One lost off of Deerfield Beach - Florida

[DandyDon]

55-year-old diver from out of state disappears off Deerfield Beach

The search for a missing diver off the coast of Deerfield Beach grew more urgent as more than 24 hours passed since he vanished during a group dive Sunday afternoon.

The 55-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was aboard the charter Lady Go Diver about a half-mile south of Deerfield Beach. The boat is owned by Dixie Divers in Deerfield Beach.

He was the second diver in two years to vanish from the boat. In 2017, a 60-year-old experienced diver died after he failed to come to the surface on a dive with two friends.

Arilton Pavon, owner of Dixie Divers, said the missing diver on Sunday disappeared under similar circumstances. Pavan said the diver was visiting from out of state with friends, but did not specify from where. According to Pavan, the diver was experienced and had completed one dive earlier in the afternoon with no issues. On the second dive, he went down once more, but did not return.

“He got separated and never surfaced,” Pavan said.

Pavan said the missing diver had gone down with his friends on the second dive. He said it was unclear whether there were any medical issues that contributed to the diver’s disappearance.

(continued at link)

 

[seashepherd]

Tragic and hard to understand how he wouldn’t have been noticed by his buddy, the DM, or someone in the group.

 

[SoFlaDiver954]

Tragic and hard to understand how he wouldn’t have been noticed by his buddy, the DM, or someone in the group.

I don't know about his buddies but I doubt there was a DM in the water. Not positive about Lady Go, but most boats in the area don't use DMs as dive guides. If they get in the water, it's generally only to tie/untie from the wreck.

 

[seeker242]

Not positive about Lady Go, but most boats in the area don't use DMs as dive guides.

No DM in the water with them.

 

[drrich2]

Can someone describe what sort of diving takes place in that area? Wreck or reef, often with current or negligible, and viz.? In context of time of year if important? South Florida Diving Headquarters has a page that mentions it, and drift diving, so I take it drift diving is common there? If someone loses consciousness on a drift dive, I imagine separation from a buddy or group could happen quickly.

The article includes info. from the case of a prior death, which can muddy the situation since it's important to keep what happened to whom straight. An interesting snippet from the linked article:

"In the latest case this past weekend, the diver was first reported missing about 5 p.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard said. A small-craft advisory was posted at 4 p.m. Sunday, but it’s unclear if weather conditions contributed to the disappearance. The Lady Go Diver, at 46 feet long, does not qualify as a small craft."

If he was reported missing about 5 p.m., I'm guessing he went in the water somewhere in the ball park of an hour or so before that? So the advisory, which didn't apply to this boat, might have gone out while they were on the water, perhaps even after they dove in. Makes me wonder about conditions.

Richard.

 

[Jcp2]

Same incident?

Diver missing off Deerfield

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Can someone describe what sort of diving takes place in that area? Wreck or reef, often with current or negligible, and viz.? In context of time of year if important? South Florida Diving Headquarters has a page that mentions it, and drift diving, so I take it drift diving is common there? If someone loses consciousness on a drift dive, I imagine separation from a buddy or group could happen quickly.

The article includes info. from the case of a prior death, which can muddy the situation since it's important to keep what happened to whom straight. An interesting snippet from the linked article:

"In the latest case this past weekend, the diver was first reported missing about 5 p.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard said. A small-craft advisory was posted at 4 p.m. Sunday, but it’s unclear if weather conditions contributed to the disappearance. The Lady Go Diver, at 46 feet long, does not qualify as a small craft."

If he was reported missing about 5 p.m., I'm guessing he went in the water somewhere in the ball park of an hour or so before that? So the advisory, which didn't apply to this boat, might have gone out while they were on the water, perhaps even after they dove in. Makes me wonder about conditions.

Richard.

DMs have nothing to do with divers losing track of other divers. DMs run the dive where it goes. dive leaders. they are not dive partners watching each diver. They cant be. Dont blame a DM for a diver disappearing. Blame the dive partner.

 

[NJScubaDoc]

Can someone describe what sort of diving takes place in that area? Wreck or reef, often with current or negligible, and viz.? In context of time of year if important? South Florida Diving Headquarters has a page that mentions it, and drift diving, so I take it drift diving is common there? If someone loses consciousness on a drift dive, I imagine separation from a buddy or group could happen quickly.

The article includes info. from the case of a prior death, which can muddy the situation since it's important to keep what happened to whom straight. An interesting snippet from the linked article:

"In the latest case this past weekend, the diver was first reported missing about 5 p.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard said. A small-craft advisory was posted at 4 p.m. Sunday, but it’s unclear if weather conditions contributed to the disappearance. The Lady Go Diver, at 46 feet long, does not qualify as a small craft."

If he was reported missing about 5 p.m., I'm guessing he went in the water somewhere in the ball park of an hour or so before that? So the advisory, which didn't apply to this boat, might have gone out while they were on the water, perhaps even after they dove in. Makes me wonder about conditions.

Richard.

Diving in this part of Florida is either wreck or reef. For wreck dives the boat DM ties off the down line and divers descend d/ascend that line. It’s also not uncommon to do hot drops onto wrecks and then drift with the current making an ascent on an SMB line. For reef dives you tow a flag and ride the northern current. Conditions on Saturday were 2-3’ seas with 40’ of viz. The winds picked up Sunday so it was definitely a little snottier but not terrible I don’t think.

 

[SoFlaDiver954]

Lady Go Diver's Sunday afternoon trip was scheduled to be a two-reef trip. So both dives would have been drift dives. Both dives would likely have been on the 3rd reef line. I'm not familiar with the reefs on Lady Go's posted schedule (Remo Reef and Moray Bend) but most areas on the 3rd reef line run north-south, 45-50ft deep on top of the reef. A west-facing ledge will drop down to about 60ft and the reef tends to slope down to 75-90ft on the east side. The current also runs north-south with north being more prevalent.

It's also possible that they did not go to those sites and instead went somewhere closer to the inlet as it was a little choppy on Sunday.

I was out on Saturday and had a little better vis than @NJScubaDoc on our wreck dive and about what they described on the reef. Sunday was definitely a little choppier but not too bad.

 

[DanBMW]

Many of the dive in that area are Drift Dives with one in the group holding to a dive flag on a surface float. I think I read on Facebook that there were 4 divers in that group. It is easy if the current is ripping for one person to get left behind. I have left 3 divers who chose to stop as I held on the the float. It can be a dangerous way to see the reef and having 1-4 buddies does not make it any safer. I consider the dive solo.