Missing diver search - Hollywood Beach, Florida

[DandyDon]

Rescue workers search for missing diver off Hollywood Beach

Authorities are searching for a diver who was reported missing in waters off Hollywood.

www.local10.com

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Authorities are searching for a diver who was reported missing in waters off Hollywood Beach.

The diver has been identified as 36-year-old Vitali Kremez, who was last seen wearing a black wetsuit and scuba tank.

Police said Kremez went in the water around 9 a.m. and did not return.

Helicopters were seen hovering over the beach near South Ocean Drive.

The search remains ongoing.

 

[Johnoly]

Haven't heard anything,,,but 99% of that area's beach divers pull a flag. The news story doesn't mention if they recovered his flag which is a key piece of information. Very minimal currents yesterday close inshore..

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Haven't heard anything,,,but 99% of that area's beach divers pull a flag. The news story doesn't mention if they recovered his flag which is a key piece of information. Very minimal currents yesterday close inshore..

I'm hoping there is a simple explanation, and that the diver is ok.

 

[teksimple]

Haven't heard anything,,,but 99% of that area's beach divers pull a flag. The news story doesn't mention if they recovered his flag which is a key piece of information. Very minimal currents yesterday close inshore..

Do you think 99% of solo divers in that area bother with a dive flag? I don't know if he was diving solo, but when I dive solo, I prefer not to be bothered with a dive flag. (Caveat: there are a lot fewer boats where I typically shore dive).

 

[Johnoly]

Do you think 99% of solo divers in that area bother with a dive flag? I don't know if he was diving solo, but when I dive solo, I prefer not to be bothered with a dive flag. (Caveat: there are a lot fewer boats where I typically shore dive).

Almost all those shore divers carry a flag because of LOTS of boat traffic and law enforcement. Even the beach lifeguards will radio police for enforcement. There's LOTS of beach people there at 9am on a weekend day. Most divers also put their name / phone# on their flag. Even if the flag line was cut by a boat prop{speculation} some other boater would most likely check an abandoned flag and call the CG with the name & location since it's being broadcast on the VHF. If the flag has not been found, then there a whole bunch more possibilities. {more speculation}. We just never want to see a lost diver.

 

[Searcaigh]

@Scuba_Jenny

This is your patch, any idea what's happened?

 

[teksimple]

Thanks for that background @Johnoly. Someone I know did confirm that Vitali was diving solo. Really disheartening.

 

[MrChen]

Almost all those shore divers carry a flag because of LOTS of boat traffic and law enforcement. Even the beach lifeguards will radio police for enforcement. There's LOTS of beach people there at 9am on a weekend day. Most divers also put their name / phone# on their flag. Even if the flag line was cut by a boat prop{speculation} some other boater would most likely check an abandoned flag and call the CG with the name & location since it's being broadcast on the VHF. If the flag has not been found, then there a whole bunch more possibilities. {more speculation}. We just never want to see a lost diver.

I'm going to do this, great idea

 

[Pedro Burrito]

Many years ago, I used to dive between Hallandale and Dania. The lifeguards would stop me if I didn't have a flag. The boaters, however, tended to treat the dive flag as a target and steer towards it. I tended to anchor it somewhere, do the dive, pick up the flag and return to the beach.

Again, that was many years ago, before the sand reclamations when there was a healthy reef system there.

 

[sandiegoaes]

I was walking on the beach this morning. Saw the police roping off the area and the diver was visible, face down in the sand.