Inquiry into Attorney Jim Robie of Robie & Matthai Cause of Death -- Part 2: The Five Stages of Drowning; Speedster239

Amid conflicting reports, suspicious circumstances, and vexing questions, The Leslie Brodie Report has launched an inquiry into the untimely death of James Raymond Robie.

Robie, 61, a named partner at the Los Angeles based law firm of Robie & Matthai, died earlier this year during a SCUBA certification dive off the shore of Santa Catalina Island.

According to Fox News (See http://tinyurl.com/foxnewsrobie ): "The instructor reported ascending with Robie at about 3 p.m. Sunday in the Arrow Point area, when his body went limp. Dive boat personnel administered CPR for about 20 minutes until paramedics arrived to transport Robie to the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. There, the attending physician pronounced him dead at about 4:40 p.m. An autopsy has not been performed."

Journalist Reza Gostar reported: "Bay Watch Isthmus paramedics responded to a call of a diver in full cardiac arrest at the area of Arrow Point near the west end of Catalina about 3 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. The diving teacher stated he was rising out of the water with Robie when he felt his body go limp. He immediately tried to revive Robie while swimming to the dive boat secured nearby, Attempts to resuscitate Robie by the dive boat staff failed, according to the Sheriff's Department statement. Close to 20 minutes passed before Robie was transported to the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber."

THE FIVE STAGES OF DROWNING: ( Credit:  http://www.poseidon-tech.com/us/patho.html )
Typically, there are five stages to drowning:

1. Surprise -- In this stage, the victim recognizes danger and becomes afraid.

2. Involuntary Breath Holding -- This occurs because water has entered the mouth and causes the epiglottis to close over the airway. Though a victim may continue to struggle, he/she will not usually make any sounds as he/she cannot breathe. Without oxygen, the victim will lose consciousness.

3. Unconsciousness --Because the victim has been without oxygen, the body shuts itself down as unconsciousness results. In this stage, the victim will be motionless.

4. Hypoxic Convulsions -- Due to the lack of oxygen in the brain, the victim may look as if he/she is having a convulsion, which is why this stage is called the hypoxic convulsion stage. The victim's skin turns blue, especially in the lips and fingernail beds, and the body may appear rigid.

5. Clinical Death -- The final stage in the drowning process is death. Clinical death occurs when both breathing and circulation stop. The victim is in cardiac arrest. The heart stops pumping blood. The vital organs are no longer receiving oxygen rich blood. The lack of oxygen causes the skin to turn blue.

SPEEDSTER 239
Source of below post: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/366892-catalina-island-diver-sunday-jan-16th.html#post5685710

Hello, this is my first post on this forum. To get started, I don't SCUBA dive, I free dive, but I knew this would be the place to come to gather information.

I was sailing about five miles from the Angel's Gate (Port of Los Angeles) when I heard on Channel 16 a distress call from a 65 foot commercial dive boat The Sand Dollar which was operating near Two Harbors, Catalina. The coast guard was communicating directly with the captain or some commander on the boat and this is what I gathered.

There was 35 people aboard and a man 60 years old named Robbie had surfaced and was unconscious, not breathing and when asked to describe his skin color the man on the radio said "blue". This was all after he had been out for two minutes. There was an EMT on board since it was a dive boat with customers, I assume, and he was administering CPR.

The coast guard radio op asked about the details of the dive. He said the man had taken part in three, thirty minute dives at thirty feet deep with fourty-five minutes of rest in between each dive. After this initial information was gathered the conversation dropped off channel 16 and I heard nothing else.

I can't find any information online about what happened except a Twitter post saying that somebody died on Catalina in a dive incident, and it hasn't been in the news yet. That's why I've come here, because I literally listened as the events unfolded and of course I'd like to have a little follow up. If anyone has any information, lets make it public.

Assuming the man has died, we can only hope he died happy and that life was good to him. Condolences to his family and friends as well. I'm sorry, and this should serve as a reminder to stay safe.

Thanks,
Vaughan