Diver lost near Hen and Chicken Islands - New Zealand

[DandyDon]

Recovery effort underway for missing diver near Hen and Chicken Islands

he search for a missing diver near the Hen and Chicken Islands, in Northland, is now a recovery effort.

Police dive crews are due to head out again this morning to try and find a 36-year-old man who was diving with a friend on Sunday.

The alarm was raised just before 7.30pm that night by his companion, via a boat radio, after he failed to surface.

Coastguard northern region duty officer, Nico Doodeman, said on the night of the incident, a rescue helicopter and two Coastguard vessels were called out.

They scoured the area until the search was stood down about midnight, he said.

Sergeant Shane Turner, Whāngārei Search and Rescue Co-ordinator, said they had been utilising helicopters and the Coast Guard in the search since the man was reported missing.

"We are supporting the man's family at this difficult time," he said.

The search was resumed at first light yesterday and involved a search from the air as well as on the water.

"But there's been no sign of him," Doodeman said.

All on-water searches have been suspended now, he said.

A Police Dive Squad is due to be sent out as soon as the weather allows, police said.

 

[DandyDon]

Body of Niagara wreck diver missing for 10 days recovered

Diver's body retrieved 10 days after going missing in Northland

The body of a man who went missing after diving a wreck in Northland has been retrieved 10 days later.

The man failed to surface on March 15 after diving the Niagara, a trans-Pacific liner which sunk in June 1940 after striking mines laid by a German raider.

More than 100 metres underwater, the wreck near the Hen and Chicken Islands, 40km southeast of Whangārei, should only be accessed by experienced divers.

Police said the man's body was retrieved on March 25 thanks to an exercise between it, Customs and the Defence Force.

The man's dive buddy had made it down to 65m in an attempt to retrieve him on March 15, but ended up calling for assistance.

The Coastguard and HMNZS Wellington searched the area, but were unsuccessful.

Northland SAR co-ordinator Sergeant Shane Turner told Ten One Magazine he knew he was probably looking at a recovery operation after the man was not found within 24 hours.

A team of 16 people from police, Customs and the Defence Force then spent a week working up a plan to retrieve the diver and sitting out a cyclone

The team unsuccessfully battled 21-knot winds and 1.4m swells on March 24, so returned again the next day due to improved weather.

Using a remote underwater vehicle (ROV), as police and navy officers could not dive at such depths, the man's body was "carefully" retrieved.

"The depth made it a challenging job, but the whole team was pleased to at least be able to recover a family member, friend and colleague's body. We could not have done it without the help of the navy, Customs and our dive team," Turner said.

Supervising Customs officer Nick Sparey said the Hawk V recover vessel was able to hold its position precisely over the wreck for more than nine hours, allowing the ROV to be deployed from the vessel to search the wreck.

Police Disaster Victim Identification specialists identified the diver.

An investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the death, which will be subject to a coroner's investigation.

 

[lermontov]

i was told by another diver ( so facts unconfirmed) that they were not diving the Niagra but checking out the abundant fish life at 40-50m above the wreck. Some predator fish rounded up a bait ball that they were in amongst and they lost orientation and deceased possibly got vertigo

 

[DandyDon]

i was told by another diver ( so facts unconfirmed) that they were not diving the Niagra but checking out the abundant fish life at 40-50m above the wreck. Some predator fish rounded up a bait ball that they were in amongst and they lost orientation and deceased possibly got vertigo

That may well be true, and it is helpful to receive local reports however reliable they may be. Losing orientation can certainly be dangerous below. I remember one lake dive with absolutely zero viz. I told myself to stay calm, not worry, and slowly ascend to call the dive on the surface. I couldn't even see my gauge or computer, but I could inflate my BC a little. There was risk in that move, but an injured diver on the surface has a chance of being saved while a lost diver on the bottom does not.

My bud was supposed to be on the other end of a buddy line I carry so I could drag him up as well, but he had already abandoned me! I was glad to see him ok at the surface, but displeased nonetheless.

 

[infieldg]

I learnt to respect vertigo after the one and only time I experienced it, scallop diving here in NZ in my early days, only 16m tops.

I made a huge cloud of silt (my last ever cloud of silt come to think of it!) and my buddy winked out of existence.

I tried to find him for a minute, then while in the clear water around the edge of my mess, I ascended to see if he was there.

Turns out my silt cloud was nuclear and I ascended into an expanding mushroom. Stared at the computer cos it was all I could see - big old shearwater screens are perfect for silt eh, amazing - to make sure I wasn't ascending too fast, and probably hypnotised myself cos eventually I noticed my right foot was stirring the water.

Sidemounting so usually dead horizontal but I felt vertical and may well have been, I dunno, but I NEEDED to keep the foot going so I didnt, ummm, "fall over"

After a period of going down when I wanted to go up over and over, and being unable to swim out of it cos up, down, and all other directions felt the same, I managed to force myself to do nothing in the hopes I ended up in my usual position and carefully used the elevator button.

Literally the second I saw buildings on the shore, I was cured. Unbelievable. I can see the red roof at Shelly Bay now, five or so years later. It made a lasting impression on me!

I assumed vertigo was an ear thing, but 'scrambled senses' does the trick nicely. God it was bad. Felt physically sick.

On the plus side it's probably why if I kick a tiny puff of silt up in a ship nowadays, I beat myself up! Too easy to kill someone