SAR network - an idea.

[Michael McKinney]

I've been following the whole Cameron saga very closely, and it's very inspiring how the community really came together to support the rescue effort. It has convinced me that I should be participating in this community more actively instead of just lurking, and become an SB sponsor.

Recently, I was renewing my DAN insurance and membership and thought about what it is that DAN does for us divers.

If somebody on our boat ended a dive with a DCS, all we need to do is pick up a phone and dial DAN. They'll take care of everything from getting the diver medical care and finding an available recompression chamber to advising the local doctor on what needs to be done, and to arrange transportation back to home. Money to pay for the treatments and transportation back to home? Don't worry about it - DAN will take care of it. Pretty incredible. It's why every diver should have DAN insurance and membership.

I wonder why we don't have something similar for lost/missing divers and SAR. If a diver ended up lost in the sea, we should be able to pick up a phone and call some organization similar to DAN. This new organization would be able to immediately coordinate with local authorities (similar to DAN's services) and provide funding, as well as finding immediate resources/volunteers instead of family members/friends having to find resources and funding on their own and ended up being unable to send out search parties until day two or three due to time spent raising fund/gathering resources.

DAN also provides education, advice, and outreach on various medical issues relating to diving. This new organization could provide education about why it's important to have signaling devices while diving, the types of signaling devices and their pros and cons, and the environments where specific signaling devices would be useful (lights and GPS/PLR for night diving, etc.) This organization could also work hard to ensure that ALL divers have signaling devices as their standard equipment instead of thinking of it as something that's optional. Perhaps this new organization could also provide training for anybody interested to become an SAR diver and expand the potential volunteer pool in case of a missing/lost diver in the future.

This organization could also post "success stories" on their website about successful rescues due to signaling devices. These stories would encourage divers to adopt the signaling devices as standard equipment. The organization could even have a store where they sell signaling devices that they had found to be very reliable/good/recommended.

We could call this new organization "DSARN" or "Lost & Found Divers" or "ScubaBoard's SAR Network" or whatever. I'm sure one of you can come up with a better name.

Funding for this organization could come from donations. It also could come from a membership similar to DAN.

What do you all think?

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Doesnt DAN already provide search and rescue benefits on their highest tier plan? I don't know how effective it would be give. The problems with resources that were encountered in Mexico. It would eleiminate the delay from getting the crowd funding campaign up and going though.

DAN | insurance: dive

Jay

 

[NYCNaiad]

The idea is an interesting one! I suspect it might be harder to set up than DAN since people more often identify with accidents & illness than with the need for SAR. But I would definitely get involved with this both from a set-up perspective as well as a customer perspective.

Doesnt DAN already provide search and rescue benefits on their highest tier plan? I don't know how effective it would be give. The problems with resources that were encountered in Mexico. It would eleiminate the delay from getting the crowd funding campaign up and going though.
DAN | insurance: dive Jay

I have the highest tier & I don't believe there is SAR coverage. Also, it's my understanding that the search team tried contacting DAN re: Cameron & was told they could only assist if/when he was found (to help with medical needs).

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

I wonder what the Search and Rescue benefit is...or if he had that level. I guess the policies vary by state and country as well...

As far as Cozumel is concerned, I would be happy to pay $1 a day increase in the marine park fee if it went to a fund to cover search expenses to get boats in the water immediately. At the sites on the Southern end, there are usually so many boats around, it's not an issue. The Northern or Eastern side is a different story.

Jay

 

[Christi]

I've been following the whole Cameron saga very closely, and it's very inspiring how the community really came together to support the rescue effort. It has convinced me that I should be participating in this community more actively instead of just lurking, and become an SB sponsor.

Recently, I was renewing my DAN insurance and membership and thought about what it is that DAN does for us divers.

If somebody on our boat ended a dive with a DCS, all we need to do is pick up a phone and dial DAN. They'll take care of everything from getting the diver medical care and finding an available recompression chamber to advising the local doctor on what needs to be done, and to arrange transportation back to home. Money to pay for the treatments and transportation back to home? Don't worry about it - DAN will take care of it. Pretty incredible. It's why every diver should have DAN insurance and membership.

I wonder why we don't have something similar for lost/missing divers and SAR. If a diver ended up lost in the sea, we should be able to pick up a phone and call some organization similar to DAN. This new organization would be able to immediately coordinate with local authorities (similar to DAN's services) and provide funding, as well as finding immediate resources/volunteers instead of family members/friends having to find resources and funding on their own and ended up being unable to send out search parties until day two or three due to time spent raising fund/gathering resources.

DAN also provides education, advice, and outreach on various medical issues relating to diving. This new organization could provide education about why it's important to have signaling devices while diving, the types of signaling devices and their pros and cons, and the environments where specific signaling devices would be useful (lights and GPS/PLR for night diving, etc.) This organization could also work hard to ensure that ALL divers have signaling devices as their standard equipment instead of thinking of it as something that's optional. Perhaps this new organization could also provide training for anybody interested to become an SAR diver and expand the potential volunteer pool in case of a missing/lost diver in the future.

This organization could also post "success stories" on their website about successful rescues due to signaling devices. These stories would encourage divers to adopt the signaling devices as standard equipment. The organization could even have a store where they sell signaling devices that they had found to be very reliable/good/recommended.

We could call this new organization "DSARN" or "Lost & Found Divers" or "ScubaBoard's SAR Network" or whatever. I'm sure one of you can come up with a better name.

Funding for this organization could come from donations. It also could come from a membership similar to DAN.

What do you all think?

Excellent ideas!
The Board of Directors for our newly formed watersports association known as ANOAAT met last night (as well as ongoing discussions in the previous days and today) in regards to this sad event. Several of your ideas are precisely what we are discussing as well as some other ideas. Last night, we specifically spoke of having an emergency SAR fund readily available, having pre-arranged SAR sub-contractors to subsidize government efforts, educating the general public on protocols of who to call to deploy help, and many others. We are focused on SOLUTIONS!

Some of these ideas as stated publicly by one of our Board members on his Facebook business page include: "working on improving the protocol to follow in a case of a missing diver, working on ways to inform divers about the extreme risk of wall diving from the shore, the risk to shore diving alone, the risk to dive without a local guide or/and dive with operators that lack the basic emergency training. Working on ways to make people accountable for their dives if they decide not to use a local guide. There are important gaps on logistics that need to be fill up, there is a shortage on budget that makes harder to implement emergency protocols, sad but true. There is always room for improvement without a doubt, lots of work to do now and in the future.

So, let's begin with what we can do today, each one of the divers locals and visitors alike…
...dive safe, dive SMART."

For those who are unfamiliar with ANOAAT, here is a summary of who we are:

In June of 2018, several Cozumel Dive shops came together to form our watersports association known as ANOAAT - we now have 33 member operations.

ANOAAT’s mission and goals are to:

1. Promote the safety of both staff and guests that are involved in all aquatic activities in the waters of Cozumel all aquatic activity operations through training, education, improvement and a strict adherence to procedures and safety protocols which are essential to guarantee the safety of our guests and staff.

2. Promote compliance to the standards that currently regulate aquatic activities on the island, as well as interact with the proper authorities in order to update those standards when our community deems it necessary and pertinent.

3. Encourage and promote the conservation of our natural resources (reefs, mangroves, beaches, lagoons, fishes and bird populations, and in general all the biologic groups that inhabit those areas) through training, education, and community outreach programs.

4. Have a presence and voice in front of the Municipal, State and Federal authorities to express our opinions and have an active role in the decision making. Our goal is to achieve standards that will benefit the entire island as well as to have influence on those decisions that may negatively affect the areas where our activities take place and for the island in general.

5. Promote a positive image of Cozumel as a desired tourist destination worldwide raising the quality of our services with the support and collaboration of other associations and organizations of tourism promotion.

6. Integrate ANOAAT positively into the social and economic development of Cozumel. It is not only very important to seek support from other associations, but also to have solidarity with the members of our community.

The main interest of ANOAAT is to build a solid front that will empower us to face the current challenges and implement the procedures that are so desperately needed to preserve our islands legacy for future generations. Not only for island residents, but for all of our island guests who come to enjoy the natural wonders of Cozumel Island.

ANOAAT Cozumel Members:
Caribbean Divers, Scuba Shack, Blue XT~Sea Diving , Blue Project, Pepe Scuba, Albatros Charters, Alex Scuba, Chili Charters, Deep Exposure, Deep Blue, Challenge Diving, Aldora Divers, Dive Paradise, Scuba Du, Sand Dollar Sports, Papa Hogs, Island Divers Cozumel, Fury Catamarans Cozumel, Dive with Cristina, Scuba XOC, Scuba Tony, Del Mar Aquatics, Salty Endeavors, Blue Magic Scuba, Tres Pelicanos, Cozumel Marine World, Dive with Martin, Bottom Time Divers, Cozumel H2O, Tres Hermanos Fishing, Sea Robin Divers, Caballitos del Caribe

 

[NYCNaiad]

@Christi Very cool.

@Jayfarmlaw Yep, very different from what I have in NY. As you can see, I don't have search in my plans nor that $125 plan either.

 

[swimlikethefish]

@Christi Very cool.

@Jayfarmlaw Yep, very different from what I have in NY. As you can see, I don't have search in my plans nor that $125 plan either.

View attachment 510851

Just checked CT and NJ, they both have it... Might want to use a different mailing address...

 

[Akimbo]

Here is DAN's plans for California:

 

[JohnnyC]

Arizona has SAR coverage in the policy as well.

Here's what the handbook says about it:

"Search and Rescue Benefit (Available only under the Guardian Plan) When United States Life receives due proof that the Insured disappeared while making a Covered Dive and the Coast Guard, local Police, or other National or International service responsible for safety at sea undertake a search in an effort to save the life of the Insured, we will provide reimbursement for the expenses of the search and rescue effort up to the benefit limit. Reimbursement shall be limited to expenses incurred by organizations which are specially trained and approved to undertake search and rescue operations. No benefits are payable for expenses for which an Insured is not required to pay or charges made only because insurance exists. "

 

[MaxE]

Excellent ideas!
The Board of Directors for our newly formed watersports association known as ANOAAT met last night (as well as ongoing discussions in the previous days and today) in regards to this sad event. Several of your ideas are precisely what we are discussing as well as some other ideas. Last night, we specifically spoke of having an emergency SAR fund readily available, having pre-arranged SAR sub-contractors to subsidize government efforts, educating the general public on protocols of who to call to deploy help, and many others. We are focused on SOLUTIONS!

Some of these ideas as stated publicly by one of our Board members on his Facebook business page include: "working on improving the protocol to follow in a case of a missing diver, working on ways to inform divers about the extreme risk of wall diving from the shore, the risk to shore diving alone, the risk to dive without a local guide or/and dive with operators that lack the basic emergency training. Working on ways to make people accountable for their dives if they decide not to use a local guide. There are important gaps on logistics that need to be fill up, there is a shortage on budget that makes harder to implement emergency protocols, sad but true. There is always room for improvement without a doubt, lots of work to do now and in the future.

So, let's begin with what we can do today, each one of the divers locals and visitors alike…
...dive safe, dive SMART."

For those who are unfamiliar with ANOAAT, here is a summary of who we are:

In June of 2018, several Cozumel Dive shops came together to form our watersports association known as ANOAAT - we now have 33 member operations.

ANOAAT’s mission and goals are to:

1. Promote the safety of both staff and guests that are involved in all aquatic activities in the waters of Cozumel all aquatic activity operations through training, education, improvement and a strict adherence to procedures and safety protocols which are essential to guarantee the safety of our guests and staff.

2. Promote compliance to the standards that currently regulate aquatic activities on the island, as well as interact with the proper authorities in order to update those standards when our community deems it necessary and pertinent.

3. Encourage and promote the conservation of our natural resources (reefs, mangroves, beaches, lagoons, fishes and bird populations, and in general all the biologic groups that inhabit those areas) through training, education, and community outreach programs.

4. Have a presence and voice in front of the Municipal, State and Federal authorities to express our opinions and have an active role in the decision making. Our goal is to achieve standards that will benefit the entire island as well as to have influence on those decisions that may negatively affect the areas where our activities take place and for the island in general.

5. Promote a positive image of Cozumel as a desired tourist destination worldwide raising the quality of our services with the support and collaboration of other associations and organizations of tourism promotion.

6. Integrate ANOAAT positively into the social and economic development of Cozumel. It is not only very important to seek support from other associations, but also to have solidarity with the members of our community.

The main interest of ANOAAT is to build a solid front that will empower us to face the current challenges and implement the procedures that are so desperately needed to preserve our islands legacy for future generations. Not only for island residents, but for all of our island guests who come to enjoy the natural wonders of Cozumel Island.

ANOAAT Cozumel Members:
Caribbean Divers, Scuba Shack, Blue XT~Sea Diving , Blue Project, Pepe Scuba, Albatros Charters, Alex Scuba, Chili Charters, Deep Exposure, Deep Blue, Challenge Diving, Aldora Divers, Dive Paradise, Scuba Du, Sand Dollar Sports, Papa Hogs, Island Divers Cozumel, Fury Catamarans Cozumel, Dive with Cristina, Scuba XOC, Scuba Tony, Del Mar Aquatics, Salty Endeavors, Blue Magic Scuba, Tres Pelicanos, Cozumel Marine World, Dive with Martin, Bottom Time Divers, Cozumel H2O, Tres Hermanos Fishing, Sea Robin Divers, Caballitos del Caribe

Sorry to post this hear it may be better suited on another thread but there seem to be many separate but related threads as a result of these recent incidents.

@Christi do the dive boats in COZ have radios equipped with AIS or DSC ? If a diver had and activated a Nautilus lifeline would the dive boats get the signal? Do your boat captains have a protocol if they were to receive an alert on the radio that they were close enough to to respond to?