrees. In driving rain, with the rig heaving up to 25 feet, the first 10 crew were airlifted and flown to a neighbouring platform. The second chopper arrived to find the rig corkscrewing in heavy seas, resulting in the need for the pilot to reverse his chopper onto the helideck. After two more extractions, only 11 men were left on board, of which eight were expecting to remain behind as a skeleton crew. The first chopper returned for the last extraction but was unable to find the rig as the final towline had parted, allowing the rig to drift away. It became obvious that this would be the last landing attempted and the remaining crew were advised to abandon the rig due to the increasingly difficult conditions. The last 11 men had to crawl across the helideck before the chopper departed. Several minutes later, the Interocean II capsized and sank as a result of structural failure and flooding. Helicopter pilots all received the Queen's Award for Gallantry for the courage shown during the rescue. Reported in the Times -
1989 11 4 Benny Thailand Oceaneering Indonesian diver, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC -
1989 11 4 Clegg Phil Thailand Oceaneering Diving Supervisor on the drillship 'Seacrest' that was capsised by typhoon Gay. Possibly a dive team in saturation, two divers possibly among the 6 survivors, remainder of the dive team believed to have perished with the rest of the crew. -
1989 11 4 DB 15 Thailand McDermott After the typhoon (Gay), divers from the DB 15 put an airspread on a tug and headed towards the Seacrest location. On the way they rescued two fishermen clinging to a float. They arrived at night (after a helicopter had landed on the upturned hull and resuers had banged on the hull to try to locate survivors during daylight) and made an initial survey dive recovring one body caught in the rigging. The following day more bodies were recovered from the accommodation and more 5 from the bridge. Later, after autopsy, they were told that most of the dead recovered after the disaster had died from drowning from what they believed to be wind driven rain leading to the recommendation that rain b;ocking hoods be built into lifejackets. The surviving Indonesian diver's haliburton briefcase was recovered during the accommodation search. (Fraser diving's first saturation diving system broke off from the DB 15 during the storm (lost overside and sank) before anyone was in it. Longstreath. -
1989 11 4 Drillship Seacrest Thailand Unocal 72 Ex 'Scan Queen', sister ship to the "Chancellorsville". Overturned in typhoon 'Gay' (Recorded as killing over 500 people and leaving 160,000 homeless in Thailand) in the Platong gas field with the loss of around 91 lives, 5 or six suvivors (very confused records). A helicopter landed two men on the upturned hull the morning after but no survivors - or indications of survivors (Tapping on the hull) were found. Oceaneering and McDermott divers recovered several bodies from inside the hull, (25 bodies recovered after the sinking in all). vessel was scuttled in 75metres water depth about three weeks later. Conflicting reports that there was an excessive amount of drill pipe on deck (therefore top heavy), that she was still connected to the welhead (though radio reports pieced together after the event indicate that the BOP was disconnected and the majority of pipe was left 'in hole' but may have left the well abandonment too late and not had time to de-anchor), or that modifications carried out in the Port of Satahip, Thailand, immediately before the storm were causal factors (addition of a heavy topdrive unit without the addition of compensating ballast and then sailing to site without carrying out inclination tests), also that the drill tower started tearing the deck plates as it rolled, peeling them back and allowing wave ingress -
1989 11 4 George Kevin Thailand Oceaneering Malaysian diver, from Penang, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC -
1989 11 4 Randy Thailand Oceaneering Philippino diver, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC -
1989 11 4 Romy Thailand Oceaneering Philippino diver, died when the Seacrest sank in Typhoon Gay. Reported by Longstreath/PC -
1989 10 3 Hartley James USA MVN for Healy Tibbitts Apparently injured whilst working on an outfall sewer project at the Owls Head Water Pollution Control Project located in Brooklyn. Court case 'HARTLEY v. CITY OF NEW YORK, 163 Misc.2d 540 (1994) in November 3, 1994'. No details. Loislaw.com -
1989 9 15 Arnold Thierry Brazil Comex do Brasil Saturation Bell contamination incident. Purging water from pipeline prior to final bolt tensioning on subsea tree spoolpiece. Using product/gas lift from platform. bell atmosphere contamination (Probably condensate), diver returned to bell, bellman already unconscious, flushed bell, bellman drifting in and out of conscious but managed to take divers helmet off before both passed out again. After more flushing, the bellman regained consciousness but the diver had passed out in moonpool and drowned. PC -
1989 8 28 Foley David UK Topsides Aged 24, RN Submarine Base, Coulport/Faslane, Civilian diver, in a hut on a barge, preparing to dive, killed when a crane jib fell onto the hut. A fellow diver was seriously injured in the same incident. During the inquest, the court heard that a steel rope snapped, causing the steel jib to fall and crush a cabin on an off-shore barge where Mr Foley was changing into his wet suit. Mr Foley was killed instantly and another diver was injured. A pulley on the crane split and steel guide guards were later found to have been cut. Glasgow Herald -
1989 8 28 Not Recorded UK Topsides Seriously injured at the RN Submarine Base Faslane, Civilian diver, in a hut on a barge, preparing to dive, his team-mate David Foley was killed when a crane jib fell onto the hut. During the inquest, the court heard that a steel rope snapped, causing the steel jib to fall and crush a cabin on an off-shore barge where Mr Foley was changing into his wet suit. Mr Foley was killed instantly and another diver was injured. A pulley on the crane split and steel guide guards were later found to have been cut. Glasgow Herald -
1989 8 11 Carter Mike USA 4 SCUBA Aged 34, described as an experienced diver, drowned whilst replacing a pond drainage system on a farm three miles north of the town of Marion, 'not entangled or trapped, plenty of air in his tank. Investigators stated that “He might have been tired from work done on the previous day and plan no autopsy or further investigations� -
1989 8 9 Ong Swee Kheng Singapore Commercial Diving Servces Aged 33, clearing debris from a coffer dam at the Senoko Power Station, pulled out of the water when he failed to respond to tugs on his lifeline. "Might have got entangled in a net used to sift the debris". No other details. Straits Times -
1989 7 27 Not Recorded USA Russian Navy SCUBA Joint USA/Russian military subsea photographic expedition sponsored by tha National Geographic Society onboard the Soviet vessel 'Keldysh'. Used two Mir submersibles to set bait boxes to attract sharks, but during the expedition a Soviet diver failed to surface. Unclear if his body was ever recovered. No details -
1989 7 12 Barnes Roger USA Louisville Water Company 5 Aged 32, Sludge clearing at the Crescent Hill Filter Plant, disappeared, sucked into a 24" pipe (Not wearing lifelines because both he and his dive partner decide not to use safety lines in case they got entangled on equipment in the basin), body recovered an hour later. Had bbeen working for the water company as a diver for 10 years but had no commercial qualifications. Reported in the Daily News -
1989 6 5 Lamm William USA Sports diver SCUBA American, aged 45, spear fishing and then sucked into the inlet of a 16 foot diameter inlet pipe. 4 minutes and 1650 feet later later he surfaced inside a canal inside the Saint Lucie nuclear power plant run by Florida Power and Light. Completely unscathed. Ocala Star Banner. -
1989 4 28 Rig 'Al Baz' Nigeria Sante Fe Jack Up, blow out, caught fire, burned and sank, 5 fatalities -
1989 4 0 Rig 'Five Sisters' USA Jack Up, sank in a storm -
1989 4 0 Rig 'Sedco J' South Africa Semi Submersible, capsised during tow -
1989 2 16 Hand Larry USA 12 SCUBA Aged 34, novice sponge diver out of Tampa, recovered from the seabed by a diver from another sponge boat, inference is diving solo from a small boat with one none diving surface crew. Tangled in buoy line, mask flooded, dead on recovery. Third diver to die sponge diving out of Tampa in the last 5 weeks (Russell McIlrath and Scott Gassner) Petersburg Times -
1989 2 14 McIlrath Russell USA SCUBA BAYPORT - A commercial sponge diver died in 40 feet of water off the Hernando County coast Tuesday. U.S. Coast Guard Command Duty Officer Keith Scally said Russell McIlrath, 33, of Parsons, Tenn., died while harvesting sponges from the commercial boat Dream Diver, out of Hudson in Pasco County. Scally said McIlrath was working in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles west of Bayport when the accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. McIlrath was taken by helicopter to Shands University Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, where he was pronounced dead at 2:51 p.m., according to Shands spokesman Ralph Ives. The fatality was the second sponge-diving death on the North Suncoast this year; on Jan. 15, St. Petersburg sponge diver Scott Gassner died while diving in 40 feet of water off the Citrus County coast. St Petersburg times -
1989 2 11 Wells Timothy L USA Police SCUBA American police officer aged 36, Williston, North Dakota, cold water training dive in the Missouri river, found under thick ice near the shore by colleagues, tank empty, drowned -
1989 1 30 Dykstra Andrew Canada St. Lawrence Seaway Authority 10 Aged 47, Lock 1 on the Welland Canal.. Diver was checking a valve on the lock but became trapped against logs, Steven Murphy, the stand-by diver went in the assist and also became trapped. Both were eventually brought to the surface, Steven Murphy pronounced dead on site, Andrew Dykstra died later in hospital. No other details. Reported in the Toronto Star. -
1989 1 30 Murphy Steven Canada St. Lawrence Seaway Authority 10 Aged 29, Lock 1 on the Welland Canal.. Another diver, Andrew Dykstra was checking a valve on the lock but became trapped against logs, Steven Murphy, the stand-by diver went in the assist and also became trapped. Both were eventually brought to the surface, Steven Murphy pronounced dead on site, Andrew Dykstra died later in hospital. No other details. Reported in the Toronto Star. -
1989 1 15 Gassner Scott USA 12 SCUBA Aged 20, diving from the 'Char Lo II' out of Cortez, Had joined the vessel one month earlier (Temporary job, he wanted to join the police force). Had been in the water about an hour, signalled the surface to pull up his catch, apparently stopped breathing. Pulled up unconscious, failed to respond to treatment, reported as 'accidental drowning' but no explanation. Not clear whether it was a three or four man crew, but two divers were in the water simultaneously. St Petersburg Times -
1989 1 11 Harjula Albert O. USA 17 S/S Air Aged 29, working on the 80 foot high Wilderness Dam (Owned by Great Northern Paper), got trapped by water pressure at a leak point on the dam face. Rescue diver (Daniel Sullivan), also got trapped at the same location. Both were pulled out using winches after a second rescue diver, Brian Michaud, managed to attached pulling ropes to their harnesses 11 hours after the initial incident, but he was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital Double fatality (Daniel Sullivan). Michaud was hospitalised but OK. Spokane Chronicle -
1989 1 11 Sullivan Daniel USA 17 S/S Air Aged 30, State department of inland fisheries and wildlife. A diver working on the 80 foot high Wilderness Dam (Owned by Great Northern Paper), got trapped underwater by pressure at a leak point on the dam face. Sullivan got trapped at the same location about an hour later during a rescue attempt. Both were pulled out using winches after a second rescue diver, Brian Michaud, managed to attached pulling ropes to their harnesses 11 hours after the initial incident, but he died three hours after arriving at hospital Double fatality (Albert Harjula). Michaud was hospitalised but OK. Spokane Chronicle -
1989 1 8 Rig "Teledyne Movible 16' USA Jack Up, blow out, total loss -
1989 0 0 Not Recorded Japan Chamber Clinical chamber (Hospital) fire, one of 4 (the others were in 1967, 1993 and 1996) in Japan caused by patients taking butane or chemical hand warmers into the hyperbaric O2 rich environment. Sheffield and Desautels “Hyperbaric and hypobaric Chamber fires, a 73 year analysis�, Undersea Hyperbaric Medicine, 1997, 24 (3): 153-164. -
1989 0 0 Rig 'Sedco 252' India Jack Up, blowout and fire, 3 fatalities -
1989 0 0 Stena Workhorse Brazil Comex do Brasil and Marsat Saturation Petrobras PGP1 gas blow out, Four Comex sat divers from the platform rescued by Marsat team on the Stena Workhorse (bell to bell transfer), one of them, Thierry Arnold later died in a bell contamination incident (1991) -
1988 12 15 Rig 'Rowan Gorilla I' North Atlantic Jack Up built by the Marathon LeTourneau yard at Vicksburg in 1983. Low levels of drilling activity and high maintenance costs led to the initial decision to move the rig from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Trinidad, West Indies. Lack of a contract led to the subsequent decision to move the rig in winter across the North Atlantic to North Sea area. The rig departed Halifax on 08 Dec 1988, towed by the M/V Smit London. On the morning of the 13 December, a storm to the south-west of the rig's position brought winds of 60 knots and waves over 40 feet. Over the following two days, the rig was battered by high seas resulting in some significant damage. Wind and wave action caused the legs of the rig to oscillate and transmit stresses to the supporting structures on the hull. This caused hull fractures to propogate and flood storage tanks in the rig's stern. The lowering of the rig's stern allowed the high seas to break over the deck, causing containers and other deck cargo to break loose and batter top-side hatches, creating more points of flooding. On top of this, the tow line, having suffered two days of abuse, broke and the Smit London could only stand by as the crew of the rig attempted to control the flooding situation. By 1000 on the morning of the 15th December, the captain of the Smit London noted that the rig was considerably heavier by the stern and, noting similarities with the sinking of the Dan Prince jack-up, warned the rig superintendent that the rig was in imminent danger of sinking. Around noon, a series of waves from 50 to 60 foot high hit the rig, dislodging the remaining loose cargo and causing the stern to hang under the seas. After consideration, the rig superintendent then ordered the crew to abandon the rig via the starboard lifeboat. At 1605, the Rowan Gorilla I rolled aft and capsized. Due to the state of the seas, the decision was made to leave the crew in the lifeboat until calmer weather arrived. On 16 Dec 1988, the crew were finally ferried via a Zodiac from the lifeboat to the Smit London, which returned to Halifax. About 6 weeks after the sinking, an inflated liferaft from the Rowan Gorilla I was recovered in the North Atlantic. The liferaft was assumed to be one of the two washed overboard from the main deck by the heavy sea. The immediate cause of the sinking of the Rowan Gorilla I was the uncontrolled flooding of an unknown number of the rig's internal spaces, causing the loss of positive buoyancy. One of the main contributory factors was the formation of fractures in the rig's hull, which flooded the preload tanks and the port thruster room and caused the rig to settle at the stern. These fractures were thought to have been the result of excessive leg oscillation, which imparted severe stresses onto the hull. Also contributing to the sinking was probable damage to hatches, tank vents and other through-deck fittings on the hull's topside, caused by equipment and deck cargo being broken loose by boarding seas. This damage led to numerous downflooding points on the main deck. US Coastguard Marine Casualty Report -
1988 11 0 McCasland Martin USA Aged 41, retrieving Oxygen bottles that had rolled off the deck of a vessel in Dutch Harbour. Dry suit malfunction, rapid ascent. Family awarded $1.73 million on the grounds that the dry suit inflation valve malfunction was partly to blame for his death. No details -
1988 9 23 Bates Brian UK Saturation Post Alpha disaster salvage ops, blow back during cutting ops, cracked helmet, faceplate loosened, both eardrums perforated, sinus damage, concussion, pulled in by bellman, reported as third incident in under 36 hours. The Glasgow Herald -
1988 9 22 Rig 'Ocean Odyssey' UK Arco Semi Submersible, drilling block 22 (Central Graben, Shearwater), HPHT well, blow out and fire, 1 fatality (Radio operator sent back from lifeboat to continue communications), 58 evacuated by TEMPSC, 8 jumped into the sea and were picked up by the stand-by vessel. Rig was subsequently converted into a satellite launch pad (Sea Launch) based at Long Beach, California -
1988 9 0 Drill Ship 'Viking Explorere' Borneo Total Drill Ship, blow out, sank, 4 fatalities -
1988 7 13 Hastings Robbie USA SCUBA Sports diver aged 30, died after being stung by a Jellyfish (Portuguese man-of-war). Charlotte Observer -
1988 7 6 Piper Alpha UK Occidental 167 of the 226 personnel onboard died in fire/explosions. Survivors included the entire night shift air diving team. -
1988 6 0 Decker Keith USA Need-A-Diver 3 Aged 23, IMC Fertiliser Inc Clear Springs Phoshate Mine, pond lock gate ajar, 10� gap, diver sent in to take photos but loose lifeline, no grill, his lines were pulled through the gap, pulling him through also. His body was recovered two days later by police divers 461' feet up the 1,000' tunnel.. Equipped with lifeline and communications, quote:- 'Before he was sucked in, he was able to tell workers that 'something had caught him by the leg and was pulling him in�. St Petersburg Times. -
1988 5 24 Olsen Alan Nigeria Comex SCUBA First dive on an SBM. Competition between the divers ("The best diver is the first in the water"), pillar valve not fully opened and flow restricted, became short of air, made a rapid ascent in the well of a crude oil filled buoy but swam into a cross beam and lost his mouthpiece. Drowned. PC -
1988 2 22 Rig 'Keyes Marine 302' USA Jack Up, Punch through, legs bent/collaopsed, total loss. -
1988 0 0 Rig 'Glomar Labrador I' Jack Up, collision with a merchant ship -
1987 11 18 Batuecas Sgt. Francisco Javier Arroyo Spain Army Army engineer died during a training dive at the Navy diving centre in Cartagena whilst on a diving course. Reported as 'death may be due to natural causes and not an accident' by the forces spokesman, but no details. Reported in 'El Pais' -
1987 11 14 MacMillan Mark T Antarctic SCUBA Aged 22, research dive 50 miles west of the US base at McMurdo Sound on Ross Island. No details. Reported in the San Jose Mercury News -
1987 10 20 Rig 'Bigfoot 2' USA Jack Up, Punch through (2 legs) -
1987 10 10 Rig 'Yum II / Zapoteca Mexico PEMEX Jack Up, driling in the Bay of Campeche, blow out -
1987 9 18 Gibson Terry Australia SCUBA Aged 47, described as a professional shellfish diver, diving solo off Marino Rocks, Adelaide, disappeared. Weight belt and ripped vest were found on the seabed, presumed to be a shark attack. No other details. Reported in the Ledger. -
1987 8 12 Not Recorded Saudi Arabia Navy The official Saudi Press agency meanwhile reported that a Saudi Navy frogman was killed and a second wounded when they got too close to a mine being detonated after it was pulled from the Persian Gulf.It said the accident occurred in water 180 miles to the Northwest of Ras Tanura". The Telegraph. -
1987 6 28 Penner Robert Steven Canada Day's Aquatic Services Aged 21, One of three divers hired by Halton regional District, reported as drowned whilst working in an underwater pipe, but no details. Toronto Star -
1987 6 21 Fortin Richard USA Police Assigned as police diver, rescued four people from an overturned boat, attached a towline, sank from view and drowned -
1987 6 0 Not Recorded USA Police SCUBA American police officer aged 45 died while searching the Detroit River for victims of a boat that had capsized. It was later alleged that the malfunction of a valve on a dry suit was a contributing factor to his death. -
1987 5 30 Carr William Norway Stolt Nielson 104 Saturation British, DSV "Seaway Condor", Oseberg Norsk Hydro, Bell partner was M. Sullivan, Kirby Morgan 17 came off -
1987 4 10 Sherman Paul USA Ocean Survey 18 SCUBA Aged 40, Working one and a half miles outside Hampton Harbour at the Seabrook nuclear power plant discharge vent, trying to re-attach a buoy, reported as surfacing quickly from 60 feet to the surface and signalling to the dive boat that he was in distress. They threw him a life ring 'but he missed it and sank from sight for more than an hour." "When he was brought to the surface, he suffered cardiac arrest". CPR was initiated and he was transferred to Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover where he was confirmed dead at 16:10 from hypothermic arrest and drowning. The hospital spokesperson said that "Basically he was so cold he had a heart attack". Water temperature at the time was reported as 41 degrees F. The Lewiston Daily Sun -
1987 4 6 Hiersche Jerry USA Underwater Services 3 Aged 47, Working on the John Day Dam, Columbia river, had been inspecting/cleaning fish screens at about 150' and was surfacing at the end of his dive when his head was sucked into an inlet just 10' from the surface. Quote from team member “We heard him shout 'I'm out of air' and that was it�. Died of cardiac arrest in hospital. Reported in the Spokane Chronicle -
1987 2 17 Harknett Ronald Hopkins USA Firefighter SCUBA American, aged 38. Rancho Cordova firefighter and member of the Drowning Accident Rescue Team, one of four diivers searching the Sacramento river for a child and adult lost overboard when a boat sank. Failed to surface, drowned. -
1987 2 0 Not Recorded UK . SCUBA BSAC diver died while working to clear debris fouling the propulsion units of a new ferry. "Water conditions atrocious in terms of visibility and cleanliness. Deceased's air supply had been turned off accidently underwater, it is thought by blow(s) against underside of hull of ship but he was also trapped by a surface rope and a flxed rope around the hull of the vessel. Deceased had been using normal sports diving equipment. No other details, not sure whether this was investigated by the HSE as a commercial fatality. Reported by Dave Shaw in BSAC incidents report fot 1987 -
1987 0 0 McNally Fred UK Saturation Trapped in a stranded welding habitat (with Kanute Monstra), became hypothermic, both were rescued by Neil 'Wiggy' Wiggins (who had previously rescued George Lawson after an oxy arc explosion on the Kingsnorth Explorer in May 1984). Neil Wiggins was presented with the Silk Cut award for Nautical achievements ( He died on 23 Dec at the age of 47), MCDOA website. Does anyone remember the details of this incident? -
1987 0 0 Monstra Kanute UK Saturation Trapped in a stranded welding habitat (with Fred McNally), became hypothermic, both were rescued by Neil 'Wiggy' Wiggins (who had previously rescued George Lawson after an oxy arc explosion on the Kingsnorth Explorer in May 1984). Neil Wiggins was presented with the Silk Cut award for Nautical achievements ( He died on 23 Dec at the age of 47), MCDOA website. Does anyone remember the details of this incident? -
1987 0 0 Not Recorded Canada The book “Edmonton – Secrets of the City� by Charlene Rooke published in 2001 refers to 'a diver killed whilst servicing the submarine ride in 1987'. This is a reference to West Edmonton Mall, built in 1981 as a shopping mall that has evolved more into a 'family entertainment complex'. No other details. -
1987 0 0 Not Recorded USA 650 Law suit against General Dynamics reported in the Los Angeles Times “Thirteen professional divers filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the San Diego Unified Port “Two of the plaintiffs-one of whom died of his affliction April� Headlined as “Divers' Suit Claims PCBs in bay made them ill�, PCBs can be found, however, in old transformers, capacitors and other equipment still in use at Teledyne Ryan's plant on Harbor Drive near Lindbergh Field. A General Dynamics spokesman said PCBs are no longer used at the company's bayside facility. Officials with General Dynamics and the Port District declined to comment on the divers' charges because they had not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit. But Conward Williams, general counsel for Teledyne Ryan, said his company "is not aware of any scientific evidence that establishes that the very low levels of PCBs detected in Convair Lagoon would cause any form of human cancer." Lower levels of PCBs were found in a storm drain sump used by General Dynamics. The board staff is now conducting inspections at General Dynamics and a half-dozen other companies near Convair Lagoon in order to further pinpoint the source of the chemicals, said the supervising engineer for the agency. (No other details and the fatality is not included in the fatality count as we do not know the outcome of the case TC) -
1987 0 0 Rig 'Pool 55' Jack Up, sank due to soil failure whilst drilling -
1986 11 20 Rig 'Dixilyn Field 83' India Jack Up, sank off Mumbai, Starboard leg punched through, capsised -
1986 11 5 Tennant Leroy J USA Roy Tennant Co. 2 SCUBA Aged 62, Owner of the diving Company, inspecting an underwater gas line in the Shetucket river, witnesses on shore observed in trouble but sank below the surface before being rescued. Body recovered 40 minutes later -
1986 9 1 Wilkinson Guy UAE Ruwais, UAE, pulled unconscious from the water after an argon cylinder was tied into the gas supply, did not respond to treatment. -
1986 9 0 Rig 'Zacateca' Mexico Perforadora Co Jack Up. Sank -
1986 7 31 Cibulski Joel USA Aged 30, working off the fishing vessel 'Rigorous' anchored off Baker Island (off the West Coast of Prince of Wales Island) according to Alaska state troopers, trying to free another trawler's propeller. Apparently got entangled in the net and cut his own air line, pulled from the water unconscious, declared dead on arrival at Ketchichan Hospital. Anchorage Daily News. -
1986 7 30 Vienneau Alain Canada Repechage et Recherche Sous Marine Marcoux Inc Aged 23, working at the entrance of the Lachine canal on a Parks Canada project to clean up the waterway. Police said he got caught in the circular opening in the locks that allows water from the Lac St. Louis to spill into the canal. He was removing debris in a strong current when the accident occurred. Reported in the Ottawa Citizen. However, the Montreal Gazette went on to say (paraphrased) Clean-up work on the Lachine Canal continued yesterday, one day after a diver died clearing debris from a water intake in a lock at the canal's western end. “He may have been knocked unconscious when currents banged his head against underwater debris�, his boss said yesterday, “we would have stopped working for a week or so after the accident, but since we already had police and a crane arranged for today, we went ahead� The team had been trying to block a 15 centimetre opening in the lock with metal plates. Vienneau, who had been working for Marcoux for 6 months was going to block it with a piece of wood. “He went down, and after a few minutes he stopped giving us any signals� said Marcoux. “And he didn't give a distress signal either� He said he pulled the lifeless diver from the water about 30 seconds after his last signal. A witness who works at a nearby gas station, said he what all the activity was and saw five men pulling on a rope tied to something in the water. “I didn't know what it was, they brought it out and I saw it was a man in full diving gear with his mask off. He was completely blue�. Emergency services spent half an hour trying to revive him on site. A Parks Canada official said that he did not have any details about the accident but “had no reason to suppose that the work will be delayed� because of the death. They began lowering the water in the canal two day before the accident (which explains the differential pressure) and “planned for environmental experts to examine the toxic sediments that cover the bottom of the 13.4 kilometre long waterway once it was drained.� -
1986 7 20 Baldi Timothy H USA Aged 27, with one other diver, had been employed by the skipper of the 350 foot long Spanish bulk cement carrier 'Encofrador' moored off Richmond to inspect the hull after they ran over a buoy. Killed by the turning propeller USCG reported they 'had recovered 'parts of the body'. No other details. Reported in the San Jose Mercury News. -
1986 7 15 Anderson RE Sapper Vincent UK Navy Topsides Aged 19, Royal Engineer, one of three men undertaking a two day diver aptitude training course at Horsea Island, collapsed and died during a mud run, wearing a dry suit on what was described as the hottest day in July, his two companions were also hspitalised with heat exhaustion. The Royal Naval surgeon said that his interrnal temperature recorded when the body arrived at hospital was 42 degrees but that even so he might have been saved if he had been given intravenous hydration when he first collapsed. An aermy spokesman said that "It has to be remembered that this run was a normal part of the routine. Hundreds have gone through it before without any ill effects". The Glasgow Herald -
1986 6 16 Hill Billy Ray USA Valley liners and Equipment 12 S/S Air Aged 29, from Tulsa, Okla, died in an explosion during a ship salvage operation. Mississippi River, sunken corn barge, cutting plate with oxy/acetylene, Coastguard quote “possibly a pocket of methane given off by the fermenting corn�. After explosion was found inside the wreck with downline still secured to barge. Possibly drowned when mask separated from helmet. -
1986 5 0 Ananenko Alexei USSR SCUBA Engineer at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat, Uktraine, 26th April 1986. During tests reactor 4 went into meltdown causing the most significant release of radiation in history. During the immediate aftermath many workers were subjected to fatal doses of radiation in desperate attempts to mitigate the effects. At one stage, in order to reduce the risk of a steam explosion in the flooded baement area, three volunteers (Valeri Bezpalov, Boris Baranov and Alexei Ananenko) entered the flooded area in diving gear to open the sliuce gates manually. All three returned to the surface after completing the work but died later from radiation sickness. GPS Buceo/Wikipedia -
1986 5 0 Baranov Boris USSR SCUBA Soldier, Relief force at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat, Uktraine, 26th April 1986. During tests reactor 4 went into meltdown causing the most significant release of radiation in history. During the immediate aftermath many workers were subjected to fatal doses of radiation in desperate attempts to mitigate the effects. At one stage, in order to reduce the risk of a steam explosion in the flooded baement area, three volunteers (Valeri Bezpalov, Boris Baranov and Alexei Ananenko) entered the flooded area in diving gear to open the sliuce gates manually. All three returned to the surface after completing the work but died later from radiation sickness. GPS Buceo/Wikipedia -
1986 5 0 Bezpalov Valeri USSR SCUBA Engineer at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat, Uktraine, 26th April 1986. During tests reactor 4 went into meltdown causing the most significant release of radiation in history. During the immediate aftermath many workers were subjected to fatal doses of radiation in desperate attempts to mitigate the effects. At one stage, in order to reduce the risk of a steam explosion in the flooded baement area, three volunteers (Valeri Bezpalov, Boris Baranov and Alexei Ananenko) entered the flooded area in diving gear to open the sliuce gates manually. All three returned to the surface after completing the work but died later from radiation sickness. GPS Buceo/Wikipedia -
1986 4 14 Space Shuttle Challenger USA Stena Stena Workhorse recovered critical pieces of the space shuttle “Challenger� from seabed at 560' -
1986 4 3 Not Recorded Egypt Navy Egyptian Navy diver died during search of the wreck of Napoleon Bonaparte's flagship “L'Orient� sunk off Alexandria in August 1798 at the battle of Abu Keir reviving local superstition of mermaid's curse -
1986 2 3 D'Amato John USA Volunteer police team SCUBA Aged 37, civilian volunteer with the police SAR team, died whilst searching for a 6 year old boy (who was declared dead in hospital 2 hours after being found - he had been under the ice for two hours) who had fallen through the ice on the Ipswich River. The diver was missing for an hour before his absence was noted by the team. Reported in the Boston Globe. -
1986 1 20 Spicer Wayne Iran Smit Topsides Australian, DSV 'Smit Maassluis' off Kharg Island, set on fire after Exocet missile attack from Iraqi war-planes. 10 crewmen also injured out of the 34 man crew (Two other Australian and two New Zealand divers injured). No details. Reported in The Age -
1986 1 10 Boyle Timothy W USA DiveTech SCUBA Crystal River nuclear power plant run by the Florida Power Corporation, his team mate, Scott Wiker, was sucked 600' up inlet to grid, Boyle died trying to rescue him with the pumps still running at 28.000 gallons per minute. Drowned. Double fatality. OSHA cited the contractor with six violations and 'they were fined nearly $5,000'. Florida Power officials admitted the divers were not warned that the pumps were operating but were not cited because they were not involved in the dive. OSHA stated that had the divers equipment met federal standards they would not have been sucked through the underwater pipe “Should have been attached to lifelines, received their air from the surface rather than SCUBA tanks and been attached to a voice communications line� Also cited for failure to have a standby diver, failure to wear inflatable buoyancy, no person in charge at site, safe practices manual not including a copy of OSHAs diving requirements and no plan to recover an injured diver from the water. Reported in the Gainesville Sun<br />OSHA Report:- Accident: 14346597 -- Report ID: 0420600 -- Event Date: 01/10/1986. TWO COMMERCIAL DIVERS WERE KILLED WHEN THEY WERE DRAWN INTO AN INTAKE PIPE WHICH CARRIED COOLING WATER TO A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN AN ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT. THE PUMPING SYSTEM HAD BEEN MISTAKENLY LEFT RUNNING WHILE THE DIVERS WERE ENGAGED IN CLEANING AND INSPECTING ACTIVIES. DESPITE THE POOR VISIBILITY AND THE RESTRICTED CONFIGURATION OF THE WORK AREA, THE DIVERS WERE USING SCUBA GEAR WITH NO SURFACE LINE TENDING. SINCE ACCESS INTO THE DIVE AREA WAS THROUGH A MANHOLE, NO ONE TOPSIDE COULD MONITOR THE LOCATION OF THE INWATER DIVER. WHEN THE FIRST DIVER FAILED TO REAPPEAR IN A TIMELY FASHION, THE SECOND DIVER ENTERED THE WATER TO BEGIN A SEARCH FOR HIM. THE RESCUE DIVER ALSO BECAME TRAPPED IN THE MECHANICALLY INDUCED CURRENTS. ONLY AFTER THE PUMPS WERE SHUT DOWN WERE THE BODIES RECOVERED -
1986 1 10 Wiker Scott W USA DiveTech SCUBA Aged 26, cleaning inlets of Crystal River nuclear power plant run by the Florida Power Corporation, cleaning filters on the cooling water inlets, pumps running at 28,000 gallons per minute sucked him 600' up inlet to grid, drowned. His team mate, Timothy Boyle, drowned trying to rescue him with the pumps still running. Double fatality. OSHA cited the contractor with six violations and 'they were fined nearly $5,000'. Florida Power officials admitted the divers were not warned that the pumps were operating but were not cited because they were not involved in the dive. OSHA stated that had the divers equipment met federal standards they would not have been sucked through the underwater pipe “Should have been attached to lifelines, received their air from the surface rather than SCUBA tanks and been attached to a voice communications line� Also cited for failure to have a standby diver, failure to wear inflatable buoyancy, no person in charge at site, safe practices manual not including a copy of OSHAs diving requirements and no plan to recover an injured diver from the water. Reported in the Gainesville Sun<br />OSHA Report:- Accident: 14346597 -- Report ID: 0420600 -- Event Date: 01/10/1986. TWO COMMERCIAL DIVERS WERE KILLED WHEN THEY WERE DRAWN INTO AN INTAKE PIPE WHICH CARRIED COOLING WATER TO A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN AN ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT. THE PUMPING SYSTEM HAD BEEN MISTAKENLY LEFT RUNNING WHILE THE DIVERS WERE ENGAGED IN CLEANING AND INSPECTING ACTIVIES. DESPITE THE POOR VISIBILITY AND THE RESTRICTED CONFIGURATION OF THE WORK AREA, THE DIVERS WERE USING SCUBA GEAR WITH NO SURFACE LINE TENDING. SINCE ACCESS INTO THE DIVE AREA WAS THROUGH A MANHOLE, NO ONE TOPSIDE COULD MONITOR THE LOCATION OF THE INWATER DIVER. WHEN THE FIRST DIVER FAILED TO REAPPEAR IN A TIMELY FASHION, THE SECOND DIVER ENTERED THE WATER TO BEGIN A SEARCH FOR HIM. THE RESCUE DIVER ALSO BECAME TRAPPED IN THE MECHANICALLY INDUCED CURRENTS. ONLY AFTER THE PUMPS WERE SHUT DOWN WERE THE BODIES RECOVERED -
1986 0 0 Fitzerald Russell Iran 2W One year out of diving school (Fort Bovisand), air diving off a supply vessel at Kharg island. No details . Personal Communication. -
1986 0 0 John Johnny UK SCUBA Tenby (South Wales), amateur diver inspecting the moorings of a pleasure craft for a friend. Failed to surface. Cause of death 'aspiration of vomit into lungs'. 'At work'? Yes, but 'at work for pay'? Probably not, just doing doing a favour for his friend. Personal communication, no other details -
1986 0 0 Rig 'Bob Buschman' Jack Up, sank -
1985 12 15 DSV Huichol II, ex Kattenturm Mexico Condux, a subsidiary of Protexa, working for Pemex Sank in a storm off Cuidad del Carmem inside a Pemex exploration block. 27+, 32 or 33 fatalities out of POB of 71. Rumoured to have sunk with 4 (Oceaneering?) divers in saturation, unclear if other dive team members perished. Salvage operations started 4 days after the vesel sank, the wreck was lifted by the crane barge 'Tolteca' and 21 bodies recovered during February 1986, vessel was partially lifted and then re-sunk in shallow water outside the Pemex exploration block. Lawyers were still arguing with the insurers about the (incompetent) salvage costs 7 years later. The vessel was built in 1966 as the 'Kattenturm', one of eleven '2500' class supply vessels, fitted with a ASK (Honeywell) DP system (with a single bow thruster) and saturation diving system designed by Hans Keller with a unique 'egg shaped' diving bell in 1976. US court of appeals records -
1985 12 15 Not Recorded Mexico Saturation One of four Mexican divers reported as being in saturation when the Huichol II sank in a storm off Cuidad del Carmen, bodies possibly recovered during salvage operations in February.