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Chris, who did the gas mixing? Who checked the % O2 in bottles? When were they last checked? You have omitted this very important information so I assume you don't know and they did not check the O2 just prior to the descent-or you would have said so. It is just as likely that he toxed on O2 as anything else that has been suggested. Thatnks for the information. On 5 Jul 1996, Chris A Crumley (VaBchVA) wrote: > The following is a response to a request from a techdiver list member for > additional information on the subject: > > On 6/4/96, two divers, Ken Clayton (57) and Doug Summerhill (32), attempted to > dive the wreck of the Panam off Morehead City, NC. Neither dived reached the > hull at approximately 450fsw or the bottom at 495fsw. Clayton's depth gauge > showed a max depth of 456fsw. Summerhill did not return from the dive and his > body has not been recovered. Details follow: > > Boat: M/V Sea Wife IV, 50' diesel-powered sport fisherman. Captain Buck Wilde > and one mate. > Support Diver: Two were scheduled; one was detained at the last minute by work > requirements in the Washington, DC area. > Water Temp: 76F at 15fsw (my reading), 69F at about 300fsw (Clayton's reading), > about 66F at about 450fsw (Clayton's estimate) > Ambient Temp: Low 80s, Sunny > Seas: Less than 3' > Current: Slight (I swam in open water following descending divers with u/w > camera/strobe and easily maintained distance to them); Clayton reported "no > current" at his max depth. > Visability: About 80' lateral > Descent Line: From stern of boat. Approximately 650 of line plus 80' of chain > and wreck hook > Diver Mix (Clayton): 10/60 O2/Helium, stage bottles contained Nitrox40 and air > Diver Mix (Summerhill): 7/67 O2/Helium, stage bottles contained Nitrox50 and air > Surface-supplied O2 at 20fsw > > The divers alternated napping and doing setup on the 3.5 hour trip offshore. > Summerhill and girlfriend Patty Barnhart had driven down from Maryland the > previous evening, arriving about 1a. Barnhart drove some of the distance so > Summerhill could sleep. Boat loading took place about 6a; departed about 7a. > > Both divers drank a lot of water and juices on the trip out. > > The wreck was quickly found on the depthfinder, but it took about two hours to > get the boat solidly hooked to the wreck. During this period Summerhill said he > felt a little queasy. > > When the divers were suited up (Clayton in a wetsuit; Summerhill in a drysuit), > I entered the water to check water temp, current, light levels, visability, > camera/strobe operation, etc. It was 30+ minutes before they were in the water; > longer than I expected. I surfaced but continued breathing from my regulator > because the diesel was running to keep water from entering the exhaust system. I > didn't recall diesel fumes on the boat. > > Clayton and Summerhill entered the water; Clayton first, Summerhill 8 minutes > later. I photographed them underwater as they prepared to descend and as they > descented through 100fsw. Clayton was leading; Summerhill was following pushing > his small video housing. I didn't see the red record light on the camera, but I > assume he was taping the descent. The housing was tethered to him. > > Clayton reported turning twice during the descent seeing Summerhill behind him. > Clayton reached 456fsw, was short of bottom gas and had not reached the hull. It > was about 15' below him and he would've had to leave the line to touch it. He > elected to stay on the line, make his turn and begin his ascent. He reported > seeing Summerhill on the line "in the haze" at about 370fsw, parallel to the > line, and went back to looking at his gauges. The next time he looked up, he did > not see Summerhill. He assumed that Summerhill had ascended out of his > visability range. > > The divers were due back at their 100fsw deco stop at 2:15p; Clayton was on > time, Summerhill never returned. > > Clayton completed his deco and returned to the boat at 4p. By this time, a USCG > C-130 was flying search patterns over us. Later, a USCG helicopter joined the > air search and a cutter was dispatched from Wrightsville Beach. At dark, the > USCG released us to return to Morehead City (8:30p). We tied a large orange > float with a flashing strobe to the anchor line and left it for the cutter. The > cutter was to continue the search through the night and the USCG would resume > the air search in the morning. > > Summerhill was a competent and experienced trimix diver. He and Clayton had > dived together on numerous occasions. Summerhill was a support diver for > Clayton's dive on the USS Virginia 9/93 (390fsw), then a mixed gas diver on the > Destroyer G-102 6/94 (355fsw), German Light Cruiser Frankfurt 6/94 and 10/94 > (415fsw) and others. They both seemed comfortable making this dive together. > > I asked about ascent/descent tethering and Clayton said they preferred to > maintain contact with the line manually. > > No surface debris was spotted by the USCG or the three fishing boats doing > cris-cross patterns downcurrent from our location. The were also looking for > signs of a small red & white lift bag Summerhill carried as a marker for such > things as a drifting deco. > > Summerhill and I talked about the strength of his video housing early in the > day. He was confident the new housing would not implode as one did the previous > year. > > Several deep divers who know Summerhill and the facts surrounding the dive > believe he most likely became unconscious from a CO2 buildup. > > Chris Crumley > Virginia Beach, VA > 72570.717@co*.co* > www.earthwater.com > > > > > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@terra.net'. > Send subscription/archive requests to `techdiver-request@terra.net'. >
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