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Yeah, we had a thread about a story like that one here not too long ago. They left a non-diver onboard who didn't know how to do anything but sun tan.
Diving Couple rescued in Gulf of Mexico off Hernando Beach, FL
- Thread starter CrackedConch
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Surely you're not implying there was no bow anchor...
If you are, the problems go far deeper than just "insuring the anchor is on the floor."
Rick
I am glad this turned out all right. Incidents like this emphasize the importance of having someone on the boat and leaving a dive plan with friends or relatives.
Scuba Couple Stranded
(May 19) - Two teenage brothers saved the lives of a Florida couple who were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for more than 24 hours.
Timothy and Paula Allen realized they were in trouble when they surfaced from their scuba dive on May 9 to find that their boat had been pulled away by a strong current, NBC reported.
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The pair had gone out for a dive without bringing someone else to man the boat or filing a dive plan, two basic safety rules for divers, Timothy Allen, 52, told Meredith Vieira on NBC's 'Today' show Tuesday.
The Allens watched as four boats passed them without seeing them drifting in the cold water.
After spending the afternoon and night in the open waters, the Allens were suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, and were beginning to hallucinate.
Then, they saw a boat tie up to a buoy and put up a dive flag about six miles away, and the current was headed right for the boat. So they decided to try to swim toward it, the Allens told NBC.
"I told him, this is our last chance. If we don't go, we're going to die," Paula Allen, 48, said.
When they got within about 100 yards of the boat, they were spotted by Patrick Pinder Jr., 18, and his brother, Garrett, 17. They were watching the boat and snorkeling while their father, Patrick Sr., was scuba diving.
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The brothers untied the boat and headed over to help the Allens. When they reached them, the couple told the teens that they had saved their lives.
The brothers helped the couple get into the boat and take their gear off, and the Coast Guard came to transport the Allens to a hospital.
"I was very proud of them," Patrick Sr. said on Today. "They did all the right things."
Scuba Couple Stranded
(May 19) - Two teenage brothers saved the lives of a Florida couple who were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for more than 24 hours.
Timothy and Paula Allen realized they were in trouble when they surfaced from their scuba dive on May 9 to find that their boat had been pulled away by a strong current, NBC reported.
Skip over this content
The pair had gone out for a dive without bringing someone else to man the boat or filing a dive plan, two basic safety rules for divers, Timothy Allen, 52, told Meredith Vieira on NBC's 'Today' show Tuesday.
The Allens watched as four boats passed them without seeing them drifting in the cold water.
After spending the afternoon and night in the open waters, the Allens were suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, and were beginning to hallucinate.
Then, they saw a boat tie up to a buoy and put up a dive flag about six miles away, and the current was headed right for the boat. So they decided to try to swim toward it, the Allens told NBC.
"I told him, this is our last chance. If we don't go, we're going to die," Paula Allen, 48, said.
When they got within about 100 yards of the boat, they were spotted by Patrick Pinder Jr., 18, and his brother, Garrett, 17. They were watching the boat and snorkeling while their father, Patrick Sr., was scuba diving.
Skip over this content
The brothers untied the boat and headed over to help the Allens. When they reached them, the couple told the teens that they had saved their lives.
The brothers helped the couple get into the boat and take their gear off, and the Coast Guard came to transport the Allens to a hospital.
"I was very proud of them," Patrick Sr. said on Today. "They did all the right things."
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ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
The couple is very lucky and this incident does indeed (or should anyways) drive home the fact that a person on the boat can make all the difference in the world. Nothing is guaranteed but a person on the boat greatly reduces the likelyhood of this happening (or if it does you can be found MUCH quicker).
Glad this worked out for them and hopefully they tool a learned lesson away from the incident.
Glad this worked out for them and hopefully they tool a learned lesson away from the incident.
bleeb
Contributor
Additional comments can also be found in this thread.
Sorry, I did not notice this thread had been started earlier.
One time when I was captaining a liveaboard in the Bahamas I went during the night to the wheelhouse to check our radar and weather fax. About 100 yards in front of us I noticed two flashlights signalling distress. I ran down to the dive deck and was happy to see that none of our divers or crew were in the water (the dive deck had been closed for a couple of hours, but it was not beyond the realm of possibility that someone might have sneaked into the water for an additional dive). I sent the crewmember on watch in one of the skiffs to investigate the light source. Lo and behold he returned with three divers and there was not a boat in sight.
Apparently the three divers had been lobstering about a half mile to our south and when they returned to the mooring line (there are a series of mooring lines along the wall that parallels Cat Cay) their boat was gone.
After allowing them to dry off and relax and finding out how long they had been in the water we decided to make a quick run to our north and see if we could find their missing boat. Sure enough, we found their missing boat about six miles to the north, about halfway between Cat Cay and Bimini.
I hope those divers learned from that experience, because it could have ended tragically.
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scubadude79
Contributor
They probably should have at least anchored the boat, but having someone on board to tend would have been best.
Glad to see they are safe!
Glad to see they are safe!
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Additional info in another published story, already on this other thread.
Sounds like the cavalier divers also did not carry any surface signaling devices as none were mentioned being tried when they saw other boats around. A head bobbing on the surface is a small thing to notice.
Sounds like the cavalier divers also did not carry any surface signaling devices as none were mentioned being tried when they saw other boats around. A head bobbing on the surface is a small thing to notice.
Sounds like the cavalier divers also did not carry any surface signaling devices as none were mentioned being tried when they saw other boats around. A head bobbing on the surface is a small thing to notice.[/QUOTE]
The divers if fact did have surface signaling devices. Each equiped with 4 foot SS and very loud wistles. Unfortunately all the boats we saw were more interested in what was directly ahead of them instead of scanning the entire surface of the horizon. Some boats passed as close as 50 yards away. Close enough for us to see the age and sex of the people riding in the back. Granted we made two hugh mistakes. Our biggest mistake was becoming complacent concerning diving. We have dove hundreds of times in that area and never saw a current as strong as it was that day.
The divers if fact did have surface signaling devices. Each equiped with 4 foot SS and very loud wistles. Unfortunately all the boats we saw were more interested in what was directly ahead of them instead of scanning the entire surface of the horizon. Some boats passed as close as 50 yards away. Close enough for us to see the age and sex of the people riding in the back. Granted we made two hugh mistakes. Our biggest mistake was becoming complacent concerning diving. We have dove hundreds of times in that area and never saw a current as strong as it was that day.
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