Twin Rocks...and a lucky lady

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clgsamson

Koya Kap
Messages
13,068
Reaction score
63
Location
Manila, Philippines
# of dives
200 - 499
Whenever I dive at Twin Rocks, I always think of those 3 divers who died there and asks myself how could it happen? Yesterday, she kind of revealed to me something to think about.

We descended to the barge (20-25ft) and proceeded towards Twin Rocks. Viz was bad, but luckily no current. We descended again to the sandy bottom at 50-60 ft. where the viz, 10-15 feet from the bottom, was a little better (I even saw some stingrays). And that’s where we saw a light/torch like it was being juggled in slo-mo. Soon the light revealed a diver (female) at around 40-50ft., slightly ahead of us, and descending rather slowly. She wasn’t holding on the torch, it was hanging on her wrist and she was like making a slow climbing motion.

Diver was finning, fins pointing to the bottom (like almost standing), yet the diver wasn’t ascending. The diver was moving to the right (shore side) and the next moment, moving towards the left (deep part) and then to the right again. My buddy and I were looking at each other wondering what the diver was doing or seeing; her dive buddies? A Whaleshark, perhaps? Or were we seeing somebody who was going to have a very very bad day…..(from a distance you can make out some “pointers banging on some tanks” sound).

Viz was now getting really bad. We could still see her but I was hoping she would turn around to see us too. We were now at 80ft.

The next thing the diver did made me shout in my mind….“What the F are you doing?!!! (Put__ ina naman, ano ang ginagawa mo!!!)” With her head down and breathing fast, she suddenly finned and went towards the deep, descending (I’d say to around 100ft). She probably saw the sandy bottom and went towards it.

I was about to signal my buddy but he has already sprung into action. He signaled to me to stay where I am, and he went and descended really fast. He soon caught up with her, spun her around, and signaled to follow him while pointing towards the ‘shore side’. My buddy held her arm as she has stopped finning. We slowly made our way to around 40ft to make a stop in a sandy area where the viz was good. I signaled to check her air and it showed a little less than 500psi. She had lots of lead on her weight belt for her tall but thin build. Soon after, made a safety stop and then she was on the surface. At the water surface, not knowing what happened to her, cries of “lost diver! lost diver!” was still echoing near where she broke the surface. She was handed over to a group (I presume her lost dive buddies, maybe. Yeah, sucks).

I can say my buddy was a hero yesterday and she is one very very lucky lady.

She was on my mind in my 2nd dive and the rest of the day . Nice to be alive. Stay safe whoever you are.
 
you guys are
heroes.jpg


where were her buddies, how much experience, who was the DM... so many questions

she truly is lucky to be alive

Ninja: wt-ef happened there???
 
Last edited:
Very lucky indeed.

But this seems easier to explain. Inexperienced and overweighted diver got separated (which can happen quickly in that kind of vis) from her buddies and got completely disoriented (likely got narced also). The tank banging in the distance must be her buddies looking for her.

It would have been a different story had the Koya arrived a minute later.
 
Was around Twin Rocks yesterday as well around lunchtime. Viz dropped to about a meter or 2 in some places. What time did this happen?
 
Hi Doc, we were in the water at 10:06AM. I'd say it was around 10:15-10:30 when we spotted her.

I hope she tells her dive buddy(ies) and instructor what happened to her.
 
Caloy, good thing you and your buddy were there at the right place, at the right time. It was good that the lost diver didn't become another casualty. Thanks for sharing this incident.
 
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