Some terrible news regarding last week’s scuba accident at Whytecliff park. An article in the Surrey Leader reports that the man, Rick Musgrave, passed away at Vancouver General Hospital after apparently suffering a heart attack at a depth of 100ft while instructing a group of students.

His son, Stephen Musgrave, has made this posting on ScubaBoard:

Sad to announce the Passing of my father Rick Musgrave at the age of 61. He passed away doing what he loved, apparantly due to a heart attack suffered while instructing a deep dive PADI specialty at 100ft (investigation ongoing). Thank you to all who helped out on scene and offered support to the family at the hospital. Rick started diving in Southern BC during the sixties, casting his own weights and making his own suits (due to the lack of recreational dive shops back then). He spent the last ten years working and instructing out of several dive shops around Vancouver and did recreational diving in: Honduras, Mexico, Dominican and other locations in the Caribbean. He will be Sadly missed.

My condolences go to Rick’s friends and family.

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Last weekend a 20 year old man had a diving accident at Whytecliff Park, and just yesterday there was yet another diving accident at the park. This time the accident involved a diving instructor who was about 100ft down when he experienced a medical problem and had to surface. Like the accident last week, the diver was forced to surface too fast which can cause serious problems.

A scuba diving instructor almost drowned Sunday in the waters off Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver.

The man was apparently under water with his students when he went into medical distress, about 100 feet below the surface.

By the time he resurfaced, he was in full cardiac arrest.

For nearly 30 minutes, police and paramedics performed CPR on the man, who is believed to be in his 50s.

His condition is unknown, but hopefully he will make a full recovery at the hospital. CTV has a video you can view here.

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On Monday I posted about a cryptic news story about a diving accident at Whytecliff Park. Yesterday the North Shore News had a write up about the accident with some more info.

Apparently the diver, a 20 year old man from California, was diving at about 40ft when water started seeping into his mask. He then surfaced too quickly trying to ‘reach safety’, but in the process became unconscious because of the rapid decompression (aka the bends). Luckily other people from his group were able to bring him to shore and get him treated promptly, and he was later put in a hyperbaric chamber, and released the same day.

I’m trying not to judge, but there must be more to the story. Water seeping into a diver’s mask is very common, and a problem you are taught to fix on your first day of training. I have a hard imagining someone scrambling to surface simply because water filled their mask. Perhaps while clearing his mask he lost control of his buoyancy and surfaced like a rocket as the air in his suit expanded? Weird stuff, but thankfully the guy is ok.

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I came across this brief news posting yesterday, but have not seen or heard any other information, regarding a diving accident at Whytecliff Park.

An unconscious patient was being treated by paramedics Saturday afternoon after a scuba-diving accident off Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver.

Emergency crews were called to the scene in the 7100-block Marine Drive at about 1:15 p.m.

The B.C. Ambulance Service said a medevac helicopter was being launched to transport the patient.

The gender and condition of the patient was not available.

Hopefully the person is OK and on their way to a full recovery. If I see any other news I’ll post it.

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Porteau Cove is a Provincial Marine Park, and a terrific scuba diving spot. This diver’s ‘playground’ is a favorite of many locals. Its easy beach access, man made reefs, and wall dive make it an ideal dive spot for divers of all levels. In 1981 Porteau Cove was established as BC’s first underwater park. The water is fairly shallow until you reach the reef, and there are 3 sunken ships to explore. The largest ship, the Nakaya, is a former WWII minesweeper, and sits about 90ft down depending on the tide. Most of the man made reef and the other two smaller vessels sit about 30-60ft down. Aside from the ships, there is a ‘jungle gym’ made of iron bars, and tires which attract a myriad of aquatic life. BC Parks has a great dive map, that shows the location of the 3 shipwrecks, as well as other points of interest. There are over 100 species of marine life in the Cove, including octopi, ling cod and plumose anemone.

Photo by andy_c on Flickr

A series of man-made reefs and [three] sunken vessels provide excellent scuba diving opportunities. Depths vary from 6m to 18m (20′ to 60′). Be cautious of changing tides and strong in and outflow winds. Penetration of vessels is not recommended. The diving area is marked by a series of marker buoys. Various fascinating marine life has established itself throughout the dive area. Harvesting or harassment of marine life is prohibited within the park’s marine foreshore. Diving from a boat is prohibited within the park boundary. There is a diver’s building located within the park which provides cold showers and a change area. These showers are turned off during the summer months because two outdoor showers are provided for the same purpose. There are steps that lead down to the water’s edge that are located in the main parking lot. Please use proper etiquette when changing into and out dive gear in the parking lots, and avoid gear sprawl that inhibits vehicular traffic. Commercial diving such as providing instruction and guiding is prohibited unless authorized by a Park Use Permit.

Some of the drawbacks of Porteau Cove are its popularity (especially on weekends) and the sometimes poor visibility. Porteau Cove is located 38km North of Vancouver. Simply head North on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and just after you pass Lion’s Bay, go about 10km until you will see the exit signs (I believe there is now a big overpass you cannot miss).

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