Ontario Underwater Council
2005 Report on Scuba-Diving Related
Fatalities in Ontario
Compiled by Ron Irvine, Director, Sport Safety, Ontario Underwater Council
Foreword:
This report has been created to document what has been brought to the attention of the
OUC about scuba-diving fatalities in the province of Ontario in order that these incidents
can be analyzed and recommendations made. These recommendations will then be
communicated to the extended Ontario Diving Community as a measure to prevent such
incidents in the future.
Disclaimer:
No claim is made by the OUC or by the Director of Sport Safety, Ron Irvine as to the
completeness or accuracy of information contained within this report. Every effort has
been taken to include only respected sources in the public domain, however it must be
stated that none of these have been independently verified or investigated.
Fatalities (in chronological order):
1. 2005-06-12 Mark Cartland, a 41 year old male certified diver was diving near or
on the wreck of the Monarch on the St. Clair River. He surfaced with his buddy
and both divers signalled distress. He was pulled from the water by a passing
boat and rushed to shore and then by ambulance to hospital. An autopsy was
performed, with results unavailable at this time. See Appendix A for more details.
2. 2003-06-25 Althea Rhooms, a 43-year-old female certified diver was diving on
Stoney Lake near Burleigh Falls. She was part of an organized sport dive with the
Ajax Scuba Club. She was performing a Peak Peformance Buoyancy Dive when
she was seen to be in distress by her dive buddy. The dive buddy signalled for the
pair to surface but was unable to bring Ms. Rhooms to the surface. The
divemaster on duty was signalled and entered the water to aid Ms. Rhooms and
found her unresponsive in approximately 45 feet of water. She was surfaced and
resuscitation efforts started. CPR was continued on-shore. She was pronounced
dead at the scene. See Appendix B for more details.
3. 2005 – 08-22 Gerry Tychansky, a 43 year old male certified diver was working on
a low-budget horror film at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club when he died. Both
Gerry and his wife were working in approximately 4 metres of water when the
incident happened. By all accounts Mr. Tychansky was an experienced diver but
was not certified as a commercial diver. He was also diving on a rebreather. See
Appendix C for more details.
4. 2005-08-30 a 57 year old male certified diver was participating in an advanced
class, diving on the Tiller Wreck just outside of St. Catherines. Witnesses say the
diver was experiencing distress at depth and was brought to the surface. Despite
efforts to revive the man, he was pronounced dead at St. Catherines Hospital. See
Appendix D for more details.
Near Misses
1. 2005-06-25 A dive instructor was diving with two students on the Niagara II just
outside of Fathom Five Marine Park. The group was diving from one of the local
charter boats. Upon surfacing, the instructor began to exit the water when he
collapsed backwards from the ladder and was face down in the water. After some
confusion, he was pulled from the water by the boat’s captain. Other charter
boats moored to the wreck at the time assisted. According to witnesses, the
charter boat did not have any O2 equipment on board. The charter boat
immediately adjacent to the boat in question had an O2 unit, but it was outfitted
with scuba regulators and did not have a continuous flow non-rebreather mask.
The victim was semi-conscious and was able to take oxygen from the system.
While first aid was administered by a certified scuba instructor who had been
diving from the adjacent charter boat, it was upwards of 25 minutes before the
Coastguard was contacted, according to witnesses. A Coastguard zodiac was
dispatched. According to witnesses, the Coastguard zodiac “buzzed” the site
several times before finally mooring up to the charter boat where the victim was
being treated, despite the fact that divers were ascending from the wreck. Again,
according to witnesses, one surfacing diver was missed by less than 10 feet. Once
moored, it took another 20 minutes before the victim was moved over to the
zodiac and taken from the scene. The evacuation was initiated only after a
physician from one of the other dive boats on the scene was brought over and
recommended the evacuation.
OUC Recommendations:
Fatalities
All certified divers have a responsibility to ensure they are physically and
mentally fit to do a dive. While this should be considered a non-negotiable
point on all dives and divers should be very cautious of complacency, the
importance of physical and mental fitness take on added importance when
pushing one’s experience level and trying something new. Examples include
first time or near first time experiences diving deep, on wrecks, in cold water
or with new gear configurations (new to diving doubles, rebreathers, etc.)
While all first-time experiences should be conducted under the supervision of
a qualified instructor, it is ultimately the diver’s responsibility to make an
honest assessment of their own ability to deal with the physical and mental
stress that first-time experiences may bring.
Only divers certified as commercial divers should participate in commercial
diving activities. By definition, commercial diving includes any diving
activity that will result in financial reimbursement for the diver. The only
exception is qualified and certified diving instructors who receive financial
reimbursement for instruction services. Commercial diving brings with it
many risks and challenges that the recreational diver (including recreational
instructors) is simply not trained or prepared for.
Near Misses
All charter boats should carry O2 systems with sufficient oxygen to supply
a diver from the dive site to EMS. These kits should include both demand
and continuous flow systems. All charter boat captains and staff should be
trained in both first aid and oxygen administration. Coastguard staff
should be reminded of procedures for boat operation in and around dive
sites and dive flags, whether from dive boats or in the form of surface
buoys.
Appendix A
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Popular radio DJ 'Mr. Personality' dies scuba diving
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SARNIA, Canada (15 June
2005) -- A popular radio
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near the Monarch shipwreck.
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Mark Cartland, 41, was pulled
from the water by a passing
boat after he and his dive
buddy ascended and called for
help.
Cartland was rushed to a local
hospital where he was
pronounced dead.
Mark 'Mr. Personality' Cartland died scuba diving near
the 'Monarch' shipwreck
Details of the scuba diving accident remain unclear, however, police
have speculated the divers may have ascended too quickly after
exploring the wreck of the 'Monarch', a 259-ft passenger vessel that sank
in 1906.
The accident is under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police
marine unity and an autopsy has been scheduled.
Cartland, a popular radio broadcaster known as "Mr. Personality", won
five Canadian country music DJ awards.
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Ajax woman dies during
weekend dive
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Incident first in club's history
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Jun 28, 2005
By Keith GilliganStaff Writer
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AJAX - A 43-year-old Ajax woman died while
scuba diving north of Peterborough on the
weekend.
Althea Rhooms was practising a buoyancy
dive with a partner when the mishap
occurred, Peterborough County OPP
reported.
Senior Constable Brad Filman said club
divers were on Stony Lake, near Burleigh
Falls.
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
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Ms. Calderon signalled for them to surface,
but she couldn't grab hold of the panicked
woman, he added.
We got lots and lots of
nominees
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to learn
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murder trial
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Ajax has summer camps
galore
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The victim was located by the club's dive
master in 45 to 50 feet of water. With help
from other divers she was brought to the
surface where CPR was started, Sr. Const.
Filman said.
Canada Day in Ajax

"She went down and had difficulty
breathing," he added.
Her Ajax Scuba Club diving partner, Nurry
Calderon, 34, of Pickering, tried to help the
woman but the victim was flailing about in
the water, Sr. Const. Filman stated.
Ajax woman dies during
weekend dive
Pageant wants Ajax girls and
women
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Ms. Rhooms was brought to the shore where
paramedics continued CPR. She was
pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy was performed in Kingston
Tuesday morning, but the coroner isn't

SIU called in after police car
hits teens
releasing the cause of death.
Rob Cook, scuba club president, said they
were performing a "training exercise to
improve their diving skills."
Ms. Rhooms had been a member of the Ajax
club since last fall.
"She was very enthusiastic about diving. She
enjoyed it and recently went on a trip to
Belize," Mr. Cook stated. "She enjoyed that
very much. She expressed that to her
mother."
Mr. Cook said he spoke with Ms. Rhooms'
family on Monday "to discuss the
circumstances" of the accident.
Her family, Mr. Cook noted, was "certainly
shocked."
This is the first incident of this nature in the
club's 30-year history.
"There hasn't even been a near miss let
alone a fatal accident," Mr. Cook said,
adding some club members "aren't taking it
all that well.
"The Ajax Scuba Club extends its deepest
sympathies to Althea's family, and our
thoughts and prayers are with them and
everyone touched by this accident," Mr.
Cook said.
Sr. Const. Filman said Ms. Rhooms' diving
equipment has been seized for the
investigation.
"Our dive master is to examine her
equipment. Everything seems to be in order,"
he stated, adding, "Safety is number one
with these people."
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Appendix C
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Experienced scuba diver dies during filming of low-budget
horror film
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by LUTHER MONROE - CDNN Safety News Editor
HAMILTON, Ontario (22 Aug 2005) -- The Ontario Labour Ministry
has launched an investigation into the death of an experienced scuba
diver who drowned during the filming of a low-budget horror film.
Gerry Tychansky, 43, died while working underwater with his wife
Darlene at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club.
Both divers were at a depth of about four meters towing a prop shaped
like a shark when the accident happened.
An autopsy did not determine the cause of death but the Hamilton
coroner Jack Stanborough said more tests are needed to reveal if the
victim died of from a heart condition or possibly equipment failure.
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating Whitlock's C.J. Productions, the
production company filming 'Marina Monster'.
Filmmaker Christine Whitlock refused to comment on the tragic
accident.
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Appendix D
Home
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Diver drowns during advanced scuba diving course
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by LUTHER MONROE - CDNN Safety News Editor
ST. CATHARINES, Ontario (30 Aug 2005) -- A diver participating in
an advanced scuba diving course has died.
Police told CDNN the 57-year-old male victim drowned while wreck
diving as part of the course training requirements.
Witnesses said the diver experienced distress at depth while diving at the
wreck site, which is located in Lake Ontario about 2.6 miles from Port
Dalhousie.
He was brought to the surface, however attempts to revive the victim
failed and he was pronounced dead at St. Catharines General Hospital.
Details of the accident were sketchy and it is not known which diving
facility and certification agency were involved.
Police are investigating the accident and an autopsy has been scheduled.
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