The fast reactions of divemasters Davide Casanova and Evya Gilo recently saved the life of diver Don Sutton.
Mr. Sutton, 67, of Denver, Colorado, is a regular visitor to the Cayman Islands and an experienced diver.
On Thursday, 10 November, Mr. Sutton was on what he described as “nice, easy, relaxing dive” with Divers Down, when something unexpected occurred.
“I was at about 90 feet on Eagle Ray Rock and for no apparent reason I started to hyperventilate. I knew I had to get to the surface, my body was telling me something was wrong. When I got to the surface I passed out and then I literally drowned,” he said.
Mr. Gilo, who was the boat captain that day, was the first to reach him.
“The young man on the boat dove off, dragged me back to the boat and gave me life breaths on the way back,” Mr. Sutton said. “I was unconscious at this point, so I don’t know what was going on but evidently Davide, who was leading the dive, saw that something was amiss and he came up and helped me onto the boat. They did CPR on the boat and called 911, then they got the other divers to the surface and raced back to the dock where the ambulance was waiting.”
Mr. Sutton spent 24 hours in the critical care unit before being released. Tests have so far failed to reveal what might have caused the incident. Although doctors initially assumed Mr. Sutton had a heart attack underwater, the test results do not support this, Mr. Sutton said.
He has been a certified diver for 27 years and is aware he would not be alive to tell this story had it not been for the divemasters who rescued him.
“The point is those young men were awesome,” he said. “They did everything absolutely perfectly and they obviously saved my life.”
Mr. Sutton and his wife returned to Colorado on Monday, November 21, but will return to the Cayman Islands. Mr. Sutton has not yet decided whether he will be diving again, but was very keen to express his gratitude to Mr. Casanova and Mr. Gilo. Mr. Sutton commended the men on their quick thinking and faultless reactions.
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