| Johnny van Der Walt
Hi. Just found this forum when looking for any news on Johnny's death, and thought I'd confirm, and elaborate on the news of Johnny van der Walt's death for ClaireDJ and Spike. Johnny died on 29 June 2004, on a dive at Diepgat Reef, Sodwana, South Africa. All the evidence suggests he had a medical emergency and lost consciousness, during a routine deco stop at 15m. The autopsy did not reveal evidence of a heart attack or stroke. The investigation is not yet complete, but there is no reason to suspect equipment failure, or any diving specific malady. He was breathing trimix on a rebreather, and had 2 stages - 1 O2, 1 air. I was one of 3 people with him on the dive. It was a beautiful dive, and I believe Johnny would have wanted to go in such circumstances...
Rgds
Patricia Bolton |