2 overdue divers at sea overnight

[Tricia]

If you scroll down on that article to the "Comments" section, you'll find some interesting posts from the people in the Keys vs other Floridians who come down for the lobster season. I had no idea there was such animosity between the two groups.

 

[AfterDark]

I have thought about the possibilities of being lost at sea and one of my plans would be to tie our BCs together with my Jonline. Hard to spot a diver's head on the surface but two together would be more noticeable.

Especially if one of the divers has a really big head.

Joking aside when I solo I put my cell phone in an old SeaLife camera case that I clip off to me or the line holder for my float. I don't know what I'd get for signal strength or how long before salt water either in the form of waves or spray killed it but it could save me a long swim / soak in the ocean, or my life.

I’ve considered making it part of my equipment SOP but for a lot of the dives we do here it would just be overkill. I do have a SS mirror, whistle/ SMB w/divers flag sewn on, and a lift bag, all in one pouch that is secured to the waist belt of my harness with book screws. All the items are on a wing bungee tied to a loop inside the pouch so nothing floats away until I deploy it. I also have a small whistle hanging from my wetsuit zipper quick and handy.
every dive all the time. Maybe I should add a MRE?

 

[jkaterenchuk]

If you are going to dive in the open ocean you need to own a PLB. Here is my link explaining why.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/near-misses-lessons-learned/287782-lost-sea.html

Yes I know your thinking that will never happen to me. But your wrong. I know your thinking my whistle, SMB and Mirror, ike they taught me in my course is enough. But they were wrong and should have told you to also invest in a PLB not just a nice snazzy BCD and the latest regulator doodads.

I continue to read stories of those that are lost. Some recovered. Some not. And then there are the reports that never even make it to the internet.

If you think your lucky.....your not. The search teams will need lots of luck to spot you at sea even with two smbs tied togeather and your whistle and mirror.

Be in control of your own rescue and save your own life while saving all of us money on paying for the search effort to find you or recover your body.

John

 

[AfterDark]

If you are going to dive in the open ocean you need to own a PLB. Here is my link explaining why.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/near-misses-lessons-learned/287782-lost-sea.html

Yes I know your thinking that will never happen to me. But your wrong. I know your thinking my whistle, SMB and Mirror, ike they taught me in my course is enough. But they were wrong and should have told you to also invest in a PLB not just a nice snazzy BCD and the latest regulator doodads.

I continue to read stories of those that are lost. Some recovered. Some not. And then there are the reports that never even make it to the internet.

If you think your lucky.....your not. The search teams will need lots of luck to spot you at sea even with two smbs tied togeather and your whistle and mirror.

Be in control of your own rescue and save your own life while saving all of us money on paying for the search effort to find you or recover your body.

John

Job Well Done John and a good account. Lot of food for thought. Thanks

 

[vladimir]

If you scroll down on that article to the "Comments" section, you'll find some interesting posts from the people in the Keys vs other Floridians who come down for the lobster season. I had no idea there was such animosity between the two groups.

Yes, interesting. The real conflict, it seems, is between people who exploit the commonly-held resources year-round and begrudge others doing it for a few days. Owning a shack in Key West doesn't entitle you to exclusive fishing rights. I'll bet the local hotels and tourist boats do a great deal more to support the local economy than the local fishermen.

 

[Jax]

Yes, interesting. The real conflict, it seems, is between people who exploit the commonly-held resources year-round and begrudge others doing it for a few days. Owning a shack in Key West doesn't entitle you to exclusive fishing rights. I'll bet the local hotels and tourist boats do a great deal more to support the local economy than the local fishermen.

Well . . . in support of the locals . . . . they get tired of people coming down and doing stupid stuff. Frankly, this attitude is also mirrored overseas because it is the "ugly American" who makes a spectacle of himself/herself. No matter where you go, people appreciate you much more when you try to learn something about the local environment and customs.

In this case, the divers violated Florida law of swimming without a float, and violated good diving practices as executed in the keys. Furthermore, the Coast Guard and others that participated were locals . . . how many times do you have to bail someone out for being stupid before you get fed up? (Think about raising teenagers . . . )

All in all, they were lucky. However, good planning and diving practices would avoid the need for luck, one would think.

 

[vladimir]

Well . . . in support of the locals . . . . they get tired of people coming down and doing stupid stuff. Frankly, this attitude is also mirrored overseas because it is the "ugly American" who makes a spectacle of himself/herself. No matter where you go, people appreciate you much more when you try to learn something about the local environment and customs.

In this case, the divers violated Florida law of swimming without a float, and violated good diving practices as executed in the keys. Furthermore, the Coast Guard and others that participated were locals . . . how many times do you have to bail someone out for being stupid before you get fed up? (Think about raising teenagers . . . )

All in all, they were lucky. However, good planning and diving practices would avoid the need for luck, one would think.

Yeah, Jax, there were some legitimate complaints. I just found the sense of entitlement over communal resources a little annoying in some of the posts.

I'm okay with the concept of billing people for searches--they could sell insurance the way they do for hyperbaric chambers in some places. I wonder how much cost the marginal search actually adds. No doubt the cost of maintaining the capacity is substantial, but once you pay for the ships, crew, aircraft, etc., then it's just fuel, I would guess, and those guys have to practice, don't they?

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah, a lot of the Keys businesses like tourist money, just not the tourists - regardless of state of origin. I live near the edge of the High Plains and I'm sure the locals in the Breaks below the escarpment see us as fumbling tourists when we go down there as cowboys or recreational visitors. Hehe, we call them "Slack wire cowboys" - referencing their fence work and general approaches - when they move up here to settle.

Joking aside when I solo I put my cell phone in an old SeaLife camera case that I clip off to me or the line holder for my float. I don't know what I'd get for signal strength or how long before salt water either in the form of waves or spray killed it but it could save me a long swim / soak in the ocean, or my life.

Depending on your carrier, you could get a Barrage v860 on ebay pretty cheap and move your number to it for dives: waterproof to 3 ft for at least 30 minutes so should last longer in waves. Even has a strong place for a wrist strap. $30 or so for one with a lot of scratches plus $3 for a new, OEM battery. I don't think any of the prepaid services use it tho.

Maybe I should add a MRE?

I've heard of divers carrying a quart of drinking water. No buoyancy issues.

 

[Sabanist]

The Divers shouldve followed the law but i gotta comment on the elitist responses to the article

Nobody is from key west, maybe a handful out of the thousands that live there. Just because you quit your real job and started tending bar by night and doing tours in the day doesnt make you a local.

Ive spent alot of time in key west and 9/10 that i meet are a tourist who never left

 

[Jax]

I'm okay with the concept of billing people for searches--they could sell insurance the way they do for hyperbaric chambers in some places. I wonder how much cost the marginal search actually adds. No doubt the cost of maintaining the capacity is substantial, but once you pay for the ships, crew, aircraft, etc., then it's just fuel, I would guess, and those guys have to practice, don't they?

Me Likey!!!!

I don't know what today's costs are, but in 1987, a CH-47 dual-rotor aircraft was $3400 per blade-hour . . . With our broke-azz gov't, I'd like to see reimbursement for rescue, just like the Europeans. They don't build fences - you want to ski the back country? Go for it, but you're going to pay for any rescue.