Finding into death of Earl Allen Blessing Jr
Deceased
Earl Allen Blessing Jr.
Demographics
56y, male
Date of death
2024-02-03
Finding date
2026-07-01
Cause of death
Drowning in the setting of scuba diving
AI-generated summary
Earl Allen Blessing Jr., 56, died while scuba diving alone in Port Phillip Bay near Rye Pier on 3 February 2024. The coroner found he drowned after running out of air during his dive, having either entered the water with insufficient tank pressure or experienced a significant gas leak he failed to detect. Mr Blessing did not adequately monitor his tank pressure levels, relying instead on a pressure gauge that read slightly higher than actual values. He descended to approximately 3 metres where he became incapacitated and couldn't inflate his buoyancy control device to return to the surface. The coroner noted that diving with a buddy system—a fundamental safety principle—would likely have prevented this tragedy, as a buddy could have detected equipment problems and assisted in an emergency. The death resulted from procedural and equipment-related errors in dive preparation and monitoring.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Inadequate monitoring of tank pressure levels
- Either entered water with insufficient tank pressure or significant gas leak occurred during dive
- Pressure gauge read slightly higher than actual pressure (3-5 bar discrepancy)
- Extensive equipment load causing negative buoyancy
- Rebreather unit lacked quick-release weights
- Oxygen sensors not calibrated on day of dive (last calibrated 10 days prior)
- Diving alone without buddy system
- Unable to inflate buoyancy control device to maintain surface position
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