The final report into the dive that claimed Irish freediving champion Stephen Keenan’s life has been completed.
The comprehensive report was conducted by Miguel Lozano and Pascal Berger, and has the support of Keenan’s family.
After conducting extensive interviews with all those involved in the incident, and a careful examination of dive computers and other relevant data, the authors came to several conclusions about the incident.
The main cause of the incident can be summed up as follows: Due to a series of small mishaps an extreme situation developed that could not have been foreseen by Keenan. All of these events combined to create a catastrophic scenario that led to Keenan losing his life.
The report did make some recommendations for improving safety procedures when conducting freedives through the Arch in the Blue Hole. Recommendations include the presence of an additional deep support diver as well as the availability of medically qualified personnel onshore, which could possibly have averted the tragic outcome of the dive.
Hopefully the report will help improve safety and lessons will be learned from this tragic event.
To read the full report, visit the AIDA website.
(Photo credit: Daan Verhoeven)
