Diver missing on Andrea Doria

[tjtmbsii]

the diver had completed his deco at 20' and was returning to the ladder.
his buddy stayed to complete his deco.

Buddy returned to ladder, diver was not there.

 

[DandyDon]

the diver had completed his deco at 20' and was returning to the ladder.
his buddy stayed to complete his deco.

Buddy returned to ladder, diver was not there.

Wow?! You'd think that anyone can ascend alone from 20 feet safely, huh? This really dives home the ascend-together rule.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

This really d(r)ives home the ascend-together rule.

I am not sure I agree with this on several levels... I saw a documentary on a Doria diver - one of the documentary divers estimated by the time he started his training for the Doria to the time he started his descent - he spent in the neighborhood of $30K including training dives and gas for those dives. He mentioned when you dive the Doria you are diving Solo - even if you have a dive buddy. This is not a dive that can be done by anyone - it is an extreme dive done by very experienced divers and the captains don't let anyone jump on board for the dive. Accidents and medical conditions occur in every aspect of life - including scuba diving.
You accept the risks or you stay on shore... IMO

 

[rhwestfall]

"Sixteen divers have lost their lives diving on the wreck, and conditions at the wreck site are treacherous."

sad news again.

13 have died over 30 years on the Arabia @ 105' (Tobermory) ...

not sure the point of you emphasizing/quoting this...

 

[bl6394]

Scheduled to dive the Doria next week. Driving up from St. Louis on Saturday to meet the John Jack... Certainly gives one pause...Prayers for the diver and his family.

 

[RJP]

Fingers crossed... I know folks on that trip.

 

[SeaCobra]

was the diver OC or CCR?

 

[Joe S.]

was the diver OC or CCR?

CCR. The diver is known to have completed his 20' deco stop, as has been reported in the media.

 

[Mr.X]

For the guy who never answered my question - I will illustrate how she's different:

1. Small window to dive the wreck - she is not 30 minutes offshore in tropical, gin clear waters where the Coast Guard can pick you up in minutes.
2. In a shipping lane where the current can go from calm to raging - you are often flying horizontally when you do deco...and you better have some kind of upline lest you lose the anchor line. Which is entirely possible on the Doria. This means long deco. reel on top of your penetration reels. You do a floating deco - you are in the shipping lane drifting off to Nantucket, or wherever.
3. Long, bouncy overnight ride to get to her - I rarely met anyone in the morning who felt 100% before splashing in. You generally sleep crappy.
4. Viz can suck at times - especially if someone kicks it up inside
5. Penetration requires expertise - enough buckaroos inside the China Room ****ing themselves (and others) to get a plate
6. She is big, and you better know which side you want to investigate or risk getting blown off the wreck into a vast wasteland
7. If you're working the wreck - you bring your tools and big bag.
8. You bring your bailout bottles - because you depend on yourself first. And **** does happens on the Doria.

I dove her during the Seeker days / Wahoo days - anyone diving her had earned their stripes (and respect) vs. touting their skills as super diver calling it a CupCake dive. Respect first.

X

 

[Joe S.]

For the guy who never answered my question - I will illustrate how she's different:

1. Small window to dive the wreck - she is not 30 minutes offshore in tropical, gin clear waters where the Coast Guard can pick you up in minutes.
2. In a shipping lane where the current can go from calm to raging - you are often flying horizontally when you do deco...and you better have some kind of upline lest you lose the anchor line. Which is entirely possible on the Doria. This means long deco. reel on top of your penetration reels. You do a floating deco - you are in the shipping lane drifting off to Nantucket, or wherever.
3. Long, bouncy overnight ride to get to her - I rarely met anyone in the morning who felt 100% before splashing in. You generally sleep crappy.
4. Viz can suck at times - especially if someone kicks it up inside
5. Penetration requires expertise - enough buckaroos inside the China Room ****ing themselves (and others) to get a plate
6. She is big, and you better know which side you want to investigate or risk getting blown off the wreck into a vast wasteland
7. If you're working the wreck - you bring your tools and big bag.
8. You bring your bailout bottles - because you depend on yourself first. And **** does happens on the Doria.

I dove her during the Seeker days / Wahoo days - anyone diving her had earned their stripes (and respect) vs. touting their skills as super diver calling it a CupCake dive. Respect first.

X

Nice post. I've been there. A Doria dive is as much about the boat ride as the dive itself. Overnight out, 1-2 nights over the wreck, then 10-15 hours in depending on the boat and where it docks. Sleep is difficult on these boats. Changable weather. Dealing with gear in-between dives in rocking seas, tired. That alone is a physical endurance test. Then there's the dives.