Sundiver

[DFC5343]

This boat out of LongBeach left a diver awhile back. The Capt. has been held liable and divemaster may get a slap. I have dove this boat a few times and have had good times. Where was this guys buddy? How do you leave someone at sea? Any "inside' info?

 

[MyDiveLog]

From what I've heard, a lot of mistakes were made:
- The guy had, at most, 24 dives and hadn't dove in 4 months. An oil platform is an advanced dive, usually with lots of current and a requirement to descend quickly. He shouldn't have been diving the platform in the first place.
- The guy went in with 3 buddies but, after having diffculties equalizing, ascended. None of the 3 buddies went with him ... also a mistake on their part.
- He ascended to the surface, but was 400 feet down current of the boat. Instead of takign a compass bearing, descending 10 or 15 feet, and swimming back to the boat he elected to wait on the surface, drifting farther away from the boat.
- Neither his buddies nor the divemaster realized he was missing after the first dive. With buddies like this, who needs enemies. The divemaster is probably legally liable, although I've heard that the diver isn't going to sue. How hard is it to require face-to-face contact with answering a roll call, or counting tanks on board, or counting the # of equipment set-ups?
- The boat moved 6 miles away to another site, where they evidently thought the diver was missing after the 2nd dive and called the Coast Guard to begin a search ... IN THE WRONG LOCATION!

On the plus side, the guy was smart enough to stay calm, maintain positive bouyancy, and have a signal sausage and whistle....

I've been on the Sundiver and the Captain (Ray) is a great guy that seemed to really stress safety. Unfortunately, maritime law requires that he be accountable for everything that happens on the boat, including the actions of the DM and the buddies. Evidently the Coast Guard is upset about how lax the dive boats are in adhering to the agreed procedures for diving oil rigs, so he'll be hit with a negligence claim. Don't know what that means in everyday life; probably a fine.

 

[scubacalifornia]

Check out the Accidents & Incidents section of Scubaboard - there's a recent thread called Missing Diver Incident (So Cal). You'll find 191 posts at the moment related to the Sundiver incident. Enough reading to keep you busy for the next couple of days. Cheers.

Kevin

 

[pasley]

This boat out of Long Beach left a diver awhile back. The Capt. has been held liable and divemaster may get a slap. I have dove this boat a few times and have had good times. Where was this guys buddy? How do you leave someone at sea? Any "inside' info?

DAZEDONE was on board the boat and posted a nice dive report here on this forum as well as under the accident forum. Basic facts are:
1. Diver with out sufficient experience (apparent max of 24 dives) booked an advance level trip to the oil rigs and wrecks. A dive he should not have been on based on his experience of diving 2 years about once a month, but had not been in the water in 3 months according to his TV interview.
2. Diver became separated from buddies and briefly continued his dive. He did not remain under oil rig as instructed.
3. Diver surfaced a distance (400 feet) from dive boat.
4. Diver elected not to swim to the boat against the current and relied on them to miss him and come looking. I don’t understand why he did not attempt a self rescue.
5.Dive buddies were real space cases and did not ever report him missing.
6. Diver head count was messed up (my guess is someone answered for him thinking him on board and in the head or asleep) and they counted him back on the boat.
7. Dive boat left the scene and proceeded to a wreck several miles away.
8.To compound the comedy of errors DM counted the missing diver back into the water at new dive site!
9. At end of 2nd dive DM finally realized they had a missing diver and called CG at the second site, which had the search being conduced miles from where the diver was.
10. Boy Scouts sail boat spots trash in water and realizes it is human and effects rescue.

Now for the blame game. IMHO it should be as follows:
1. Diver - booking dive above his experience level. Accourding to the diver on TV he as been diving 2 years and dives about onec a month but has not been in the water in 3 months (max of 24 lifetime dives and he books the oil rigs).
2. Diver - not attempting self-rescue and for not staying under the oil rig.
3. Dive buddies - not staying with diver.
4. Dive buddies - not looking for him back on boat and reporting him missing
5. DM - not correctly executing established proceedures and reporting all aboard. (most likly caused by someone answereing for missing diver but he is suppose to look at the face).
6. DM - counting a diver who was not there as back in the water.
7. The dive shop that chartered the dive and hired the DM for accepting a the divers money when he did not have the experience.
Now as to % of blame, that is another discussion.

 

[dazedone]

The captain has had his CG license suspended for 4 months. The CG has no jurisdiction over the DM, so he will not get any kind of punishment. The CG still could choose to refer the case to the US Attorney's office where the Captain and the DM could be criminally charged, they have chosen not to do that.

While the DM was PADI certified, PADI has stated that this is not a training issue and has chosen to stay out of this. The shop has suspended the DM from DM duty.

I am told the Sundiver is still running under the command of their backup captain.