San Pedro tour guide loses life during dive expedition ![[Linked Image]](http://www.sanpedrosun.com/static/uploads/photos/cache/30-Andy-Carr_article_thumbnail.jpg)
This week, the San Pedro community lost a well known tour guide and island resident. 27 year old Andy Carr, a resident of the San Pedrito area lost his life while on a dive expedition in the Half Moon Caye range. The incident unfolded shortly after 12:00 midday on Monday August 3rd while with a group of divers. Carr was one of the crew members on board a boat belonging to Ramon's Village Dive Center.
According to co-worker and friend Gilberto Nuņez, Carr was scheduled to take a little boy for a snorkel outing. But when the child refused, Carr decided to join the group of tourist who were diving. Nuņez explained that sometime around 12:15 p.m., Carr joined the group and began snorkeling on the water surface on top of a reef wall some 30 feet in dept. Nuņez went on to explain that during the snorkeling, he (Nuņez) from a distance observed Carr taking some air from a secondary regulator from one of the divers and decided to take a look at the reef wall while free diving. Nuņez stated that while underwater, Carr also got air from other divers and remained submerged for about 5 minutes.
While submerged, tourists and other co-workers observed Carr flexing (playing in a teasing manner) to make the dive more exciting. Little did Carr know that it was the last time he would get to do what he likes most. When the two groups began to reunite and move closer to the inner reef, Carr began re-surfacing.
When Carr re-surfaced, he began coughing and grasping for air. Nuņez explained that right away he knew that something was wrong and began shouting at Carr. When Carr would not respond, Nuņez reached out for his co-worker and eventually pulled him onboard. While onboard, Carr was given oxygen and administered CPR. Nuņez stated that the process was repeated several times but all attempts to save Carr's life were futile. A very shaken and sad Nuņez stated that, "it was an innocent accident on his part which caused my friend his own life."
Carr was taken on board one of the Belize Coast Guard's vessel that was in the area to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) where he was pronounced dead on arrival. It is believed that Carr suffered from one of the worse types of embolism, severe air embolism. Air embolism can be caused when you refuse to exhale or release compressed air while resurfacing from a depth. Compressed air expands the lungs underwater and as a person re-surface from a profound depth, pressure also expands the lungs. When air is withheld in the lungs while re-surfacing at the same time, that action will cause air bubbles to enter the blood vessel causing an air embolism. However, a post mortem is scheduled for later this week which will determine the cause of death.
Andy Carr was also known as a DJ on the island. He will be missed by the staff at Ramon's Village Dive Center, his tour guides colleagues on the island, his friends and his entire family.
http://www.sanpedrosun.com/news/san-pedro-tour-guide-loses-life-during-dive-expedi/ 
AmbergrisCaye.com 
