Can we forget the macho crap?
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At the Seventh International Conference on Underwater Education (I believe--that was a while ago), I wrote a paper titled "The Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service." In it, I described what I call the "Grey Liferaft Syndrome." I was out on a search in 1970 for the survivors of a sailboat that had sunk somewhere in the Carribbean, around Grand Cayman, I think (I wasn't the navigator). The survivors reported just before they entered the water that they were in a "grey liferaft." Well, it was not flat calm that day. In fact, it was stormy, and the seas were running with whitecaps. We spent the day searching for this grey liferaft amoungst grey whitecaps during an overcast, windy day. The raft was never found.
In about 1973, I was diving with my buddy off Rocky Creek State Park on a December day. We watched the swells for about 30 minutes. They were running 3-5 feet, and we figured we could dive that (the macho thing, you know). There was an occasional one a bit higher. Well, we got out, and the swells went from 3-5 feet to 15 to 20 feet. We were in about 30 feet of water, and as these would go by we were like flags in a hurricane holding onto the rocks. We surfaced, and swam in. As we were coming into the little cove we came out of, a huge wave crested and broke over us. We were down for a long time, but finally surfaced together (thank goodness for a 1/4 inch nylon buddy line and harnesses). I was missing my mask, and my buddy was missing has mask and helmet. I still had my helmet on, and after drifting around for about three hours, we were picked up by the Coast Guard. They had spotted my helmet. The helmet was a white-water kayaking helmet that was orangish pink, with white stripes. Here's what we looked like from a bluff above, just after being rolled by the wave (see the enclosed photos). Without that helmet, we would not have been picked up at dusk by the crew of the cutter. They, by the way, were very happy to pick us up, as we were their first live pickups in awhile.
The point is that, in order to be seen from a cutter or an aircraft, you need to wear something bright, preferably reflective.
SeaRat
In about 1973, I was diving with my buddy off Rocky Creek State Park on a December day. We watched the swells for about 30 minutes. They were running 3-5 feet, and we figured we could dive that (the macho thing, you know). There was an occasional one a bit higher. Well, we got out, and the swells went from 3-5 feet to 15 to 20 feet. We were in about 30 feet of water, and as these would go by we were like flags in a hurricane holding onto the rocks. We surfaced, and swam in. As we were coming into the little cove we came out of, a huge wave crested and broke over us. We were down for a long time, but finally surfaced together (thank goodness for a 1/4 inch nylon buddy line and harnesses). I was missing my mask, and my buddy was missing has mask and helmet. I still had my helmet on, and after drifting around for about three hours, we were picked up by the Coast Guard. They had spotted my helmet. The helmet was a white-water kayaking helmet that was orangish pink, with white stripes. Here's what we looked like from a bluff above, just after being rolled by the wave (see the enclosed photos). Without that helmet, we would not have been picked up at dusk by the crew of the cutter. They, by the way, were very happy to pick us up, as we were their first live pickups in awhile.
The point is that, in order to be seen from a cutter or an aircraft, you need to wear something bright, preferably reflective.
SeaRat
AliKat
Contributor
Hey, I'd buy everything in neon purple, but I just can't seem to get the manufacturers to agree to make it!
Later, I was paranoid enough about it that I added bicycle reflectors to the helmet, and dove that for awhile, even in Warm Mineral Springs in Florida (see this photo).
SeaRat
SeaRat
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