Lost diver - Port Royal Sound, South Carolina - Again

[DandyDon]

There are claims on FB that it's the same 49 year old who drifted overnight last month there, but unconfirmed. I can't imagine a solo diver leaving no one on the boat and not bothering to carry a PLB. The 2020 Ocean Signal Rescue ME 406 PLB1 - EPI3110 - Sailing - Accessories - Safety starts at $249 plus $100 for a nylon canister, good for seven years before battery needs to be replaced, and could at least be worth that much preventing spending a night drifting. I prefer the larger models, but it's sold by ACR too so if one ever had to use it and needed the battery replaced for that, ACR would replace it for free.

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article242367496.html

Several law enforcement agencies are searching for a diver who went missing in the Port Royal Sound on Tuesday afternoon. The search continued throughout the night into Wednesday morning.

A boater in the area called 911 around 6:15 p.m., saying a scuba diver went into the water around 3:45 p.m. and never came back to the boat, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Bob Bromage.

The Sheriff’s Office immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard, which sent a helicopter to help search, and boats were also searching for the diver.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Unfortunately some do not learn from their mistakes. I know a bloke who has been rescued a number of times when he dived (with others) and left no-one on the boat at all. Either boat drifted free or they did not find anchor and ended up down current.

 

[RandomGuy1]

Pretty certain it is the same diver. Here is the report from last month. Here is hoping that he will be found okay.
Coast Guard, good Samaritans rescue two divers in Port Royal Sound | Coast Guard News

 

[HKGuns]

I hope they find him again and he is well.

I'd have grabbed my phone and ordered one on Amazon before walking off the FIRST rescue boat. This level of stupid is hard for me to understand, if he is indeed lost and not still underwater for whatever unfortunate reason.

 

[DandyDon]

I'd have grabbed my phone and ordered one on Amazon before walking off the FIRST rescue boat.

Have you ordered a PLB or going to wait for an emergency?

 

[HKGuns]

Have you ordered a PLB or going to wait for an emergency?

My regular dive buddy has one. If I dive in an area where there is such risk, I will most certainly have one with me.

That is the other thing I don't understand about that first incident. How do you let yourselves become separated? Snap yourselves together if you're in a current.

 

[DandyDon]

My regular dive buddy has one.

Good, he can be found and maybe tell the search party which way you went.

. How do you let yourselves become separated? Snap yourselves together if you're in a current.

Oh, it happens.

 

[RandomGuy1]

My regular dive buddy has one. If I dive in an area where there is such risk, I will most certainly have one with me.

That is the other thing I don't understand about that first incident. How do you let yourselves become separated? Snap yourselves together if you're in a current.

No way I am tethering myself to another diver. Way to much of an entanglement hazard. Especially in high current / low vis conditions.

 

[tridacna]

"The diver is a 49-year-old male in a black scuba suit".

If you see a 49-year old male that's not in a BLACK scuba suit, please ignore him. He's not our man.

 

[HKGuns]

Good, he can be found and maybe tell the search party which way you went.

Well, then I guess I should have purchased a pointy dive knife instead of a blunted one!