A ScubaBoard Staff Message...
This post has been merged with an existing thread on the topic. Marg, SB Senior Moderator
Victims:
- Havis : Indonesian instructor with over 15 years experience diving in Gili
- Julie : French diver Advanced and CMAS** with nearly 100 dives
Dive site : Halik - Lombok - - Indonesia Northern Gili Trawangan Island
Problem: Both divers are caught in a very unusual and powerful undercurrent and after a quick decision of the instructor to resurface (11 minutes immersion) it is already too late and the two divers began a long drift that will end in Bali (about 80km as the crow flies) .
Sequence of events:
Havis and Julie went for a dive on the site Halik. Immersion was done at 11am for a planned return to 11:45 max noon.
The crew on the boat waiting for the divers return to the surface until 12:15 (15 minutes after maximum expected return) before starting the research procedures.
The boat Scuba Froggy supported by the boat Buddha Dive went in search of the missing divers towards the sea in the direction of currents.
At 12:30 after no sign of life divers alert is sent to all boats on site (6 that day), the majority of diving clubs on the three Gili and a Search and Rescue service in the islands. A total of 6 different diving clubs boats (Blue Marlin, Dream Divers, dive 3W, Lombok Dive, Dolphin Dive, Buddha Dive) and two small fast boat begin a coordinated research on a larger scale. Other structures not mentioned are certainly involved in this research without identifying themselves and we thank them.
At 14h and after having found nothing Scuba Froggy orders a helicopter to come and search the area to a large radius. The helicopter arrived from Bali to Gili Trawangan at 15h. From 15h to 17h helicopter of a private company surveyed the sky towards the south west to 30km wide and changed course to the north east more than 40km from the coast in vain (south west and north east being major currents off the Gili islands).
18h end of the day search supported by vessels of other companies as well as private.
20h launching a night boat search from Lombok SAR (Search And Rescue Lombok ) team to patrol the entire area south of Lombok and this throughout the night .
In the meantime 12:30 - 20h all fishermen Bali and Lombok are alerted of the disappearance of two divers, all Fast Boat companies making the link between Bali and Lombok are cautioned that forward half - speed and look for these divers at that time all the areas in South , South West, North and North East are covered area of South Bali and all three Gili islands (Trawangan, Meno and Air) by an armada of fishing boat, fast boat, private and commercial structures.
At nightfall Scuba Froggy in coordination with the SAR team , the general of the Air Force and the General of Navy Lombok, managers of some diving structures of Lombok as well as members of the instructor family the research for the coming day are organized with a helicopter flight over the north , an ultralight plane from the Air Force in flight over the southern area with two pilots can fly all day , the same armada of boat, a small fast boat off Gili Trawangan northbound , a dive boat heading north along the coast , a small fast boat and a dive boat heading south the first remote coasts and the second nearby coasts and finally three boats from three different dive center in Bali present on the southern part of the island .
8am a call is received informing that the divers disappeared the day before were found by a Balinese fisherman and they are safe, tired but in good mental and physical health.
Repatriation of Lombok was made ​​by a fast boat at 14h and their arrival was acclaimed by a crowd of rescue workers and family members.
In total they will drift more than 20 hours and a team of more than a hundred people were mobilized to find them.
Our greatest satisfaction is that after all the efforts made ​​and resources put into works quickly and coordinated we allowed these people to find their family.
No wrong with the instructor who made ​​the right decisions at the right time on a site that he knew perfectly.
No wrong with the ship's crew which wasn’t suspecting any strong undercurrent of a well-known and regularly dived site.
We want in the name of Scuba Froggy to thank all those who have mobilized and responded present to the rescue ( Blue Marlin , Dream Divers , Dolphin Dive School, Dive Buddha , Lombok Dive, Dive 3W , the SAR team , general the air Force and navy Lombok, Bali air , all fishermen present companies fast boat connection between Bali and Lombok , private as Kus , Erwin , Onk , and many others even as the list goes on) and helped by their moral and material support to find and save the lives of these two divers .
Also thank you to all the Scuba Froggy team for his full involvement.
