IMCA - Diver sustains laceration to hand

The incident occurred during air/nitrox diving at 18m depth. A diver was assigned to retrieve tooling from the forward downline, which had over 2m of slack to

accommodate vessel movement. The tooling was dispatched via the messenger but

exceeded the acceptable depth range within the dive table due to the slack. To

rectify this, a decision was made to come up slightly on the downline to bring the

tooling within range.

During this adjustment, the diver used his left hand to pull the tooling toward the

structure while his right hand was positioned on the wire for additional leverage.

However, an unexpected vessel movement caused the breaker/weak link to part,

resulting in the diver’s right hand being drawn toward the snatch block, and his

glove becoming entrapped and torn off.

Upon surfacing the diver was immediately taken to the sickbay / hospital for

assessment and treatment. He sustained a deep laceration to the base of his right

thumb. The wound was stitched, and the diver made a full recovery, retaining full

range of motion with no evident ligament involvement or neurological impairment.

To view this IMCA Safety Flash in full, click the 'Download Alert' button above.