Divers missing near Marsa Alam?

[limbo]

The Dutch paper De Volkskrant, reports that the official search has been stopped, last friday was the last day of official searching. The relatives/family of the Dutch diver accept stopping the search.

 

[String]

Again it seems divers are going out into high current areas without a DSMB or other signalling device each. This happens all too often.

 

[svs]

I can add some details relying on Russian analog of scubaboard, survivor story and Russian as a first language.
It appears group used small boat which carried Captain and 5 divers
1. local guide
2. Dutch diver
3. Russian woman (instructor)
4. Russian man, AOW student
5. Russian man, AOW student (survivor)
Weather: cool (upper 60 to low 70) windy but clear (sun and moon both visible), waves 3-6 ft, divers had 5mm suits. There were another larger boat on a reef and 2 or 3 small inflatable. Reef is about 10 km (6 mi) from a shore, w/o dry land but with a shallow table from knee to waist deep.

Dive started 9 am. Boat with a captain was left drifting. Dive was a little chaotic but w/o major problems. E.g. AOW students didn’t have computers and at one point dip to about 150 ft, survivor at one moment had to choose to follow after guide who spotted shark on a distance or staying with instructor, Dutch diver was low on air and had to share with another AOW student during accent. But again: no major problems, water was clear and divers haven’t lost visible contact. Divers low on air surfaced first but group got together on a surface around 9:30, everybody OK. Although description is incomplete but appears that guide had some signaling device (sounds like a sausage!). On a surface group saw large boat ~1000ft away and they saw shore (or at least some light houses on ashore). Current carried them away from this boat, so unable to attract its attention they decided to swim toward shore. They dropped weights and tried to drop tanks but found that it is harder to swim w/o tanks and put it back (I would never expect it-SVS). They saw couple boats 300-1000 ft away but were unable to attract its attention. They didn’t have lights but they had camera with a flash, don’t know how powerful. By dusk at around 6pm (9 hours in a water) they still stayed as a group, covered approximately half distance to the shore (3mi) but were very cold, tired and sleepy. At time currents and tides were against them. At this point survivor dropped BC/tank and speed to the shore for help along. He made it by 9pm. He met people and shared his info.
What makes me uncomfortable is how such routine situation ended so tragic. Divers were lost at well known location, not far from shore, with not perfect but decent weather, with boats around and whole day to search. Then at 9 pm people got another pretty good idea about group location and again w/o any help. Is it bad luck or what? Indeed they didn’t have lights but not everybody carries light on a morning dive (something to consider). Lights and whistles. What else can be done to save situation?

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Actually it seems a bit chaotic. Why drop weights while tanks and BCDs are on???

 

[String]

What else can be done to save situation?

Never diving in open sea without at least a DSMB and whistle (good whistle like a storm whistle not the crappy things on BCs) and a pocket torch would be sensible.

Other than that, sometimes bad things just happen.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Actually it seems a bit chaotic. Why drop weights while tanks and BCDs are on???

I'm a little confused by this question. Do you tell your students to drop weights, BCs and tanks?

Jeff

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

I'm a little confused by this question. Do you tell your students to drop weights, BCs and tanks?

Jeff

Of course not. One should not drop neither his equipment nor his weights.

But in an emergency case like this, the victims have already dropped their weights. Why??? The BCDs are helping them achieve positive buoyancy. Actually in strong currents they should even not fully inflate their BCDs.

My point is, in case they already dropped their weights, they should have dropped their BCDs and tanks. The only logic move afterwards is to swim to the shore. Otherwise, dropping the weights is useless.

 

[Scared Silly]

Of course not. One should not drop neither his equipment nor his weights.

But in an emergency case like this, the victims have already dropped their weights. Why??? The BCDs are helping them achieve positive buoyancy. Actually in strong currents they should even not fully inflate their BCDs.

My point is, in case they already dropped their weights, they should have dropped their BCDs and tanks. The only logic move afterwards is to swim to the shore. Otherwise, dropping the weights is useless.

Could you further explain all of your points?

"One should not drop neither his equipment nor his weights."

"Actually in strong currents they should even not fully inflate their BCDs."

"The only logic move afterwards is to swim to the shore. "

"Otherwise, dropping the weights is useless."

I think I know what you are trying to say but would like to have you say it.


A few un-educated thoughts. Diving is often in remote areas and in coutries with poor infrastructure. As such, one should really plan dives in such a way that if it goes totally fubar that you can self rescue or at least stack the odds in your favor. Second, locals have done dives in locations many times on can be becomes complacient. Not saying this is the case but from what folks are saying this area sounds as though it is a dive for divers with good drift diving experience. 50 dives sounds pretty low to me.

There is one other piece of equipment that is worth in vesting in, besides a marker and whistle, a reel. For instance, if they surfaced near the reef they could have dropped their weights on the line and possibly stayed on the reef.

As for responsiblity, the dive ops and the divers share equal fault. The divers should have had the necessary equipment to do a drift dive further the dive op should have insured the all had the necessar gear.

 

[String]

There is one other piece of equipment that is worth in vesting in, besides a marker and whistle, a reel. For instance, if they surfaced near the reef they could have dropped their weights on the line and possibly stayed on the reef.

and in the currents there be dragged under as a result.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Could you further explain all of your points?

"One should not drop neither his equipment nor his weights."

"Actually in strong currents they should even not fully inflate their BCDs."

"The only logic move afterwards is to swim to the shore. "

"Otherwise, dropping the weights is useless."

I think I know what you are trying to say but would like to have you say it.

The point is to have a rescue scenario in your mind before making any move. For instance, you should ask yourself, should I drop my weights? Why should I? It will make me drift with the current even more! So I also should not fully inflate my BCD, or I'll be drifted like a baloon.

On the other hand, the other scenario is to swim to the shore. Then I'll think as follows:
I'm very heavy. I can't swim this distance with all this stuff on. I should drop my weights and BCD/tank. My wet suit will keep me postitively buoyant and I'll be able to swim in a more efficient way.

Hope I made myself clear