Being left on the dive site: How to avoid and how to survive...

[Dan]

I just saw this article, and thought that any discussion about survival should be mitigated with how to avoid the scenario in the first place.

How to Survive 75 Hours Alone in the Ocean - Outside - Pocket

I'll chime in later. For now, I want to see what peeps are thinking. Especially what you learned in you OW and AOW classes.

Pretty obvious about having signaling devices would prevent or at least shorten the time lost at sea.

This is good to know:
“The practical guidance in situations like this is that you should avoid drinking for the first day; this will trigger hormone changes that make your body start conserving water. After that, aim to scrounge up half a liter per day. Hewitt used his mask and wetsuit jacket to collect rainwater, but this was far below his needs. When he was rescued, he drank a liter and a half of water, then received another six liters intravenously.”

I use to carry water bottle in my BCD pockets in addition to PLB, PAB, DSMB & Signal mirror. I think I’ll skip the water bottle based on the above practical guidance. My BCD pockets are just getting too full with the signaling devices.

 

[seeker242]

Especially what you learned in you OW and AOW classes.

I think they refer to that as "Jack Squat".

 

[Johnoly]

...how to avoid the scenario in the first place....

Tell the captain that you post trip reports on ScubaBoard all the time and want the correct spelling of his name !!

 

[nippurmagnum]

This jumped out at me:

"One key factor that helped stave off hypothermia was the fact that Hewitt is (in the words of the researchers) “a large, muscular male”; at 5'11" and 220 pounds, he clearly had a decent amount of insulation. In fact, for every 1 percent increase in body fat, you slow your rate of heat loss by 0.18 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1 degree Celsius) per hour—a big deal when you extrapolate to 75 hours."

I am 6'1 and 185 lbs so I guess I'm screwed. Time to hit the cheeseburgers, for insulation's sake.

 

[wnissen]

This jumped out at me:

"One key factor that helped stave off hypothermia was the fact that Hewitt is (in the words of the researchers) “a large, muscular male”; at 5'11" and 220 pounds, he clearly had a decent amount of insulation. In fact, for every 1 percent increase in body fat, you slow your rate of heat loss by 0.18 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1 degree Celsius) per hour—a big deal when you extrapolate to 75 hours."

I am 6'1 and 185 lbs so I guess I'm screwed. Time to hit the cheeseburgers, for insulation's sake.

Yeah, that was pretty notable. It would be interesting to see what the equivalence between body fat percentage and millimeters of neoprene is!

 

[Griffo]

I dunno. Decided to solo dove spontaneously. Didn't even have an SMB let alone a PLB. Had a dive "plan" that seemed to start with a boat entry and a shore swim exit, but no preset plans to communicate safe arrival. What can we learn? Not to be blase in our dive planning?

Btw I have to say, I'm not even sure i'd survive the initial dive in that temp water in a 5mm. He must run hot!

 

[BRT]

Yeah, that was pretty notable. It would be interesting to see what the equivalence between body fat percentage and millimeters of neoprene is!

Bioprene

 

[caruso]

I just got my Nautilus Lifeline portable GPS and a pair of 5 year Lithium batteries and a pouch to attach it to my BCD.

For under $200 it's a relatively inexpensive investment if for nothing more than peace of mind when I read stories about left behind divers.

 

[Esprise Me]

I thought that was interesting too, but I need more info to put that in context. Specifically, how many extra cheeseburgers can I justify as necessary for survival?

 

[Diving Dubai]

I do hope this thread won't degenerate into the usual of which PLB and endless canister talk...

PLB's are brilliant, if you're in an area they work, but IMO are the last line of defence for a diver.

I personally for remote ocean diving carry a 6' dsmb, a 12' smb, air horn, mirror and bright light. PLB's don't work in my area. I have equipped myself as far as reasonably practicable to give myself the chance of being seen and heard.

I have twice had the misfortune to be on the search boat looking for missing divers. It's a much different experience

Firstly you're not sure if its a surface search or a underwater search, and there is always reluctance to leave the dive site.

A diver is a small object, even if they're waving a long smb above their heads. You might not be looking in their precise direction, they might not be obvious to spot.

If the decision is for a surface search, you generally want to get other boats involved asap. You also need to understand the winds and currents in that area

Both times we found our divers, both times it took around 2 hours, and both times the divers were frustrated that they could see the boat but not the other way around.

Both times we found then approaching dusk when their torches had effect - and both times they'd drifted farther than predicted - but at least in the direction we were generally heading