Divers Found Drifting Way Offshore

[Ana]

3 divers were very lucky today that we were out fishing. Found them way offshore drifting with no one looking for them. Be careful who you are diving with. Make sure that your divemaster is legally allowed to lead your dive. There seems to be lots of unqualified people working here now.

So the suggestion is to not go with fly-by-night outfits. Got it!

I'm not going to name the business. It is well established. Our captain radioed the divers boat and told him he had three of their divers. I think he was looking in the park area for them. The currents are brisk in some areas here and it changes day to day. Out in the channel the currents can move pretty fast. All I can say is these people were lucky they were found by chance. The weather here is not too good right now with wind waves and rain.

Wait what? oh Don't go with well stablished ops. Got it!

The boat the divers came from can hold up to 30 passengers.

Hmm so it is a riddle... no fly-by-night, not well stablished, not holding 30 pax. Maybe the poster asking for a rhyme wasn't out there as I first thought.


I'm kidding, I don't got to Coz, it doesn't affect me, but the thread is becoming funny, in a not funny kind of way.

 

[Charred]

So a dive op lost 3 divers. We are informed of this but no name is given.

Does this forum even have a point anymore? Why even bother posting?

 

[gopbroek]

OK the word I got, second hand, from a Captain at the marina. The shop in question has been around for more than 30 years but is not one that you hear about much here on SB. It was a large group with their own DM's out of playa, the boat was one that is normally used as a rental. To myself it sounds like the shop was not actually operating the dive but arranged for a charter for an off island operation and probably arranged tanks. Again sounds like the weather on top was less than stellar and from Palancar south had been closed the last few days (Horseshoe, Gardens and Delila allready closed for April/May)
I agree with not mudding their name over this.

 

[ReefHound]

So a dive op lost 3 divers. We are informed of this but no name is given.

Does this forum even have a point anymore? Why even bother posting?

One point this thread has served is letting us know which side various members will come down on if the interests of divers don't align with the interests of dive operators.

 

[-Moe]

It was a large group with their own DM's out of playa, the boat was one that is normally used as a rental. To myself it sounds like the shop was not actually operating the dive but arranged for a charter for an off island operation and probably arranged tanks. Again sounds like the weather on top was less than stellar and from Palancar south had been closed the last few days (Horseshoe, Gardens and Delila allready closed for April/May)
I agree with not mudding their name over this.

When you haven't seen your divers for over 2 hours at what point should the authorities be notified? The boat captain is negligent as far as I'm concerned regardless of the nature of the charter.

 

[ggunn]

So a dive op lost 3 divers. We are informed of this but no name is given.

Does this forum even have a point anymore? Why even bother posting?

The point of this sub forum is to discuss diving, etc. around and on Cozumel. This thread is by no means all there is to it. Not even close.

 

[GameChanger]

When you haven't seen your divers for over 2 hours at what point should the authorities be notified? The boat captain is negligent as far as I'm concerned regardless of the nature of the charter.

^^^^^^THIS!!!
I can't imagine a boat captain searching inside the park for missing divers without seeking assistance from the many other Dive Op boats that are usually in the area. I have counted in excess of 50 dive boats on some trips. How about the local rescue authorities? If it was a charter, I wonder if they had the park licenses? Of course, we do not know the whole story here, but if I was diving in Coz and lost my group/boat (or they lost me...), and after 2 hours the Captain failed to seek help, I would not want to keep quite about it!

A few years ago, I was diving in the park with a well-known dive op, and my buddy and I got separated due to an unplanned deco incident with a moron diver. We both had DSMBs and whistles. When we surfaced, our dive op's boat was nowhere in sight, but there were at least 10 other dive boats within shouting distance. One of them came over to us and the captain radioed our boat and after about 20 minutes of floating comfortably, we were reunited. I was never worried at all.

 

[brsnow]

The ability to assume and speculate is stronger than the currents up north

 

[ggunn]

Of course, we do not know the whole story here...

You got that right.

 

[tursiops]

You got that right.

Let's suppose we heard the whole story, from both sides.
What story could possibly justify leaving the 3 divers as they were, with apparently just ONE boat looking for them in the wrong place? For two hours?