Divers missing near Marsa Alam?

[TheWetRookie]

entry opened in error, oops

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

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

I would at least like to try to anchor in place. If the current is such that I am being dragged under with my weights dropped and tied make an anchor, my floaty wet suit and my inflated bc, I can always drop the line. I odn't have to hole on until it drags me to the bottom. Boats aren't dragged to the bottom when they anchor even in swift rivers. Why would an extremely positive diver with a bc floation device sink?

 

[victor]

I would at least like to try to anchor in place. If the current is such that I am being dragged under with my weights dropped and tied make an anchor, my floaty wet suit and my inflated bc, I can always drop the line. I odn't have to hole on until it drags me to the bottom. Boats aren't dragged to the bottom when they anchor even in swift rivers. Why would an extremely positive diver with a bc floation device sink?

Being dragged under
It depends on how deep the water is and on how long your line is.
To be safe you need about 3 to 4 times as much line as the water is deep. You tie the line to the reef and then weight belts about 1/3 of the way along the line.
The weights creates a spring buffer affect in the line to stop the line being broken by the surge of the waves etc snatching the line taught.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Being dragged under
It depends on how deep the water is and on how long your line is.
To be safe you need about 3 to 4 times as much line as the water is deep. You tie the line to the reef and then weight belts about 1/3 of the way along the line.
The weights creates a spring buffer affect in the line to stop the line being broken by the surge of the waves etc snatching the line taught.

Victor, that is a very good suggestion on how to attempt to anchor in place. I started a thread under basic scuba that is a hypothetical on surfacing with the boat gone and on what you should/would/could do to increase your chances of making it home.

Here is the link to the thread:
hypothetical scenario 4 our Monday morning quarterbacks 20 miles out & boats gone
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=169774

 

[svs]

Nobody on russian forum mentioned about attempt to climb on a reef. During calm weather it would be easy task and you can stand on a top of reef in a couple of feet of water. I guess either current or waves prevented them from doing it. Anyway they were not that desperate in the beginning of ordeal.
It looks like they dropped weights but abandoned idea to drop tanks to keep their heads as high as possible above the water (3-6ft surf). Tanks were almost empty and buoyant.

 

[svs]

Another russian diver died on Red Sea on 1.15.07. Man did solo tech dive to 300ft+, never surfaced, body recovered later with DCS symptoms on a preliminary report. Tough year start for Russians

 

[String]

Being dragged under
It depends on how deep the water is and on how long your line is.
To be safe you need about 3 to 4 times as much line as the water is deep. You tie the line to the reef and then weight belts about 1/3 of the way along the line.
The weights creates a spring buffer affect in the line to stop the line being broken by the surge of the waves etc snatching the line taught.

Not really. Line length doesnt matter.

Assuming the line is long enough eventually you will be pulled to the end of it by the current. Then due to the forces it'll start to pull you under.
Its entirely to do with current strength not line length.

 

[String]

I would at least like to try to anchor in place. If the current is such that I am being dragged under with my weights dropped and tied make an anchor, my floaty wet suit and my inflated bc, I can always drop the line.

Its a high current area, firstly you'd have to tie it to yourself to stand a chance of staying there and if you did that you wouldnt release it in time and would be dragged under.

I odn't have to hole on until it drags me to the bottom. Boats aren't dragged to the bottom when they anchor even in swift rivers. Why would an extremely positive diver with a bc floation device sink?

Boats are a lot more positive than a diver. Pot buoys (also a lot more positive than a diver) get dragged under all the time here mid tide. If the current is strong enough the laws of physics take effect. A diver at the very best with a big thick drysuit and fully inflated BC is going to be maximum 30kg or so positive. Thats not a lot in a big current.

 

[james croft]

In rivers where the current can be swift people often screw up by tossing out the anchor. Pulls them right down. It happens quite a bit. This is normally seen with smallcraft like johnboats. A number of people get killed like this every year. Something to think about.

 

[Scared Silly]

I think folks missed at least part of my point of having a reel. It is an option - as others have said depending on the current your results may vary. But the point is with it you could at least try. Better than pissing in your suit ;-).