Imported post
From Divernet:
"OPEN VERDICT ON INSPIRATION DEATH
An inquest into the death of Nic Gotto, who was lost on the wreck of the Kowloon Bridge off Co. Cork, Ireland, in July 1998 has recorded an open verdict.
The inquest, held in Ireland, heard evidence from AP Diving, manufacturers of the Inspiration, and from legal representatives of Gotto's widow, Rachel.
Gotto was an experienced diver and skipper of dive charter vessel Sundancer II, operating from Cork. He was diving with friends when he appeared to encounter difficulties shortly after entering the water. He was rescued unconscious from a depth of 24m and recovered into the dive boat. Unfortunately, efforts to resuscitate him failed.
During the rescue, Gotto's rebreather sank to the seabed but was recovered several days later. He is reported to have been diving with no open circuit bail-out.
Witness Mary Keniry told the inquest that Gotto had already used his scrubber material for 8 hours before the dive, and was intending to use it for a further 2 hours. The maximum recommended life of the scrubber material is 3 hours, and less than that when used at depth.
Martin Parker, Managing Director of Ambient Pressure Diving, gave Divernet the following statement:
"I have seen and heard the evidence of everyone involved in the equipment examination and have heard the evidence of every witness at the inquest. Additionally, I have had the post mortem checked over by the top diving pathologist in the UK and I can confirm that I have no doubt that CO2 was the cause of Nic's problems. If Nic had indeed used it (the scrubber) for 8 hours, this was over 3 times the recommended duration when deeper than 20m! Excess CO2 affects you very quickly and leads to rapid unconsciousness even in low concentrations. Breathing CO2 in an oxygen rich environment usually masks the respiratory distress symptoms that are normally associated with excess CO2, so the diver doesn't stand a chance unless the buddy diver is able to conduct an effective rescue."
Divernet - 12 March 2003