PHILLIPSBURG, NJ (30 Aug 2005) -- Investigators ruled out equipment failure in the death of renowned deep-sea diver and instructor Stephen Hardick but haven't determined what caused his death. Hardick, 60, died Sunday while filming the wreck of a sunken German submarine off the coast of Block Island, R.I. He had been trying to make the trip for almost two years before he and three friends were able to explore the U-boat. "It was one of those days where it seemed everything was finally working with this dive. He had tried five times to do this," said Dave Firth Sr., of Phillipsburg, who was diving with Hardick on Sunday. "He was feeling fine, and his spirits were up." They made the trip just last weekend, but weren't able to get to the U-boat because of poor weather conditions, according to neighbor Sam Cirillo, another diver on the trip. Hardick planned to use the footage for a public access show and for a diving presentation in the fall. The group, all members of the Garden State Underwater Rescue Unit, planned to continue its work in North Carolina on Sept. 10, Cirillo said. When Hardick surfaced Sunday after diving about 120 feet below the water, crew members saw he was unconscious. He died shortly after, despite crew and divers' attempts to revive him. The Marine Safety Office of the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating and reported that Hardick's equipment was in proper working condition, according to Lt. J.G. Merridith Morrison, who is also the command duty officer. "A case like this can take a couple of weeks to a couple months, depending on the caseload of the investigator and how quickly information comes in," Morrison said. The Rhode Island Medical Examiner's office in Providence did not release information on Monday. Hardick, who spent many summers in the area while growing up, was familiar with the territory and first dove to see the wreck about 20 years ago, Cirillo said. Neither Cirillo nor Firth noticed anything unusual during the dive. Hardick was diving near the submarine's coning tower and was underwater for about 11 minutes before surfacing, Firth said. "Steve handed (the other diver) the camera, and a little while later made the sign that he was going to ascend," Cirillo said. It wasn't until they ascended that Firth and Cirillo realized something was wrong. "I heard somebody yelling for help when I surfaced, and I saw the mate bringing someone back to the boat and realized it was Steve," Cirillo said. | | Stephen Hardick died filming the wreck of the German U-853 submarine. The crew radioed the U.S. Coast Guard for help and began performing CPR once they pulled him onboard. The divers and crew continued for about 25 to 35 minutes before help arrived, Firth said. "We go out and recover bodies and accidents, but when it's one of your own, it's different," Firth said. Hardick, who was a member of the Garden State Rescue Underwater Rescue Unit since the late 1950s in charge of safety training, taught members to remain calm in situations like this. "That's what he taught you, to try to keep a level head about you," Cirillo said. Hardick served in the Navy and later taught federal agents search and recovery at a Naval base in Key West, Fla. He was a diving instructor at the Family YMCA of Easton, Phillipsburg and Vicinity and the Pocono Family YMCA in Stroudsburg. Most recently, he taught a YMCA diving course at the Third Street Alliance, Easton, along with Firth. He was a draftsman for Bethlehem Steel before working as a safety and security supervisor with the New Jersey Supply Authority in Clinton. Cirillo, a friend for about 13 years, had accompanied Hardick on countless dives up and down the East Coast, including dives in North Carolina, where they gathered footage of sharks for a documentary. Cirillo and Firth, who was a friend for about 20 years, took annual trips with Hardick to Cooper River in South Carolina where they hunted for ancient shark teeth. Both had looked forward to their next dive in North Carolina to explore another German U-boat for the film. Cirillo said he doesn't know what kind of footage Hardick took Sunday because the camera was left "at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean." SOURCE - The Express-Times |
