Russian tourist dies while scuba diving in Surat Thani's Ratchaprapha dam

[webfact]

Russian tourist dies scuba diving in Surat Thani's dam

SURAT THANI: -- A Russian tourist died while scuba diving in the reservoir of the Ratchaprapha dam in Surat Thani Sunday afternoon.

Police said Dmitry Dokuchave, 46, and three friends rented a boat to go scuba diving in the dam at 2 pm. Three went down with six oxygen tanks while another waiting on the boat.

After 20 minutes had passed, the friend on the boat notice one of his friends floated on the water surface unconsciously, he shouted for nearby boats for help and plug him from the water, and immediately alerted rescue officials on the shore.

He was found to have died before being admitted to hospital.

Another Russian scuba diver also came out to the surface, almost unconsciously. But he was rescued and survived in time by rescue officials.

It was not immediately known the exact cause of the incident and police are investigating.

Initial investigation might be from water pressure after they went too deep down the reservoir.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/russian-tourist-dies-scuba-diving-surat-thanis-dam


-- Thai PBS 2014-12-22

[canopus1969]

Maybe a bad fill ?

[rubadub77]

Oxygen tanks?

[samsensam]

Initial investigation might be from water pressure after they went too deep down the reservoir.

by who? how deep is the dam? great journalism as usual

[Seastallion]

Diving in fresh water is different as you are less buoyant. Maybe it was inexperience.

But it does sound like a bad fill.

What happened to the third guy?

[webfact]

Two Phuket-based Russians die in cave-diving incident
Eakkapop Thongtub


The Municipal Pier at Chiewlan Reservoir, from which the four Russians set out. Photo Sherryl Lian

PHUKET: -- Two locally-based Russian cave divers are dead after an accident in the Chiewlan Reservoir in Surat Thani.

They and two others, who were based in Phuket, rented a boat yesterday (December 21) from the Chiewlan Municipal Pier and then dived down to a cave underwater, believed to be known as Tiger Cave.

The dead are Dmitry Dokuchaev, 46, whose body was recovered from the entrance to the cave, and Aleksander Solomatin, who managed to reach the surface and board the boat.

He was taken to Surat Thani General Hospital, where doctors decided he should be transferred to the decompression chamber at Vachira Phuket Hospital. However, he died while transport was being arranged.

A spokesman at Surat Thani Hospital said that Mr Dokuchaev was believed to have drowned, but an autopsy has yet to be performed to establish this and the proximate cause of death.

Surat Thani Vice-Governor Wichawut Jinto, who visited Mr Solomatin before his death, said, “Usually we prohibit people from diving alone without guidance in the reservoir. I will advise officials at the pier about this before they allow [boats with divers] to go out.”

First reports from within the dive community in Phuket suggested that Mr Dokuchaev may have suffered oxygen toxicity – a condition caused by a malfunction or misuse of rebreathing equipment, which can result in a seizure similar to epilepsy and loss of consciousness. Mr Solomatin apparently suffered a lung embolism.

However these scenarios have yet to be confirmed by medical experts.

Additional reporting by Alasdair Forbes

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/two-phuket-based-russians-die-in-cave-diving-incident-50237.php


-- Phuket News 2014-12-22

[SOTIRIOS]

...I hate to think that the cause of death is 'bad fills' as a few members have suggested....

[vision2014]

One of the first topics you cover when taking diving lessons from an approved international organization such as PADI or NAUI is to always dive with another person (buddy diving". The second lesson that you are taught is how to share breathing apparatus in the event one of the divers equipment malfunctions. Lots of potential questions in this case. Did the divers stay together, did they have the proper education training, did the dive store provide quality equipment and the list goes on.

[pacovl46]

The lake is 200 meters deep. If they used regular air and went down deeper than 40 meters it could've been nitrogen narcosis.

[bazmlb]

The deepest entrance is 50m, with some shallower, they were both on rebreathers, one a cave instructor, the other cave qualified. It seems a very shallow depth to have a problem with a rebreather and not be able to use bailout and safely ascend.

[KhunMat]

These guys were both cave divers with one diving a rebreather by all accounts. Hardly beginners. The lake is not 200 meters deep it as about 60max on high water. Best not to speculate.

[wabothai]

Manu Russians know nothing about diving. They might have thought same rules apply for snorkling. Who rented them the equipment???? Sorry though for their families.

[bazmlb]

Manu Russians know nothing about diving. They might have thought same rules apply for snorkling. Who rented them the equipment???? Sorry though for their families.

Rebreathers aren't something you rent, this is specialist equipment, again both qualified cave divers and one an instructor.

[Mudcrab]

Manu Russians know nothing about diving. They might have thought same rules apply for snorkling. Who rented them the equipment???? Sorry though for their families.

As it seems do many wabothais.

[jamiesilver]

RIP whatever the reasons

[gigman]

main problem is that not everyone is able to dive even on 10 meters deep until he/she is free from past or current health problems, specially breathing, blood preasure.

Unfortunately, some countries are ignoring those rules and that's what we have.....

[vijer]

I'm guessing they saw a ghost and died of fright.

[Balance]

Hard to say without knowing what equipment they were diving with and their level of experience. If they were too deep, nitrogen narcosis is a possibility. It causes a "drunk" state and people have been know to try and feed their air to the fish.

[CajunCruiser]

If they went down deep and long enough with oxygen tanks, they would all be dead from oxygen poisoning. SCUBA tanks generally contain compressed air, only about 21% oxygen.

[bazmlb]

Hard to say without knowing what equipment they were diving with and their level of experience. If they were too deep, nitrogen narcosis is a possibility. It causes a "drunk" state and people have been know to try and feed their air to the fish.

They were diving CCR (rebreathers) not Open Circuit, the only way too much oxygen could occur is computer failure or manually overdosing the system.

[gamini]

One of the first topics you cover when taking diving lessons from an approved international organization such as PADI or NAUI is to always dive with another person (buddy diving". The second lesson that you are taught is how to share breathing apparatus in the event one of the divers equipment malfunctions. Lots of potential questions in this case. Did the divers stay together, did they have the proper education training, did the dive store provide quality equipment and the list goes on.

PADI is no qualification. Its just an "ego' thing. They love to call themselves proffesional divers when all they really are , are SCUBA equipment teachers. If you have the money you get certified. Anyone can become a PADI instructor. It is well known that a man got a PADI certication for his dog in the UK by just sending the money. We often refer to it ' as "Put Another Dollar In" I Personally checked what was required to become an instructor. Like like diving ability without SCUBA. None was required.

[2fishin2]

There are some really uneducated posts right here....

[Shurup]

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Maybe a bad fill ?

Was my 1st thought too, until someone else mentioned they were on rebreasers.

Diving in fresh water is different as you are less buoyant. Maybe it was inexperience.

But it does sound like a bad fill.

What happened to the third guy?

Very little difference and no special training required, all you really do is add a bit more weight.

Manu Russians know nothing about diving. They might have thought same rules apply for snorkling. Who rented them the equipment???? Sorry though for their families.

There are lots of very qualified and experienced Russian divers, a lot more than you can even imagine and many take their training and get experience in cold waters further north so many of the Pattaya know it all PADI divers don't stand a chance against them. Better not spread your Russian hatred here, a tragedy happened and it could have been any nationality.

[aussiebrian]

One of the first topics you cover when taking diving lessons from an approved international organization such as PADI or NAUI is to always dive with another person (buddy diving". The second lesson that you are taught is how to share breathing apparatus in the event one of the divers equipment malfunctions. Lots of potential questions in this case. Did the divers stay together, did they have the proper education training, did the dive store provide quality equipment and the list goes on.

PADI is no qualification. Its just an "ego' thing. They love to call themselves proffesional divers when all they really are , are SCUBA equipment teachers. If you have the money you get certified. Anyone can become a PADI instructor. It is well known that a man got a PADI certication for his dog in the UK by just sending the money. We often refer to it ' as "Put Another Dollar In" I Personally checked what was required to become an instructor. Like like diving ability without SCUBA. None was required.

It is reported now he died of a heart attack, but not sure if that is from a post mortem done in Surat Thani, which I would take with a grain of salt, or a wild guess. Anyway, I will still post what I had just wrote before I read that, as if it is a guess, I think this is just as likely.

Firstly, In response to the gamini

A well known fact.Right. Well known by whom? Evidence?? So anthony77 quoted he received an email from an unnamed well known diver who said that Bob Marks wrote.

"someone sent photos of his Alsatian dog and a pet seal and they both came back featured on instructor's cards!

supposedly mentioned in his book. The only reference I can find on that is a post in TV back in 2010 which was disputed .see http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/393130-padi/

I have my advanced open water and I can say it wasn't that easy. Maybe some schools make it easier than others, but you say you personally checked what was required to become an instructor and no diving was required. Now that is totally unbelievable. Now I know how you believed the dog story.

Ok, you go and get your PADI instructors licence from PADI and not Khao San Road, and I will believe you. Maybe take your dog along with you and a seal if you can find one

I dived in Ratchaprapha Dam 3 years ago. As you descend there are many dead trees like ghosts in the mist still coming out of the soil, the finer branches mostly crumble with a gentle squeeze, but the larger ones are still quite solid and unless you are looking all around he may of possibly hit a larger branch he didn't see, potentially ripping his mouth piece out of his mouth or possibly damaging his regulator. I've never used a re-breather, so not sure what damage could have been done to it. There is also a lot of fishing line with hooks in them that he may of got tangled in, but then he wouldn't have floated to the top..

I dived to 30 metres and was told if I had of dived to 50 meters I could have seen the village that is still there after it was flooded in the Kings project.

Attached is some video I took in the dam at 30 meters.

Edited December 22, 2014 by aussiebrian

[aussiebrian]

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Maybe a bad fill ?

Was my 1st thought too, until someone else mentioned they were on rebreasers.

Diving in fresh water is different as you are less buoyant. Maybe it was inexperience.

But it does sound like a bad fill.

What happened to the third guy?

Very little difference and no special training required, all you really do is add a bit more weight.

Manu Russians know nothing about diving. They might have thought same rules apply for snorkling. Who rented them the equipment???? Sorry though for their families.

There are lots of very qualified and experienced Russian divers, a lot more than you can even imagine and many take their training and get experience in cold waters further north so many of the Pattaya know it all PADI divers don't stand a chance against them. Better not spread your Russian hatred here, a tragedy happened and it could have been any nationality.

You said " Very little difference and no special training required, all you really do is add a bit more weight" I think you mean less weight.

Yes, many good and bad divers from all countries, but looks also like you are spreading your PADI hatred here.

[Shurup]

You said " Very little difference and no special training required, all you really do is add a bit more weight" I think you mean less weight.

Yes, many good and bad divers from all countries, but looks also like you are spreading your PADI hatred here.

Yes sorry I mean less weight.

And I don't hate PADI, but some (many?) Pattaya DCs are cutting corners in their training. It became a joke how soon one can get a DM or an Instructor certificate there. PADI is a business.

[MiKT]

Clearly they were experienced cave divers if they went down on (presumably mixed gas) with 6 tanks, but if they were down at 50+ meters and had a problem that caused them to surface too quickly without taking the time to decompress at various levels for the times prescribed in the dive tables (decompression stops) they would undoubtedly get a lung embolism (pulmonary barotrauma or arterial gas embolism). Possibly (as the one who surfaced alive and was taken to a hyperbaric chamber) they died from decompression sickness "the bends".

Either is a terrible way to go and very sorry for them.

As they were diving alone, it is unlikely that we will ever get to hear any evidence that could help prevent similar tragedies. The dam authorities should at least publish some cave diving guidlines if they allow diving.

I am not PADI, but it's nonsensical to bash PADI as it is not stated what diving qualifications they had.

[MiKT]

Clearly they were experienced cave divers if they went down on (presumably mixed gas) with 6 tanks, but if they were down at 50+ meters and had a problem that caused them to surface too quickly without taking the time to decompress at various levels for the times prescribed in the dive tables (decompression stops) they would undoubtedly get a lung embolism (pulmonary barotrauma or arterial gas embolism). Possibly (as the one who surfaced alive and was taken to a hyperbaric chamber) they died from decompression sickness "the bends".

Either is a terrible way to go and very sorry for them.

As they were diving alone, it is unlikely that we will ever get to hear any evidence that could help prevent similar tragedies. The dam authorities should at least publish some cave diving guidlines if they allow diving.

I am not PADI, but it's nonsensical to bash PADI as it is not stated what diving qualifications they had.

Sorry I have read the report again.

Three divers went down with six tanks (seemingly prepared for a deep dive with decompression stops). 2 surfaced after 20 minuites, which (including the decent time) means thay did not spend enough time decompressing if they spent more than a few minutes at 50+m.

What happend to the third diver, did he shed any light on what happend under the water?

Which diver was using the rebreather (which tend to be less reliable than simple open circuit scuba gear)?

[KhunMat]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/786825-mystery-surrounds-deaths-of-phuket-cave-divers-at-khao-sok-national-park/

Edited December 25, 2014 by webfact
link changed /Admin

[ocejanic]

PADI is no qualification. Its just an "ego' thing. They love to call themselves proffesional divers when all they really are , are SCUBA equipment teachers. If you have the money you get certified. Anyone can become a PADI instructor. It is well known that a man got a PADI certication for his dog in the UK by just sending the money. We often refer to it ' as "Put Another Dollar In" I Personally checked what was required to become an instructor. Like like diving ability without SCUBA. None was required.

Which is complete and utter BS.

I'm a PADI MSDT (Master Scuba Diver Trainer, which is the next level above OWSI ( instructor)), I have received my training and qualification(s) in Germany. It was a very tough and relentless process of learning, training, testing.