The death of a British snorkeller in Dahab, Egypt in February this year has been attributed to Immersion Pulmonary Oedema (IPO), according to a Coroner’s inquest into the 72-year old’s death
Les Finch and his wife, Martha, had flown to Sharm El Sheikh with a friend and, after spending three days in the resort, travelled the 80km north to Dahab. They were snorkelling at the Three Pools dive site, located approximately 12km south of central Dahab when the tragedy occurred.
Described as an ‘experienced snorkeller’, Mr Finch was found face down in the water and not breathing after becoming separated from his wife. Despite being surrounded by other tourists, no alarm was raised as his mask and snorkel were still in place, causing him to appear as if he was still snorkelling. Attempts were made to resuscitate him but he was declared dead at the scene of the incident.
The inquest into Mr Finch’s death heard that he had cut short a snorkelling session the previous day after suffering from a coughing fit, which he has put down to a recent cold. Speaking to the inquest, Home Office pathologist, Dr Brian Rodgers, said that the coughing fit was likely a sign of IPO.
Immersion Pulmonary Oedema (IPO; IPE for the US spelling of ‘Edema’) is a condition brought on by high blood pressure, which causes the lungs to spontaneously fill with fluid when a person is immersed in water – especially cold water – and is exacerbated by excessive hydration and overexertion prior to entering the water. It can occur in people of all ages, is not related to personal fitness (it is a known cause of death among triathletes), and is eight times more likely to occur in women than men.
In recent years, IPO has been retrospectively considered to be one of the leading causes of fatalities among scuba divers; deaths which have previously been attributed to drowning, as falling unconscious underwater causes the lungs to fill with water.
Signs and symptoms of IPO include breathing difficulties, confusion and disorientation, and uncontrollable coughing. Scuba divers experiencing IPO may believe they are facing an out-of-air situation when they have a plentiful supply.
A post-mortem of Mr Finch’s body found that he had heart disease – although this does not contribute directly to IPO – and high cholesterol levels, in addition to his hypertension. Dr Rogers said that in the moments before his death, Mr Finch would not have suffered and would have lost consciousness ‘very rapidly’.
Mr Finch’s wife, Martha, described him as a ‘doting granddad who was laid back and loved life’, adding, ‘he died doing something that he loved and it’s a comfort to know he wouldn’t have known anything about it.’
