A diver who was rescued in a major multi-agency operation off the coast of Bembridge last month has spoken to Island Echo of her gratitude to those who saved her – and her determination to dive again.
It was on 2nd May that 54-year-old Carmen Venn from Shanklin was rescued after a diving accident off Bembridge Ledge.
Resources from HM Coastguard, Bembridge RNLI, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Isle of Wight Ambulance Service and St John’s Ambulance worked to save the mother-of-one’s life.
On the day in question, a group of divers from the Wight Dolphins Diving Club were completing a SCUBA dive off the coast of the East Wight.
Carmen – and 3 other divers from the group – were on their way back from Bembridge Ledge when water began seeping in and filling up Carmen’s mask.
As the water level continued to rise, Carmen began to panic and started to choke when she resurfaced. Her fellow diver, Richard, was able to signal for help before he began to pull her towards the shore.
“I remember coming to the surface and thinking that the shore seemed so far away, I don’t remember too much.”
Article continues below this advertisement
The nearby Bembridge RNLI D-class boat had been launched and rushed to haul Carmen on board before returning to the station – where specialist medics were waiting.
Watching the whole thing was Carmen’s partner, John. He’s said:
“I took me a moment to realise what was going on but when I saw Richard doing the distress signals I knew something was up. I thought she was dead.”
Having been tended to inside Bembridge Lifeboat Station, Carmen was rushed away in an ambulance to the Bembridge Airport, where the Coastguard rescue Helicopter was waiting to transfer her to the mainland.
Carmen was then flown directly from Bembridge to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, where she was passed into the care of the Hyperbaric Medicine Unit (HMU). She spent a total of 8 days on the mainland before being able to come home to the Island.
Amazingly, just 2 days after she was discharged from hospital, Carmen and John were already off to get her fitted for a brand-new wetsuit. Carmen has said:
I’m already planning to get back in the water as soon as I can. Of course I’m nervous, but I’ve not been diving long so I really want to get back to it.”
Whilst exactly what happened remains unclear, Carmen is awaiting tests that may help her, and her family, understand just what happened.
Thanking everyone who helped save her life, Carmen has said:
“I’d like to give special thanks to my diving partner Richard because without him I would never have made it out of the water. A massive thanks has to go to all the emergency service personnel who tended to me, without them I wouldn’t be here talking to you today.
“Finally I need to thank the staff at St Richard’s Hospital who looked after me when I was recovering.”
Carmen is hoping to be back in the water at Bembridge as soon as possible.
Some people think they are cats and have 9 lives.
And some people are so terrified on the thought of any risks they never go anywhere, do anything and leave this world as they lived it, sat on a chair in front of a screen, waiting for absolutely nothing. Sad, isn’t it?
Enough about yourself, some of us
have better things to do.
You need to get out more, try rambling it
is great for reducing ones stress levels.
There are plenty of gorgeous walks away from
traffic etc.
You’re a real sad bast*ard aren’t you moan about this moan about that, go
and build your wooden box , everyone has had enough of your ridiculous comments, you have not got the foggiest idea about anything.
There’s more to this than ‘water leaking into her mask’…What depth was she diving at? How fast did she surface? Water in your mask is usually simple to clear… and done regularly if your mask starts to ‘fog’ by deliberately letting water into your mask and expelling it…
Correct and spot on, so something else has happened.