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The Deepest Man on Earth

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
damn... 14:35 : Herbert felt unwell whilst ascending. On the surface he was conscious and communicating, and requested oxygen, following his standard decompression protocol. He went back to a depth of 6-9m with pure oxygen for approx. 10-15mins. Upon resurfacing he still felt physically weaker than expected. The emergency chain was set in motion and Herbert was taken to the airport of Santorini from where he has now been flown to the naval hyperbaric chamber in Athens. An update on Herbert’s health and wellbeing is expected within 2-4hrs, and all further information will be made available as soon as possible.
 
Damn indeed! Anyone have any inside info on Herberts wellbeing?

- J
 
:-(((( really hope Herbert is ok too - from previous posts it sounds like they had a well-rehearsed plan for this possibility which is obviously very important
 
Last update (translated by google):

Apnea divers located the day after his world record dive to 244 meters in a state of relaxation - denies reports of cardiac arrest

Very good news of Herbert Nitsch: Austrian freediver is actually the day after his world record dive to 244 meters geschafften in an Athens hospital and beyond death. From his team had to learn that newspaper reports of a cardiac arrest are not correct at all, instead it is going well with him and he finds himself in a state of relaxation.

After he was brought after his dive as a security measure in a decompression chamber of the hospital, he was again on Thursday for three hours in the pressure chamber. Could bring a pure standard procedure to request such derStandard.at in experience. Nitsch is to be in good hands, his father was with him. The hospital in Athens will also have one of the best pressure equalization chambers, which is also used by the Greek Navy. (Red, derStandard.at, 07/06/2012)
 
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Good news: NEWS FROM ATHENS: "THINGS DON'T LOOK BAD" | www.diveandphoto.net | phil simha

It certainly was a grave incident but it seems that Herbert is recovering. Let's hope it continuous like this.

At this point I also want to mention that at least one Austrian newspaper (Krone, a tabloid with a huge readership in Austria) falsely reported a heart attack. It is a shame that such low quality journalism gets so much attention from its readership.
 
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Found an article on said Krone newspaper, with a couple of pictures also:
Rekordversuch im Freitauchen endet dramatisch - Mann in Lebensgefahr - Österreich - krone.at

One or two errors, but no mention of cardiac arrest, perhaps removed.


Google translation + a little editing (not that I'm fluent in German):

Head:
Freediving record attempt ends dramatically

Bi:
Months of planning, six weeks of intensive training - and after 4:30 minutes to 244 meters depth [800ft], a new world record. But off the coast of the picturesque Greek paradise island of Santorini, was the scene of a drama Wednesday afternoon for the Viennese extreme-diver Herbert Nitsch in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea.

Main:
The "crown" was nearly there in the daring venture, but the world record attempt took a dramatic turn: As planned, the 42 year old re-appeared after exactly 4'23" minutes. He was immediately supplied with oxygen and then placed under the surface, where his lungs - after having been squashed by the immense pressure to the size of an orange - should unfold again. (Others) anxiously wait on the surface.

After a good 20 minutes the extreme athlete appeared again. But he struggled to breathe, and instinctively grabbed his throat. Within seconds, Nitsch was hoisted onto a motor boat and taken ashore, but was still conscious.

(Bi) Father watches at the bedside

"He's fine," was the first announcement from his crew, as "purely a safety measure" the diver was flown to a decompression chamber in Athens. A little later, this was stated from the hospital: "The patient was intubated, his condition is critical." Father Gerhard monitored him at the bedside.

That the ambitious project was successful for Nitsch moves to the background. He was still wearing the measuring device on the wrist as he was flown to the Greek capital - the depth gauge stood at 800 feet [244m].

The project "Extreme 800" was planned to the smallest detail. Only to be knocked down at the last moment. Strong westerly winds and turbulent waters had forced Nitsch to change location. The new scene of world-record attempt was in the Bay of Thirassia, a small volcanic island near Santorini. At 2 p.m. Viennese time he got into the water, 30 minutes later he re-emerged. The accompanying boats reigned in tense silence. At emergence, there was applause at first, then tragedy took its course ...


(Bi) Dive physicians were skeptical

Even in advance the doctors took to their heads on the proposed project: "Just don't," warned many doctors the 42 year old, the risk was too great. Diving expert Dr. Roswitha Prohaska: "Medicine does not know what happens at these depths, there are already too many accidents happening, too many questions unanswered."


(Bi) Facts and Records

Freediving, also known as breath hold diving, is considered the earliest form of diving. In contrast to scuba diving only one deep breath is taken. This type of breath holding is referred to as "apnea". Already in the stone age this was pursued. In recent decades, free diving has become an extreme sport. Various competitions around the globe set the world's best against each other.

The royal discipline is "No Limits": The athlete is attached on a sled or lift and is pulled into the depths. The world record currently stands at 217 meters [error: 214]. In "Free Immersion" is not allowed any use of diving fins or other aids. For propulsion, he pulls on a rope into the deep and back up. Record: 120 meters.

In "Constant Weight with Fins" the diver plunges without technical tools, but with fins. The record here is at 124 meters, set in 2009 in the Bahamas. Another important discipline is called "Variable Weight". The athlete is pulled into the depths, but must get back to the surface again on their own accord. The world record here is 142 meters.

Oliver Papacek and Christian Pichler, Kronen Zeitung/edit.
 
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I wish Herbert a quick and safe recovery.

It almost sounds like his trachea collapsed and did not re-expand properly.

After I did a 100% exhale dive to -31m, I struggled at the surface to breathe, I could not inhale, and I had to 'pack' air down from my mouth to lungs to cause my trachea to re-open. In Herbert's case it seems even more severe.
 
First of all: Best wishes for Recovery for Herbert!

Secondly: Thats what can happen at these depths, he probably knew better than all of us what he was facing.

Well life is worth taking risks...

Really looking forward to his own explanations.
 
Absolutely. Intubation isn't done unless there's an airway maintenance issue.

I'm sure even if he can't speak right now (tube down his throat), that he's looking at that Zen computer with "800" on it and at peace with the depth.... For now.
 
Chris yes indeed they removed the part about the heart attack. I read it yesterday morning and there it was still there. I don't even believe the intubated part unless I read it on either a blog or a more credible newspaper. The "Krone" newspaper is only good for starting a fire or wiping you a$$.
 
Yeah, there is the bi-title "Mann in Lebensgefahr", "Man in Mortal Danger".
Sounds like Kronen is an Austrian version of The Sun.

Eric, I'm a little puzzled, what would cause the trachea to collapse, if that was the case? Are there controlling nerves around the pipe, that could get paralyzed by pressure or DCS symptoms (I'm just blurting here, don't know what I'm talking about)?
 
Yeah, there is the bi-title "Mann in Lebensgefahr", "Man in Mortal Danger".
Sounds like Kronen is an Austrian version of The Sun.

Just to sum it up, yes the "Kronen Zeitung" is like The Sun. But, The Sun reaches ~10% of the English population whereas the Kronen Zeitung reaches ~47 % of the Austrian one. This is actually the largest percentage in the world. Because of this the paper has an enormous influence on Austrian politics. And finally, the Kronen Zeitung belongs to Mediaprint which is a conglomerate of nearly all important papers in Austria. So one company writes all the news. I'll stop here, find more on wikipedia if you are interested.

Now back to the original topic of this thread, I derailed it enough.
 
Hello. I'm a very novice free-diver but I was still very interested in the record attempt. In the Stern.tv programme, the former doctor of Herbert left the impression on me (German is my first language) that Herbert suffered from a lung collapse and problems with re-expansion. This was despite his saying that he is not allowed to give any details on the condition of Herbert, but would instead only talk about potential accidents that can happen on such a dive in general. So I am of the same opinion as Eric. The doctor was interrupted by the tv host just when he was mentioning this problem as a general potential problem at these depths, and you could see that the doctor insisted and wanted to return to this subject and finish his sentence after the interruption by the host. But the latest official info is that it was from Narkosis, so this might just be wrong.
 
Agreed. Definately Deepest. But not according to Aida protocols. But is he alright ?? It has been ages.
 
He was deepest before anyway. No matter what, there's no way that Herbert would consider this to be a successful dive.

It was a very serious accident and what occurred won't be public for a while, but it will be some time before he is okay again, I think. Let's just leave him be and wish him a good recovery.
 
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