Diver is missing ... 3 hours ago

[dlegros]

Okay, in a slightly different (but still related) direction.

Recently I was out with a group and shadowing/babysitting two divers on their first time in UK sea.

All other pairs had descended, my pair were grossly underwaited.

I turned to face the boat and when the skipper was looking my way, I gave a lazy wave of my right arm from vertical and horizontal and back. The skipper saw and moved in closer, allowing me to explain the problem.

From what I posted earlier...

Calm and slowly waving one arm - Hello, I could do with a hand

Frantically waving one or both arms - HELP!

Frantically waving and shouting/whistling/walking on water - Holy Sh1t get here now!

I think it provides a reasonable escalation, anyone else (especially skippers)?

Dom

[resting rifleman]

Originally Posted by Mr T.

I know there was a minor board ruck over the tone, standard and content of the BBC's 'reporting' of this sad event - but contrast it with this, from The Independent - not even a hint of accusation:

Second diver missing at Dorset shipwreck

By Louise Cotton

Published: 23 August 2005



A search operation has been launched from Swanage, Dorset, after a 22-year-old man from Northamptonshire disappeared at a popular dive site.

The diver was investigating the wreck of the Kyarra, 25 miles south-east of Swanage, from the private charter boat Killer Prawn.

Earlier this month, rescue workers were unable to find a woman who went missing while exploring the same wreck. The 48-year-old from Cambridgeshire was also part of a Killer Prawn diving group when she became separated from her dive buddy, who raised the alarm on surfacing.

In yesterday's incident, the diver surfaced and held on to his marker buoy before disappearing beneath the water without his face mask on. The skipper contacted Portland Coastguard at around 7.30am.

Ros Evans, Portland Coastguard's watch manager, said: "We are very concerned for the well-being of this diver. Despite saturating the area with a rescue helicopter, lifeboats, coastguard search teams and other vessels, we still have not found any sign of him."

The Kyarra was in 30 metres of water and is one of the most popular wrecks for diving on the south coast.


A search operation has been launched from Swanage, Dorset, after a 22-year-old man from Northamptonshire disappeared at a popular dive site.

The diver was investigating the wreck of the Kyarra, 25 miles south-east of Swanage, from the private charter boat Killer Prawn.

Earlier this month, rescue workers were unable to find a woman who went missing while exploring the same wreck. The 48-year-old from Cambridgeshire was also part of a Killer Prawn diving group when she became separated from her dive buddy, who raised the alarm on surfacing.


In yesterday's incident, the diver surfaced and held on to his marker buoy before disappearing beneath the water without his face mask on. The skipper contacted Portland Coastguard at around 7.30am.

Ros Evans, Portland Coastguard's watch manager, said: "We are very concerned for the well-being of this diver. Despite saturating the area with a rescue helicopter, lifeboats, coastguard search teams and other vessels, we still have not found any sign of him."

The Kyarra was in 30 metres of water and is one of the most popular wrecks for diving on the south coast.

or this one
http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/230805kyrra.shtml

[Conor]

Glad that the CG are doing there bit to make it clear the boat is not responsible for the incidents.

Hope you are holding up well

Conor

[jph6969]

Thank you, i hope you feel better having had your rant

Calmer now

I just wouldn't want the coastguard calling out .

Not your decision to make so don't even think about it its wasted brain power.

if i for example had my weight belt in my hand rather than round my waist (it has happened) i was fine with it and not at all bothered by the situation so i gave an OK to the boat.

In this case you made the decision.

But had i been flustering and about to drop the thing and given a distress signal then been picked up with the skipper getting the o2 kit ready etc

Correct me if I'm wrong skippers but I don't thinks the O2 kit is first on there mind, the first thing is getting to you to pick you up and offer what help is required.

i'd of felt a right prat

So what better a live prat I say.

and probably been given a right rollocking.

I can think of no one that would give you a rollocking for calling for help, if they did they should not be in the job!!

I mean ok it's only a weight belt and it's not the end of the world if i did drop it. But as somebody posted earlier they'd have referred to have the signal when a tank had come out of the strap and was being held.

This is because they were not 100% ok and help was required and it was wrong to say 'I'm ok' when you are not!

they may have been ok with the situation.

Then they probably didn't really comprehend the effects of being tired

I know i've put a few back in place under water before now (they weren't my buddy) and it wasn't that easy and i told them to surface after as i didn't know how secure it was.

I suppose it all depends on the situation you're in at the time, if it's flat calm then it's so much easier to deal with than rolling waves and it's better to have the boat in your teeth than egnoring you if it does take a turn for the worse.

Of course it depends on the conditions but the decision process is the same, OK - not OK no in between, simple and safe. Trust that the skipper knows his job and let him make his decisions so that you can focus only on yours.

I agree that it's better to alert the coastguard earlier and then call them back to stand down than have them on their way later missing a vital few minutes.

Most of us do understand this, unfortunately as I said earlier many divers worry about calling them unnecessarily, this worry in itself is not necessary, and causes confusion for some divers when there should be clarity.

Ask any skipper

[Allan Carr]

Slow waving of the arm rather than rapid waving and shouting is useful to indicate 'I need help' - the latter obviusly indicates an emergency. I always think that it is better to ask for help if things are not right rather than struggle if it could turn into a dangerous situation.

Most skippers I know would rather have that than have to deal with an actual problem

[littleH]

Thank you for clearing that up for me now i know i should think less and do more

Cheers guys

H