The Best And Last Dive For A St. Peters Chiropractor

He loved to have fun you could not, not have fun around Rick, say longtime friend of Dr. Rick James and fellow chiropractor Dennis Baker, it was impossible not to have a good time.

The trip to Belize last week was to be one of those good times and one that 54-year-old master diver from St. Peters had looked forward to for a long time.

This was his dream dive, tells Baker who never could have dreamed it would be his last.


This was the deepest dive we had ever done, says his dive partner. Nothing down to 138 feet or on the way up suggested anything was wrong says Baker, until the two men reached the boat.

I looked over and he was having trouble with that one flipper, recalls Baker, next thing I knew splash he fell back in the water.

Baker and an E.R. doctor on board immediately started C.P.R.

She says hes your friend you have to call it, tells Dr. Baker, I said if you dont mind lets try two more minutes. That extra effort was not enough. The Coroners official report was bronchial aspiration due to drowning.

When you go scuba diving there is some risk because you really dont belong underwater, says St. Lukes doctor John A. Davidson, a specialist in hyperbaric and diving medicine. While he maintains scuba diving is usually safe, the unknown can kill, even drowning outside of the water.

Drowning is not always being held underwater and breathing until you fill up with water, says Dr. Davidson, its getting something into the lungs that doesnt belong there.

Ive dove the blue hole many, many times, says West End Diving Owner Doug Goergens. What he has heard of the story everything seemed safe and sure.

It didnt sound like they has pushed the limits at all sounded like they were well within safe diving limits, says the master diver, things rarely happen but they do happen because its an adventure sport.

The adventure is what attracted Rick James to scuba. Around the world, hundreds of times he had gone under and resurfaced but this was atop his list. For his family and friends there is at least comfort and peace that he got to check it off.

The blue hole was always his dream at least he got it in," says Dr. Baker, "he died happy doing what he loved.