Antigua: Dive boat leaves behind two scuba divers

[BladesRobinson]

http://www.****.info/news/safety/s070829.html

Sandals dive boat leaves behind two scuba divers in Antigua

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by VIRGINIA WHEELER

ANTIGUA (29 August 2007) -- Two British divers were abandoned for five hours in shark-infested waters after instructors failed to notice they were missing.
The terrified pair, holidaying in Antigua, drifted for miles in the Caribbean after the party left the site for lunch without them.
The group even continued to scuba dive elsewhere in the afternoon — not realising the men were missing until their wives searched for them when the boat arrived back at the dock.
One diver became panic-stricken when he suddenly realised the incident mirrored the 2003 horror movie Open Water.
In that film, a dive couple were eaten by sharks after being left stranded in the water.
The men, one "crying like a baby", were bleeding from being swept into razor-sharp coral reefs in waters that are home to great white, tiger and bull sharks.
One was saved by helicopter and the other by a rescue boat from the choppy waters whipped up by Hurricane Dean.
They were miles from their original dive spot on Cades Reef, having been in the water for up to five hours — and they were on the verge of drowning.
Chopper pilot Gregory Scott, 47, said he was "amazed" the two survived, adding: "Nothing excuses a qualified diving team returning to dock without realising they are missing two people."
The Brits — known to dive pals only as Ian and Colin — were rushed to hospital. Rescuers described student diver Ian as "badly burnt and passing in and out of consciousness" when he was found.
Bosses of the dive crew, operated by the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort, immediately fired four staff but have reportedly reinstated two. Furious rescuers yesterday slammed the dive team as "breathtakingly irresponsible".
Pilot Gregory added: "Ian was a mess when he was pulled to safety. He was crying like a baby and covered in stings and cuts. He thought he was going to die.

Furious rescuers blasted Sandals Grande Antigua as "breathtakingly irresponsible" after its dive boat crew returned to port without realizing they had left behind two of 13 scuba diving customers.​

"He remembered the film Open Water and thought he would be eaten." Gregory claimed he was told the Sandals dive team had not carried out the proper head-count procedures.
He said: "Lax isn't the word — these men are lucky to survive."
The tour party was made up of 13 guests, one dive instructor and two dive masters. A fellow diver said: "The 30-minute dive was cut short and the boat moved to calmer water for lunch.
"No one noticed anyone was missing but that's the instructors' job. There was no head-count.
"When we docked, two women asked where their husbands were. The colour drained from the faces of the instructors."
Sandals, which operates resorts throughout the Caribbean, yesterday refused to comment.

 

[gangrel441]

Scary story, but the only sharks involved were the ones in their heads. More media sensationalism to gag on. Guess drowning and hypothermia don't kill ya enough for the news to get a good story out of it....

 

[Web Monkey]

http://www.****.info/news/safety/s070829.htmlThe Brits — known to dive pals only as Ian and Colin — were rushed to hospital. Rescuers described student diver Ian as "badly burnt and passing in and out of consciousness" when he was found.

Yet another good reason to wear at least a dive skin, and bring a beanie (thin small hood).

Terry

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Yes, the only sharks invovled where the ones in their heads, but they were in an environment known to have sharks and they were abandoned. They were without food or drinkable water, and without anything to protect them from the environment, other than a wetsuit. Can you really blame them for panicking and becoming overly emotional when rescued?

Granted, crying is a very bad response to a situation like this, as you begin to lose what little fluids you do have to keep you alive through your tear ducts.....but it's understandable.

And I hope shops down there will jump to attention and capitalize on our knowledge of this accident by promoting headcounts and checklists, because that will not only placate scared US Divers, but will help prevent another occurence.

Lastly, it also highlights the need for safety gear. Most divers say bring a DSMB if ocean diving, but never before heard anyone suggest head/face protection. Also, would it be wise to bring water bottles? Perhaps the divers should have been better prepared, but perhaps the boat should have provided the preparement? (ie: given everyone a DSMB, hat and water bottle, whichif unused would be returned before getting off the boat at the dock?)

 

[gangrel441]

I don't disagree that panic does some funny things to people, and my beef is not with the divers left behind, but rather with the way the story is being reported. From a news angle, sharks had absolutely nothing to do with this story whatsoever, aside from the news agency using the word to attempt to sell more advertising.

Substitute the word "shark" for "boogyman", and you'll see just how ridiculous it is....

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Well, I think the part about "they panicked when they realized the similarities to the recent movie Open Water" is valid enough (I didn't quote, I paraphrased), and that anything further than that is "entertainment" more than "news." The fact that they were worried because of seeing a movie similar to their predicament is, in my opinion, a fact, and newsworthy. Personally, I haven't seen that movie, but I have seen Jaws, and didn't get in a pool for about a year after seeing it, and was rather unwilling to even take a bath. Hey, it scared me! I was maybe 7 or 8 and if I couldn't see around me inthe water, I got nervous! In a pool, there is always water behind you, and ina bathtub, bubbles can make you unable to see clearly through the water. I'm largely over my paranoia of sharks, but I still get very nervous in murky water if I'm not careful to keep a reign on my thoughts. I hate not knowing what's around me. If I was in a "panic situation" like that, I would probably become unrationally afraid of sharks, and if I was brought on the boat crying like a baby and told rescuers I was scared out of my wits becuase I thhought a shark might eat me, I would consider that something that could be reported, as long as it was not the main point of the article. the main focus of thes tory needs to be "dive shop leaves men stranded offshore" and on that, I think we agree.

 

[hlsooner]

A good reason to always jump into the ocean prepared to be left behind and aid your own rescue: carrying a large sausage, mirror, whistle, dye pack, whatever else you can fit in your BC. It is a pain to carry this stuff, but, especially when using a random foreign operator, always a good idea to take along.

 

[EastEndDiver]

I think the boat crew should be criminally charged for endangerment if that is applicable where they are.It was their screwup not the divers.This story could have had a very tragic ending.Lucky for the divers that they had someone on shore waiting for them if not it might have played out just like the movie they refered to.

 

[JillGadget]

This is why I research the crap out of dive shops prior to my vacation. The board is a great place to hear the good and the bad. That Dive shop is Definately on the "NO-GO" list now. As for the crying.... You don't know what you would do. I've seen huge brawney manly-men pass out doing medical procedures. My motto is never say never especially during horrific times.

Thank God they are safe and another lesson learned.

 

[BladesRobinson]

The divers might share some of the blame for possibly not returning after a designated time (pure speculation here) but the crew members are ultimately responsible. With only 13 or so passengers aboard, it totally amazes me that an instructor and two dive masters can't keep track of this realitively small number of clients.

I have to wonder how much chaos was taking place for these two divers to go unnoticed for five hours!

Not only did the crew miscount the divers after the first dive, they miscounted after lunch AND miscounted after the second dive. I have to wonder if they even counted at all.

I suspect we can ALL learn somthing from this incident. It probably wouldn't hurt to strike up a conversation with the folks sitting on the bench opposite from you while gearing up on the dive boat. If the crew can't do a head count, possibly the person you spoke to earlier will point out to the crew that you are missing.

This incident seems totally bizzare to me and I suspect this charter company may become one of the best operations to dive with since they have surely learned from this incident. While carrying a "safety sausage," environmental protection and a bottle of water with you may have some benefits, the real issue in my mind is PREVENTION.

Another issue to consider is proper behavior when the divemasters are trying to do a head count. Who among us has been talking when the divemaster was doing a role call after the first dive? Knowing the potential, I assure you this dive buddy is keeping his mouth shut and looking to see if it appears that everyone else is on board. I believe we should strive to be responsible for each other.

My two cents, and about all it's worth.

Blades