Close friends of Scott Tucker are still expressing shock over his death. Scott, the son of oil and gas mogul Chris Tucker, of Tucker Energy Services Ltd, died from a suspected case of the bends after diving. Scott, 28, of Westmoorings, was diving in deep waters at Speyside in Tobago on Sunday when he complained of feeling unwell after surfacing. In a brief interview yesterday, a friend of the family said Scott was a "good diver and could not understand how the incident occurred." He said the funeral service would be held either tomorrow or Friday.
Another friend said Scott's family was trying to come to terms with his passing. The Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) said on Monday that a statement would have been issued, concerning the closure of the Hyperbaric Facility at Roxborough. Up to late yesterday, however, the authority had not issued any statement. The bends, also called decompression sickness, occurs after a rapid decrease in pressure, normally caused by an uncontrolled or emergency ascent while diving.
During deep or long dives, inert gases become absorbed into the body's tissues at higher than normal concentrations. As the diver ascends to the surface, these gases leave the solution and form "micro-bubbles" in the bloodstream which can be exhaled safely through the lungs if the ascent is slow enough.
If the ascent is uncontrolled or too fast these micro-bubbles can occur within tissues and organs and can be fatal.