Why do I need to keep an upright position in the water? It's not even taught that way.
You can't tread water forever. So we're supposed to let ourselves sink a little, head hunched forward underwater, like a knocked out or dead person would float. Just float, and don't move. Save energy. Turn your head to the surface to breath. Only kick and surface when you need to breath. I can tread water for only 2 hours. But floating, I can do that all day.
There's no reason with a scuba unit that I need to do anything differently. Pop in your snorkel, go snorkeling. I can float along on the surface in a snorkeling position effortlessly. Kick back and relax. You can always kick into position to use a mirror, flare whatever you have, if an aircraft is near. Besides everything that wants to eat you, is in the water, not the sky.
Get a PLB, not a jacket. This is the silliest excuse for a jacket I've ever heard of. This guy would have been rescued quick if he had a PLB.
If you dive in places where you can drift off or get lost. Quit going there. Or at least prep for it with a PLB. I don't need a PLB for boat dives only a mile or two from shore. But no land in sight? Yeah, I'm taking one.
I don't know why he ditched his gear. I guess his gear failed and couldn't float anymore. Or never had the ability to float in the 1st place. Or maybe the diver is just a moron. Who knows? All I can think off is that a wing failure caused him to ditch and surface early away from his group, without his buddies knowledge, and nowhere near where the dive boat expected. But I ain't ditching anything that can float.