Diver lost in Dover Straits - UK

[DandyDon]

Major search for missing diver off Eastbourne coast

Coastguards launched a major search and rescue operation for a missing diver off the coast on Sunday (October 21).

HM Coastguard received a report a diver failed to fully surface 18.6NM east of Beachy Head just before 10.30am. An extensive search of the area was mounted, involving Hastings and Eastbourne RNLI Lifeboats and the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lydd. HM Coastguard said it issued a Mayday relay broadcast to all vessels in the Dover Straits to keep a watchful eye out for the missing diver.

The search was stood down just after 5.30pm with sadly nothing found, a spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. They added there are no plans to relaunch the operation unless further information comes forward. In the event of an emergency at sea or at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

 

[humzone]

Wow, that's really unfortunate. I have a friend of a friend whose dad died when she was 1 year old due to some unfortunate accident while free-diving. As divers, I think we really just have to be extra careful and take extra precautions to avoid such incidents.

 

[KevinG58]

Wow, that's really unfortunate. I have a friend of a friend whose dad died when she was 1 year old due to some unfortunate accident while free-diving. As divers, I think we really just have to be extra careful and take extra precautions to avoid such incidents.

You aren't wrong, but there is no clue as to what actually happened in this specific incident. I surfed a few local news sites and there have been no followup stories, no person identified as missing, etc.

Having visited southeast UK and dived there a few times, I follow the Dover life boat station on Facebook and there are a fair number of false alarms (someone reports what they incorrectly think is a person or craft in distress, or someone is reported and subsequently self-rescues), maybe a couple or three a month, averaged.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

"They added that there are no plans to relaunch the operation unless further information comes forward"

So wait... they searched for several hours and that's it? leave the body there? they don't care anymore?

I find this absurd... they need to go and find this poor guy's body so the family can have closure and the deceased can have a respectful proper burial.

 

[BlueTrin]

"They added that there are no plans to relaunch the operation unless further information comes forward"

So wait... they searched for several hours and that's it? leave the body there? they don't care anymore?

I find this absurd... they need to go and find this poor guy's body so the family can have closure and the deceased can have a respectful proper burial.

You know that Dover is on the Channel ? He was lost 18 nautical miles from the coast, how do you plan to find him ?

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

You know that Dover is on the Channel ? He was lost 18 nautical miles from the coast, how do you plan to find him ?

I have no idea where Dover is, nor the conditions there, i'm not from that area of the world . And i'm not a Search and Rescue Operator , if i cant think of a way does not mean there isn't one.

 

[BlueTrin]

I have no idea where Dover is, nor the conditions there, i'm not from that area of the world . And i'm not a Search and Rescue Operator , if i cant think of a way does not mean there isn't one.

You can keep searching but the chances of finding a person in the middle of the sea is virtually nil, unless he was carring one of these: Ocean Signal rescueME PLB1 | Free Programming | Next working day. Here in this case it looks like he has drowned and didn’t surface so he wouldn’t even be at the surface which makes the chances to find him even more remote.

I think they said that they wouldn’t continue the search UNLESS there is more info. This is unfortunate.

 

[DandyDon]

I have no idea where Dover is

I thought the Strait of Dover was well known, but regardless - google maps works on all computers I think. I put the country of UK in the title. The red marker indicates Beachy Head, and the diver failed to surface 18 nautical miles east = 20 statute miles = 33 kilometers. "Coastguards launched a major search and rescue operation," in case he surfaced in the area, but that failed and he was presumed below. I carry a PLB like BlueTrin mentioned above on all dives, but it's really impossible to find a body submerged that far out.
.

 

[John Bantin]

I thought the Strait of Dover was well known, but regardless - google maps works on all computers I think. I put the country of UK in the title. The red marker indicates Beachy Head, and the diver failed to surface 18 nautical miles east = 20 statute miles = 33 kilometers. "Coastguards launched a major search and rescue operation," in case he surfaced in the area, but that failed and he was presumed below. I carry a PLB like BlueTrin mentioned above on all dives, but it's really impossible to find a body submerged that far out.
.

View attachment 488707

It's very tidal at that point and very difficult to find any free-moving object.

 

[BlueTrin]

For information, the Channel has fairly high tides because it is a ‘narrow’ space between France and Great Britain (or so I have been told). Dover is apparently ‘only’ at 7m tidal range but the channel has in general fairly high tides.

Channel Tides | Channel Swimming Association