SAN DIEGO, California (1 Aug 2006) -- Steven Donathan's accidental drowning was shocking to his friends in the local diving community because it was so preventable. Donathan, 49, of Ocean Beach was a scuba expert who had earned more than 20 specialty diving certificates. He made his living teaching advanced diving techniques. But he largely was seen as a brazen risk-taker. A little more than a year ago, Donathan descended to the Yukon, a sunken warship about 1.8 miles off Mission Beach. It would be his last dive. His drowning has been the only diving death in the Yukon, a 366-foot destroyer escort retired by the Canadian navy. The ship is now part of a San Diego-owned underwater park. It didn't take long for police to conclude that Donathan caused his own demise by going into the boiler room, an off-limits area. City officials decided not to launch a formal review of the incident. Donathan's relatives haven't filed any claims against the city. And police, lifeguards and diving clubs haven't requested a safety assessment for the Yukon, said Ashley Fenton, the city's liability claims manager. In 1999, before San Diego officials agreed to take ownership of the Yukon, the City Attorney's Office researched liability issues. The city's lawyers concluded that state law provides immunity from liability for injuries or deaths that result from "hazardous recreational activities" on public property. But after Donathan's death, scuba enthusiasts feared that city officials might place the Yukon off-limits to recreational divers. Within days of the drowning, city lifeguards installed heavy chains blocking access to the boiler room. A few weeks later, volunteer divers who were friends of Donathan bolted a grate with 2-inch grids over the room's entrance. Shane Thompson, a diver who helped install the grate about a year ago, said he recently inspected the barrier and found no signs of tampering. "I don't see the need to reinforce it any further," Thompson said. But he added: "No matter what you do, if someone really wants to get into that area bad enough, they will do it." Volunteer divers would monitor the boiler room entrance to ensure it is barricaded securely, said Dick Long, former president of the San Diego Oceans Foundation. The nonprofit group spearheaded efforts to bring the Yukon here from British Columbia so it could be sunk as a diving attraction. John Daley, a board member for the foundation, says the existing grate is better than a sealed plate. A grate promotes water flow through the ship's interior and, in his opinion, might minimize the amount of silt buildup in the boiler room. | | Steven Donathan died at age 49 after ignoring accepted wreck diving safety procedures. Lt. Nick Lerma, spokesman for the city lifeguard service, said he believes the existing barriers to the boiler room are adequate. But Lerma added: "It would be more comforting if there was a permanent solution where it was welded shut and impenetrable." John Hudkins, administrator of San Diego's coastal parks, relies on city lifeguards to monitor the Yukon and submit safety recommendations. "If the lifeguards are open to (making changes), I'm open to it," he said. "It's their call." According to investigators, Donathan began his last dive June 25, 2005, with a student partner. He eventually abandoned the student while inside the wreck. Donathan entered the boiler room, a narrow compartment cluttered with corroded pipes and catwalks. Someone – likely Donathan himself – pried open the metal plate welded over the room's entrance, allowing the diver to squeeze his way inside. Investigators theorize that Donathan's primary underwater light flooded and failed. Silt kicked up by his movements created "blackout" conditions that further impaired his ability to get out. Donathan couldn't find his way out, and ran out of air. He put himself at risk when he entered the wreck without marking his route with a guide line, a common safety procedure. A reel containing a guide line was found on his belt when his body was recovered. Donathan violated another basic safety rule when he abandoned his dive partner, investigators said. For local divers, Donathan's drowning is a reminder of how pushing the limits can sometimes prove fatal. "No reasonable person is going to do that again," said Long, past president of the San Diego Oceans Foundation. "This guy knew better. He died from his own arrogance." SOURCE - San Diego Union-TribuneSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
