Missing Diver incident

[Dive Source]

But I will be sure to bring my usual DSMB, mirror, EPIRB and DiveAlert with me. Not to mention my compass and a strong voicebox.

What no die marker, flares, cell phone or dive alert?

Just a comment and no offense intended but your strong voicebox comment is rather "interesting" advice...I'd Stick with a good fox40 whistle - it can be heard much much farther than your voice and can even make noise when your voice is shot.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Seadeuce, despite the way it is reported in the article, oil rig dives here are done live-boat. The boat would not have been anchored - it's a long way to the bottom... One enters the water from the boat and swims over to the rig structure.

Thanks Kelpermaid.

Yes, the pre-dive brief should have included advice to stick to the only large identifiable structure for miles around.

Sorry for the sarcasm, but where does commonsense enter the equation?

Surely the boat dropped the divers upcurrent from the rig?
If so, how could he have missed it? Big enough to take a bearing from in any case.

I don't mean to "hammer" this guy. but I feel I must point out the consequences of not being fully prepared for remote, offshore divesites in significant currents.

Being carried away was a wholly foreseeable situation.

Being left there was definitely not.


Seadeuce

Seadeuce if you get a chance to see the coverage on CNN you may get a glimpse of the victim. He is trim but in his 40s and possibly not a good swimmer. The current may have been too strong for him and he was wise to conserve his strength not to swim against it, although I myself would have, and maybe you too, but that is different.

He should not have been left behind, although that does happen, from time to time, all around the world. That is why it is always good to have a safety sausage, a mirror, a flashlite or strobe, a compass, a snorkel, a whistle or noisemaker, and a good supply of guts and optimism on any dive.

He definitely should not have been reported as having re-entered the water at the next dive site, when that was virtually impossible. That is the potentially lethal frosting on the cake that should have never happened. I doubt anyone would disagree.

Thank goodness for the Boy Scouts! Shouldn't we have them patrolling both coasts? Full time?!

 

[PhotoTJ]

California like any other major populous state is a very litigious society.

You cannot possibly be implying that there could be a place in the known universe as or MORE litigious than California?

Oh, and Merit Badges for everyone on that boat!

 

[kelpmermaid]

TJ - True, whatever else happened out there, the scouts saved the day and deserve those badges!

 

[plsander]

But there is a Heroism Award.

"The Heroism Award may be awarded to a youth member or adult leader who has demonstrated heroism and skill in saving or attempting to save life at minimum risk to self."

There are other levels of this award for similar acts with more "risk to self"...

More details are available at BSA's web site.

 

[scuba-sass]

Kudos to the obviously very busy Mod(s) that have to keep combining new threads to this original one.

(When will people learn to search before they post?) Sorry, off the soapbox now...

Happy & Safe Diving,
Scuba-sass

 

[sirensmyst]

I'd like to go back and address the original idea of initialing divers. As a DM here in SoCal....tho a good idea, it is not practical. It has been tossed around a lot. The boats I am on usually have 30+ divers....wet....and we are trying to get students in the water....sometimes more then one class. Stopping to initial....(paper, board?)well...just wouldn't work. I not only check them out and in but count tanks and know whose they are. Before moving sites I take a roll call...seeing each person....individually....not only do I get to know them....but no buddy is able to speak for his dive partner. I move around alot. I liked the idea of the tags DAN came up with....sorry that the boats didn't. Just more stuff on the boat to take care of and get lost.
Lots of people used to say I went overboard on this stuff....I wonder what they say now?
SOOOO glad to hear the guy is OK....
The boat is a good boat.....everyone will suffer from this.

 

[Spectradigm]

Thank God for the Boy Scouts!

Amen!

It made for pretty good press that the victim was quoted as having ruminated on a Boy Scout survival manual he had read in the past, and then was rescued by members of a following generation.

(I'm surprised Pete hasn't chimed in here yet...)

Yes, it does make for some good press in a time where we don't seem to have many people on our side. We can use all the positive news we can get, especially in SoCal! I was suprised to see this story from San Diego. But that's a topic for another board.

 

[ReefGuy]

I was suprised to see this story from San Diego. But that's a topic for another board.

Dude! That freakin sucks. I admire the Scouts for their stand for what they believe in and not giving in to political correctness.

 

[H2Andy]

[the people suing] claim their children should be able to join the DPC without having to espouse its principles.

hello??? that's like me saying i want to join the Catholic
church without having to believe in God...

it just doesn't make sense. if you dont' believe in an organization's principles, don't join it!

now.. there is a sticky issue as to whether the Scouts
are getting government money or help. if they are, then
they are subject to equal access rules and so on...

does anyone know if the Scouts take money, land, or whatever, from the Federal, State, or local governments,
or are they a purely private organization?