Two students nearly drowned at US diving school

Unclear for how long they were unconscious?

The Houston Chronicle did not have much more information this morning:

Diving students nearly drown at school

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 | Updated: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 8:33pm

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An above ground training tank during is seen at The Ocean Corporation following a near drowning accident Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012, in Houston. Both participants were a part of a 7-and-a-half month class offered by The Ocean Corporation where they learn commercial diving skills such as underwater welding and commercial work. Brown said that is the first time that something like that has happened in 40 years. (Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle)

Officials at a commercial diving school are investigating what went wrong after two students nearly drowned Wednesday.

The two students, training at The OceanCorporation, were in an indoor tank when the mishap occurred about 10 a.m., saidJeff Brown, the school's director of student services. He would not elaborate on how the incident occurred.

Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on at least one of the students.

The two were flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Their conditions were not released.

The company, at 10840 Rockley, offers training for careers in commercial diving, underwater welding and nondestructive testing training, according to its website.

The injured students, whose names and ages were not released, were wearing diving helmets and scuba gear. The tank is used in training for underwater welding and other commercial diving tasks.

Brown said it is the first time such an incident has occurred in more than 40 years at the school.

"It's been a tough day," Brown said.

He said the seven-and-a-half month training program combines classroom and hands-on instruction.

Chronicle photographer Cody Duty contributed to this story.

Unclear for how long they were unconscious?

When were the compressors tested? What was the Team Size?. By OSHA and ADCI Standards: It could have been one tender, tending and running the dive with the two divers in the water standing by for each other.

Esperemos que se aclare!

The latest information I could find on this story:

HOUSTON (FOX 26) -

Paramedics and police rushed to a trade school where two students had to be rescued after nearly drowning.

Hours after the incident, FOX 26 News learned the students still weren't breathing. A LifeFlight helicopter took the men to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.

One minute, these two students training for underwater construction. The next, they were in trouble, submerged in a 24-foot tank full of water.

Ocean Corporation Career School has been training commercial divers for decades in southwest Houston.

"The Ocean Corporation has been around for over 40 years. We've never had an incident like this before," said Jeff Brown, head of student services at Ocean Corporation.

In an instant, the school had two men go into a training tank and nearly drowning.

"Commercial diving is basically like underwater construction," Brown said. "In the course of their regular training two students were involved in an incident."

Houston Police said the dive instructor stepped away and learned the two students in the tank were lost via radio. The students, a 28-year-old and 34-year-old, were unconscious when they were pulled from the water. CPR was performed.

Students typically wear equipment during dive training.

"Their work gear is a helmet that's over their head, that's supplied with air from the surface, and that's how they are able to stay down and do work safely," Brown said.

But an entire class saw something had gone terribly wrong in this exercise.

"The instructor and the students acted appropriately and quickly took action," Brown said.

HPD said the students were in the tank for about 10 minutes. What went wrong? Was there an issue with the equipment?

"We're getting statements from everybody and piecing together exactly what transpired," Brown said.

HPD investigators are doing the same thing.

Brown said the commercial dive program lasts seven and a half months. Students don't start this type of dive training until near the course's end.

Training appears to be suspended for now. After the students were pulled from the tank, yellow crime scene tape blocked off what appeared to be the tank's entrance.

The focus now is hoping those two students make a full recovery.

"We have staff at the hospital with them right now," Brown said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the two students and their families."

Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/19524241/2012/09/12/two-divers-injured-during-indoor-training-exercise#ixzz26YWajFgk

Two at once points to "bad" air for sure!

They could have been electrocuted, Nick. It was two guys in the same training tank.

hopefully for them and their families all will be ok - tragic - really don't want to be negative out of respect for all involved and few facts to go by - even in dive school it should only be a designated supervisor running the dive - with certification, qualifications and verified competency - this is the guy that ensures the air or gas is ok - equipment is ok - divers are fit - hats are ok - air or gas is analyzed after the last valve etc. etc. - supv is the qa/qc for the entire operation - divers and tenders have no business running a dive - they are there to be divers and tenders not supervisors

an Item that is not always in use and not in all regulations or guidelines around the world but should be - is an oxygen analyzer (with alarms) that gets a constant reading after the last valve on any rack or panel - air, gas, trimix, sat what ever type of diving the gas going to the diver should be analyzed at all times in real time - this is your defacto last qa/qc - then no matter what valve gets opened or bottle or gas that goes on line - you know in real time what is going to the diver - no matter who might make a mistake this will catch it - why the alarm - any supervisor knows he gets busy - for any number of reasons your unable to monitor each and everything 100% of the time - these units cost a few hundred dollars to thousands depending on the make or model but well worth the cost. CO monitoring is becoming very common now too.

A low pressure alarm in line as well is a good idea.