Another Florida Drifter

[DandyDon]

Missing diver saved after three hours in the Gulf

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla - A Naples diver speaks only to WINK about the three hours she was lost in the Gulf and the rescue that brought her to safety.

Cindy Tutino was exploring the "Cuban Wreck" near Gordon Pass off Keewaydin Island when she got separated from her boat.

The good news is that Cindy is home and doing well. The veteran diver went for what she calls a very safe dive, but when she came up to the surface, she realized she was stranded in the Gulf.

Cindy says, "I had all the right gear, it just happens, you just drift away."

Tutino has been diving for 30 years, but Friday a routine afternoon turned into a frantic search.

"I was just diving by the wreck and came up and the boat drifted and I drifted away from the boat," says Cindy. "The waves started picking up and so we kind of got away from each other."

Cindy was diving while her husband and son fished from their boat.

Her son, Douglas says, "after she was gone for 40, 45 minutes, we realized she was gone longer than she should have been."

"I was trying to swim towards the boat but I kept drifting further and further away so I thought, I better start swimming towards shore, so I swam for about three hours," says Cindy.

The Coast Guard, Naples Police, Naples Fire and the Collier County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit all started searching the waters, but a civilian boat found her two miles form the search location.

"I wasn't scared," says Cindy. "I knew I was going to be okay, I was more worried about what my husband and son were thinking because they were thinking that I was still down on the wreck, so that was the worst part."

"I was just really happy because at the time, we saw sharks swimming everywhere we were fishing too," says Douglas. "We were just really happy."

Cindy was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but tells WINK News she feels great. She plans to be back out in the water Saturday.

 

[Scott L]

"Cindy says, I had all the right gear". Apparently not. A towed float ball or dive flag should be added to her gear collection. Tough gal though...

 

[Rogersea]

Maybe a SMB and Whistle should also be added to her gear!!!!!

 

[supergaijin]

She must have meant a Scubapro combo.

 

[billt4sf]

Maybe a SMB and Whistle should also be added to her gear!!!!!

What's an "SMB" ? Is that a safety sausage?

What about a mirror, too? It seems that could be stuffed into a BCD pocket rather easily. One would never even have to think about taking it each time.

Was this person diving alone?

- Bill

 

[DandyDon]

What's an "SMB" ? Is that a safety sausage?

What about a mirror, too? It seems that could be stuffed into a BCD pocket rather easily. One would never even have to think about taking it each time.

Was this person diving alone?

- Bill

Surface Marker Buoy. Yes, it sounds like she dived alone. Since she could see the boat, but they could not see her little head on the water - waving a fin might have helped, but an SMB is better, a mirror worth a try (mine hangs from my neck), and a low pressure hose whistle would have surely been heard.

 

[farsidefan1]

Standard equipment that takes little space. Mirror, SMB, and Dive alert horn. Be nice if she was reading this

 

[Reefdiver77]

My husband, myself and our DiveMaster once drifted away from our diveboat. Long story. Plans were made for the preson on the boat to pick us up, but apparently they got distracted by snorkelers on the boat and did not come for us at the appointed time. I had a Dive Alert, but we were downwind from the boat. We were able to still see the boat but they could not see us. We finally saw the boat leave their mooring and start a frantic search for us. Using my Dive Alert and the strobe from my camera, they finally saw us and picked us up. We were never in any danger and were very near a little island but knew the boat could not have gotten close enough to it to pick us up. Another boat stopped and asked if we needed a lift but the DM said naw someone would be picking us up shortly. I now carry a SMB with me when diving the Caribbean! We had dove with this DM many times before this dive and many times since. It was an adventure that ended well. We all just inflated our BCS and hung out together on the surface.

 

[billt4sf]

It seems to me that a situation like this is more likely to end well if there is no or little current *AND* the boat does a good check on the number of divers getting on and off.

- Bill

 

[EastEndDiver]

It seems to me that a situation like this is more likely to end well if there is no or little current *AND* the boat does a good check on the number of divers getting on and off.

- Bill

Sounds like it was ONE diver in the water NO diver returning according to the posted report nothing about multiple divers and a screwed up head count.