Missing diver Folly Beach SC

[Easdem]

Friend just told me that one of her friends husband and son went diving off Folly beach SC and the son is missing...anyone heard about this?

 

[Steve_C]

The U.S. Coast Guard says it has dispatched a boat and helicopter to an area 13 miles southeast of Folly Beach to search for an 18-year-old who was diving with his father Saturday and didn't resurface. The Coast Guard says the pair started diving from their 22-foot Carolina skiff between 2 and 2:15 p.m. for a 30-minute dive to a maximum depth of 60 feet. The father surfaced when planned, but the son did not, according to the Coast Guard.
A 45-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Charleston and a helicopter from Coast Guard Air Facility Charleston are actively searching the scene.
Good Samaritans who were diving nearby also are helping with the search, says the Coast Guard.


The missing diver's name has not been released.



Does not say how they got separated.

 

[RickyF]

Sounds like they were diving the 4KI reef. It is a popular place for spear fishing and the viz is normally very poor. Easy to get separated from your buddy when spear fishing. I lived there most if my life.

 

[g1138]

One of the divers on my team heard from a friend who works at the dive shop where the father-son rented tanks.

I believe they were diving near the Charleston 60' Barge. Father surfaced, son did not. It was our understanding that both were spearfishing (not 100% sure on that).
Son was a fairly new diver.
Boat pulled anchor to run a search (I assume for bubbles). Did not take an initial GPS coordinate from their anchor spot. They lost their original position during the search.
Boat from another dive shop either was nearby or arrived in response after the fact. Their divers ran a search, along with the Coast Guard. But without that original position it's tricky.

My timeline of events may be a little off.

 

[Divewolf]

Teen disappears while diving off Folly Beach - WBTW-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Florence, SC

 

[g1138]

Teen diver missing off Folly Beach, Coast Guard says - Post and Courier

This article states they were diving off their own private boat.
Basically same thing Steve_C stated above.

An 18-year-old diver was reported missing off Folly Beach Saturday.

The teen was diving with his father about 13 miles southeast of Folly Beach, according to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard did not release names.
The pair started diving from their 22-foot Carolina skiff between 2 and 2:15 p.m. for a 30-minute dive to a maximum depth of 60 feet. Ron Plante, search and rescue controller for the U.S. Coast Guard, said Sunday that the son surfaced but went back beneath the water and wasn't seen again.

The Coast Guard sent a 45-foot response boat and a helicopter. Some people who were diving nearby also helped search for the teen.

There was no word by the end of the day that the diver had been found.

Follow up Article of the search published Today:
States there were 4 aboard the boat, including the father-son dive team.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140713/PC16/140719703

The U.S. Coast Guard says it has been searching non-stop for an 18-year-old who vanished Saturday afternoon while scuba diving about 13 miles southeast of Charleston.

Ron Plante, search and rescue controller for the U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston, said a father and son were among four people on board a 22-foot Carolina skiff between 2 and 2:15 p.m.

The father and son dove to a maximum depth of 60 feet and both surfaced, Plante said. The son was attempting to remove his weight belt when he went underwater and was not seen again.

The Coast Guard dispatched the Cutter Tarpin and a helicopter to the area within 30 minutes of receiving a call. They've since added a helicopter from Florida and expect to have a fixed-wing aircraft join the search as the drifts and currents cause the search area to become wider.

Plante said he does not know if a tether line was being used.
Several local boaters in the area aided with the search, Plante said.
The Coast Guard has declined to release the teenager's name.
Check back as more details become available.

 

[ShootnStr8]

What do you think happened during this terrible tragedy that occurred on Saturday, July 12, 2014?

Praying for the Allen family.

Peace,

ShootnStr8

JAMES ISLAND, SC (WCSC) - The Coast Guard expanded its search for a missing diver on Monday to include a bigger area, off the coast of Folly Beach. They're searching a larger area, by water and air, because of changes in the currents and the wind.


The young man, identified by family friends as Tristen Allen, was last seen by his father while the pair went diving in the water Saturday afternoon.
Tristen Allen just graduated from James Island Charter High School - with a bright future ahead.


"We went diving yesterday because it was our last day together before he goes to the Citadel," said Sam Allen, Tristen's father.
Sunday, Sam Allen spoke to his son's friends who gathered at one of Tristen's favorite places to prayer - his former high school football field.


A middle line backer on the field, number 41, there's no denying Tristen's love for life and the game.


"If you asked Tristen what the Trojan War was, he'd tell you it was James Island versus Berkeley right here," said Allen.

His father explained to the somber crowd what happened in the water Saturday afternoon. Allen said after their 30 minute dive went as planned, they re-surfaced together.


"We came off the bottom holding hands, we reached the surface," said Allen. "He was with me the whole time, he was never left alone."


Allen says then, without a sound, Tristen quickly went back under water. Allen said he appeared to be struggling to get his gear off and before his father could reach him, Tristen was nowhere to be seen. Allen says they dove for hours trying to find him.


While details of exactly what happened to Tristen in the water will remain cloudy, his father is reflected on better thoughts of his son.


"All of you are his family. I was always hard on Tristen about certain things - in particular about Tristen's failure to have a long term goal," said Allen to the crowd Sunday. "But, on the walk back from the beach a minute ago, I saw that he accomplished that goal. He managed to make all of y'all young men and women up there his brothers and sisters ...and that's what he wanted to do."


The Coast Guard says the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources may join the search.


Air stations from Clearwater, Florida and Savannah, Georgia assisted the search Sunday but did not resume Monday.
Copyright WCSC 2014.

 

[Divewolf]

http://m.live5news.com/#!/newsDetail/26016487

 

[Divewolf]

It's almost impossible to say without a lot more information about the diver's gear and configuration. I hope they release more information so we can learn from this tragedy.

 

[diversteve]

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