Diver Holds Breath For 17 Years

[malq]

Authorities hope dental records will help determine whether the body of a diver recovered from Lake Tahoe last week is that of a man who reportedly went missing in the lake 17 years ago, an El Dorado County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

The Sheriff's Department was alerted to the body by another diver who reported seeing it at a depth of about 265 feet, said sheriff's spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz.

Last Wednesday, a team from the Sheriff's Department used a remotely operated vehicle fitted with a camera to locate the body - which was still wearing dive gear - on an underwater shelf off Rubicon Point, which is near Highway 89 in South Lake Tahoe.

After locating the body, which took three to four hours, sheriff's personnel were able to attach the mechanical claw of the remotely operated vehicle to the dive gear and pull the body to the surface, Golmitz said.

It appeared the body had remained at that depth due to the weight of the gear, he said.

Though the body was fairly well preserved by cold temperatures, authorities are hoping dental records will allow the coroner to establish a positive identification, Golmitz said. He said the sheriff's office believes the body may be that of Donald Christopher Windecker, of Reno, who was reported missing in July 1994 following an apparent diving accident in the lake.

Bee archives show that Windecker, then 44, and a friend had dived down about 100 feet in the lake south of Rubicon Point, when Windecker apparently lost consciousness while trying to ascend. Sheriff's officers reported at the time that Windecker was last seen at a depth of 130 feet, descending and with his breathing regulator out of his mouth, archives show.

Gear found on the body last week appeared to date to that time period, including a certification date on the scuba tank, Golmitz said.

"Everything on the diver appears to point to that 1994 case," he said. "But without the positive ID, we're holding off making any notifications."

http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archiv...nd-in-l-3.html

[Kitty]

Sounds like he ended up with nitrogen narcosis... http://medical-dictionary.thefreedic...rogen+narcosis

Definition

Nitrogen narcosis is a condition that occurs in divers breathing compressed air. When divers go below depths of approximately 100 ft, increase in the partial pressure of nitrogen produces an altered mental state similar to alcohol intoxication.

Description

Nitrogen narcosis, commonly referred to as "rapture of the deep," typically becomes noticeable at 100 ft underwater and is incapacitating at 300 ft, causing stupor, blindness, unconsciousness, and even death. Nitrogen narcosis is also called "the martini effect" because divers experience an effect comparable to that from one martini on an empty stomach for every 50 ft of depth beyond the initial 100 ft.

Causes and symptoms

Nitrogen narcosis is caused by gases in the body acting in a manner described by Dalton's Law of partial pressures: the total pressure of a gas mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of gases in the mixture. As the total gas pressure increases with increasing dive depth, the partial pressure of nitrogen increases and more nitrogen becomes dissolved in the blood. This high nitrogen concentration impairs the conduction of nerve impulses and mimics the effects of alcohol or narcotics.
Symptoms of nitrogen narcosis include: wooziness; giddiness; euphoria; disorientation; loss of balance; loss of manual dexterity; slowing of reaction time; fixation of ideas; and impairment of complex reasoning. These effects are exacerbated by cold, stress, and a rapid rate of compression.

This is why you should always dive with a trusted buddy.

[62julietandvoid]

I think this is part of the reason I get a little weary of swimming in lakes n shit, never know what the fuck is below ya *cringe* eeee...

I even have "nightmares", where I am in my grandparent's lake and it's shallow as fuck and I sometimes touch the bottom. I hate that.

[WhatThe]

I think this is part of the reason I get a little weary of swimming in lakes n shit, never know what the fuck is below ya *cringe* eeee...

I even have "nightmares", where I am in my grandparent's lake and it's shallow as fuck and I sometimes touch the bottom. I hate that.

Or the HEAD, or the FEET... BLECH!!! lmao

Seriously, my worst nightmare, right? blech. I just watched a segment on scuba divers that retrieve golf balls from the ponds at golf courses. And I thought, "COOL!" Then I though, "Aww, HELL NO!" Screw the people worried about alligators, I'm worried about dead bodies. blech!

[Obsolete]

I think this is part of the reason I get a little weary of swimming in lakes n shit, never know what the fuck is below ya *cringe* eeee...

I even have "nightmares", where I am in my grandparent's lake and it's shallow as fuck and I sometimes touch the bottom. I hate that.

My grandmother drown at our families cabin when I was 3, I was raised swimming there every summer after that and I every time I felt seaweed or something brush against my leg I would freak out. Even though I knew she wasn't down there anymore it still freaked me out.

Even now, as an adult...I still picture her under the water whenever we go to the cabin.

[AngelFire]

We once went up Northern CA to visit some of my hubby's family and we went to some lake up there. There were tons of family and a grip of kids, but we all watched over them.

While we were in the water, one of the women started screaming that there was a body in the lake and she had touched the "head" of the dead person. We all ran out of the water, afraid of getting near the "corpse". Turned up to be some long branch, with weird leaves. Dumb bitch spoiled a good time.

[Kitty]

My grandad fished a body out of the river once. I won't swim in still water or small ponds.. I want plenty of space between me and whatever might be in there lol

[malq]

I talked a kid into swimming in a sewage pond when I was young. I got in trouble.

[Robynne]

I talked a kid into swimming in a sewage pond when I was young. I got in trouble.

And how young was that?

[malq]

6

[62julietandvoid]

I talked a kid into swimming in a sewage pond when I was young. I got in trouble.

I don't know why but your post reminded me of this

A step-cousin took me down to his mother's home in North Carolina. They own a chicken farming practice and he drove me through the grounds. We drove past this silo that was buried in the ground, only the top of it sticking out. The top had flies swarming on and around it. LOTS and lots of flies. That's where they threw dead chickens. But anyways, he said he'd dared or somehow otherwise convinced a cousin or stepbrother to open the lid, which they did. Guess it was a puke fest for a little bit. lol