Fairfax Co. PD Diver Missing

[trailblazer1229]

Does anyone have any updated info on this officer? Coverage was hot and heavy initially and has subsided the last 2 days.

Search Continues for Missing Virginia Diver: Top News Stories at Officer.com

 

[trailblazer1229]

As a new diver, I have never used a Dry Suit nor have I done a lot of research on them. Is it possible for them to fill up with water through a hole or vent and send a diver to the bottom? Not on air I could see as how this would be a problem.

 

[Sinbad the Diver]

Here's the latest report from NBC4

Search-and-Rescue Called Off; Search-and-Recovery Commences | NBC Washington

Not good news.

 

[TheWetRookie]

...was portraying a victim in a water rescue exercise for the police helicopter unit when he went underwater and disappeared,

I wonder how much gear and weight the victim actually had on as I know if I drop any of my weights I ain't sinking. I have done some training with the coast guard and I was playing the victim (in a bay) with a dry suit on and when I took the weight belt off I floated like a cork.I am not sure how they were doing things but I am wondering if they had too much lead on him. Unless that was part of the plan to be underwater and have search teams look for him and then the accident happened.

 

[ScubaSteve]

That is terrible news. I know it is unlikely but a happy ending would be nice. Effective or not my fingers are crossed.

Here's the latest report from NBC4

Search-and-Rescue Called Off; Search-and-Recovery Commences | NBC Washington

Not good news.

 

[Randy43068]

Damn!

Best to his family, his friends and his brothers from his team.

 

[DandyDon]

Damn that sucks. Hate to hear of anyone lost, but for a public servant it's even more of a loss in my book.

As a new diver, I have never used a Dry Suit nor have I done a lot of research on them. Is it possible for them to fill up with water through a hole or vent and send a diver to the bottom? Not on air I could see as how this would be a problem.

Oh there are several possible gear problems. Sounds like he was playing the role of victim to hide below and be discovered, and if I understood that correctly - that'd be a lonely job, risky solo diving, horrible way to get into trouble. Accidents generally involve 2 or more problems and very hypothetically speaking any air system problem with a weight release problem would be disastrous but there are too many possibilities to consider. Lots of junk in a river to entangle on in current and so forth. Takes a very brave diver to serve that roll but I guess the duty has to be filled.

Hoping for a miracle here; warmest wishes to the family if they should stumble across this.

 

[AndyA]

The Officer was not wearing scuba gear, he had a surface role.

Andy

 

[DandyDon]

The Officer was not wearing scuba gear, he had a surface role.

Andy

Oh, oops, ok, thanks. I misread or read into incorrectly. The second article mentions him being "...a victim in a water rescue exercise for the police helicopter unit when he went underwater and disappeared..." so I mistook his plan. If his plan was to be a surface role victim who sank, that certainly sounds like a gear problem. It also said he "was not a member of the police dive team, according to police." I don't know if he was a trained diver at all.

It might be tempting to enlist a non-diver to play victim who just floats, but only a trained diver would have knowledge of self-rescue if needed. One risk in a rescue training exercise is that if the role victim really gets into trouble, it's difficult to escalate the rescue as the rescue team might be waiting on a cue, not realizing a real need now existed. That occurred to me when I played victim on the bottom, that if I got into real trouble before the planned rescue, I was on my own to self rescue. The Inst may have been watching over me but I did not count on that.

Rescue classes at Blue Hole NM sometimes involve the volunteer diver hiding below. If he gets into trouble before discovery, he has to rescue himself. Victim role can be hazardous.

 

[openmindOW]

The Officer was not wearing scuba gear, he had a surface role.

Andy

Yes, the Washington Post reported that the Officer was not wearing SCUBA gear. No mention was made as to whether or not the officer was wearing fins.