Another diver left adrift

[GrierHPharmD]

I happened to run across this story today while looking for something else. I can't remember seeing anything about it here:

http://www.undercurrent.org/members/UCnow/issues/y2004/UC0604/Drift-Nightmare200406.pdf

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20040429-9999-1n29diver.html

 

[Natasha]

Yes we had a thread on it. It was also on the Today morning show.

 

[mccabejc]

It was big news here on the West Coast. People are still talking about it. When they find out I'm a diver, that's usually the first thing they recite. "Hey, did ya' hear about the guy..."

 

[burlguy]

Can we all say Thank God for the watchful Boyscout ?

 

[pasley]

IT was discussed at length on the west coast. The local dive community is pretty much in agreement on these issues (with of course a few dissenting votes).
1. The diver should not have been on the dive. Open water in 700 feet with a live boat and strong currents. Diver has only 24 lifetime dives with the most recent being 3 months before. This was clearly labled an advance dive. The diver in question was not an advance diver (may have/or not had an AOW, but not the experience or physical conditioning to back it up).
2. The dive buddies were real schmucks. No other word for it. They failed miserably as dive buddies. They lost a dive buddy, and did nothing, and said nothing to anyone.
3. The DM made an error and counted him back on the boat and then back in the water at the new site.
4. The diver by his own admission made no attempt to swim to the boat upon surfacing, or to the oil rigs. Current may have been too strong but any effort would have retarded his progress away from the boat.

 

[H2Andy]

this was one of the more active threads on the subject here:

http://scubaboard.com/t54468-missing-diver-incident-socal.html

 

[cdiver2]

4. The diver by his own admission made no attempt to swim to the boat upon surfacing, or to the oil rigs. Current may have been too strong but any effort would have retarded his progress away from the boat.[/QUOTE]

Correct me if I am wrong but as I remember you should never fight the current as this will only lead to exhaustion and drowning

 

[t-rocks69]

am new to diving but work in a field were a simple stupid mistake will cost a person his life!!!or worse leave him cripped and really be a burden to his familly till he dies. i have seen this happen in a second, not a pretty sight to see when you know that every thing else in this persons life is affected...think about it like this you can no longer use you hands (put your hands in a pair of socks try and tie you shoes are go the bathroom...can you) can you shake hands can you pick flowers are put your own scuba equipment on,...no you can't can you do the job you do now how are you going to support your kids are wife...you most likely won't...they will support you you will be a burden......think about that


your safty comes down to one person you....but most accedents are caused by the other person this is a fact in industy....

So most importantly how can these dive boat operators put in to effect a better safty plan to make sure all divers are at least on the boat before they leave??? am to new to diving to give an opinion here but maybe the might try the airline industry they have the safest records for amount of people transported...

this incident won't stop me from diving just be more on the look out and ask more questions of the boats me and my wife do go on...

 

[baitedstorm]

Thank God for Scouts......!

 

[murphdivers286]

I wonder if the Diving Operation will suffer any penalties becuase of this. I did not get a chance to hear their side of the story. I'm curious to know what kind of explanation they will have for leaving a diver in the water.