A coroner has called for new statutory regulations to govern the operation of sports diving and diving centres after the death of a 25-year-old teacher while diving off the Dingle peninsula two years ago.
Heather Schofield, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, England, who was single, died while scuba diving off Dingle on April 12th, 2004. A qualified diver with 15 months' diving experience, she had been on holiday with her mother in Dingle and had arranged a dive and rented equipment with the Dingle Marina Dive Centre.
Coroner Helen Lucey heard that most dive centres, including that in Dingle in 2004, were affiliated to PADI, the professional association for diving instructors, whose excellence was recognised worldwide. However this was a self-regulatory body and there were no statutory governing bodies for dive centres in Ireland, unlike the UK where sports diving was governed by the health and safety executive.
The jury returned a verdict of of death from misadventure.
Dr Margot Bolster, Assistant State Pathologist gave the medical cause of death as acute cardio-respiratory failure of organs due to drowning while diving.
The jury also returned a rider to the verdict, recommending the there be better communication between persons diving and the control boat. There were five people in the diving party which left Dingle pier at around 10am on Easter Monday, April 12th - Ms Schofield; John Beresford, from Tallaght, Dublin; and three members of the Athlone Sub Aqua Club.
Neal Clayton, the diving instructor who was in charge of the boat which brought them to Bull's Head, a well- known diving spot, put them into groups. Mr Beresford said he was partnered with Ms Schofield. Heather and he okayed each other several times but 15 minutes into the dive, at a depth of around 19 metres, he felt dizzy and his mind was going blank. He began to panic.
He signalled to Heather he was in distress and proceeded to resurface. He had never before experienced being dizzy at a depth of only 20 metres. Damien Horan gave evidence of diving back down to find her at a depth of 19 metres, lying on her back.
Mr Neal Clayton, a partner in the diving centre with Jacqueline Cozens, then of Dunsheen Dingle, but now living in London, said under the "buddy" system he had expected Ms Schofield to have accompanied Mr Beresford to the surface.
He was more concerned at that stage for Mr Beresford, who was in an agitated state and had come shooting up out of the water so fast. The fact Mr Beresford came up alone "did trigger alarm signals", but he was reassured she was with the others.
Evidence was given the cylinders, which dated from 1997, had not had a service until 2003, and should have been tested previously. Internal tests are carried out every five years but divers are recommended to do so annually. A number of those sent from the Dingle centre were destroyed because they were corroded and rusty inside. Those sent back for use were considered safe.
However, an examination of the inside of the 12-litre cylinder used by Ms Schofield was that it was in "a damp and rusty state". The level of water vapour in the air in the cylinder was high.
Dr Cathal Bredin a consultant in respiratory diseases at Cork University Hospital, in a deposition said the sequence may have been the high level of water vapour in the cylinder resulted in a high level being inhaled by the subject into the lungs. The ultimate result was a lack of oxygen to the brain, "resulting in Ms Schofield becoming impaired in her consciousness, losing control, inhaling sea water and drowning".