South Carolina diver missing in Georgia

[NOVIZWHIZ]

Vito Bertucci has been mentioned on this board several times. He was diving for shark teeth just below Savannah in the Ogeechee River when he failed to surface at approx 4 PM on Sunday. We spent today (Monday) working with Coast Guard, law enforcement dive teams and local search and rescue agencies with no luck.

Vito was featured on several National Geographic specials, was a master jeweler and operated a small museum and gift shop in Beaufort, SC. I've known him for 25 years.

I posted this link once before - Vito and me.

http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_news/story/3135352p-2836822c.html

 

[Squalus]

Vito Bertucci has been mentioned on this board several times. He was diving for shark teeth just below Savannah in the Ogeechee River when he failed to surface at approx 4 PM on Sunday. We spent today (Monday) working with Coast Guard, law enforcement dive teams and local search and rescue agencies with no luck.

Vito was featured on several National Geographic specials, was a master jeweler and operated a small museum and gift shop in Beaufort, SC. I've known him for 25 years.

I posted this link once before - Vito and me.

http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_news/story/3135352p-2836822c.html

My condolences.
Was he diving alone or, did he have a buddy with him?

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

My condolences.
Was he diving alone or, did he have a buddy with him?

Yes to both questions...- fossil diving is NO viz (water is literally like chocolate milk, not tannic like tea), high current - depth approx 25 to 30 ft. If you're asking did he have a partner within several feet of him in case something went wrong..no. Was another guy diving with him...yes. It's the nature of the beast with that kind of diving. With very strong currents you cannot see your partner, no way to maintain contact...you also need to be heavily weighted..he was wearing a cave-light with about a 40 lb battery pack and diving a steel 100.

 

[wscdive]

I've dove the Cooper river, understand the conditions. It is definitely solo diving.My condolences. Any hope he surfaced away from the site and ended up in a hospital or onshore somewhere? (I don't know the area down that way)

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

I've dove the Cooper river, understand the conditions. It is definitely solo diving.My condolences. Any hope he surfaced away from the site and ended up in a hospital or onshore somewhere? (I don't know the area down that way)

No offense my friend...but there is no comparison to the Cooper, there's so much crap in this water, you about need a shovel...VERY bad viz...I dunno why he even carried a light....I crewed on a boat all day yesterday and believe me I was constantly scanning the marsh. The tide was outbound and if he'd surfaced he would have ended up in the ICW. With all the snowbirds heading down, somebody would have seen him.

 

[Steve Thacker]

Sorry to here about Vito - he was a friend of mine and we always dove together when he was in Venice, Florida. He spent many hours hanging around at my dive shop. He also built my megalodon jaw that is on display in the store. He will be missed! Condolences go to his family and loved ones.

 

[scubapolly]

No offense my friend...but there is no comparison to the Cooper, there's so much crap in this water, you about need a shovel...VERY bad viz...I dunno why he even carried a light.....

Sorry to hear about the loss of another diver. I have dove the Cooper a couple of times, can't imagine dealing with worse vis. I have to ask is the tooth stash on this river that much better than that of the Cooper to be worth diving such dramatically worse conditions?

 

[Rick Murchison]

This truly sucks big time.
Any more word?
Are there snags & such in this river?
In the Alabama we always worry about a waterlogged tree coming down with the current and nailing someone.
Sure hope he shows up alive.
Rick

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

On the answer to the tooth stash -Cooper -most local divers look at the Cooper as "dove out". Was it worth the risk..well, except for the viz, current was about the same as Coop....so no real risk to an experienced diver like Vito. Apparently no snags, we put a number of divers in the water there today, pretty much smooth, gravelly bottom, few rifts, some crevices...just really bad viz...what I mean to say is actually NO viz. Hope I'm not uspsetting anyone reading this -details - just that I knew Vito was known by a lot of people around the world, people like Rodney Fox...just wanted to get the word out..the more prayers the better.

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

Vito's body was recovered this morning (Thursday) in approx 30 ft of water after having been missing since Sunday afternoon. I have been told that he was partially out of his weight harness, one of two snaps were released...of course there were probably a number of other variables, but I keep thinking - if he'd gotten the other free he might have survived....that's why I have always been a proponent of weight belts...one flick and you're loose and on the way up. I might be dead when I get to the surface...but at least I'll be on the surface.