RIP Henry Wagner
My wife’s cousin who lived in Hawaii died last week at the age of 21 years old. An expert surfer, he passed due to “shallow water blackout”. Shallow water blackout (SWB) is the sudden loss of consciousness caused by oxygen starvation following a breath holding dive. Unconsciousness strikes most commonly within 15 feet (five meters) of the surface, where expanding, oxygen-hungry lungs literally suck oxygen from the divers blood. Once you lose consciousness you are likely to drown. The blackout occurs quickly, insidiously and without warning. This syndrome is not something I’ve heard of before but can be common amongst divers and surfers who develop a penchant for holding their breath a long time under water. Surfers learn, sometimes without even being aware, to use techniques such as taking excessive deep breaths (pre-hyperventilation). However, blood CO2 may be lowered so much by pre-dive hyperventilation, that it takes a relatively long time for CO2 to build up under water and cause “air hunger.” Deep dives are often prolonged but at the swimmers peril. Blood oxygen will fall relatively quickly under water compared to the buildup of CO2. A critical hypoxic state can be reached before there is any drive to breathe, i.e., before there is any sensation of air hunger. This critical hypoxia is often reached on ascent, near the surface, hence the term “shallow-water blackout.”
Henry was young but passed being in the water doing what he loved. He was surrounded by friends and over 600 people attended his funeral.
comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
-
Rainbows
-
Vanishing America
-
Friends from Monaco
-
Cadillac
-
Old stamps
