"Drifting Dan" Carlock wins $1.68 million after being left at sea

[doctormike]

Given the proximity of the rigs to the So Cal shore, time of day, his exposure protection and an almost full tank (less 15 minutes) of air, the heavy boat traffic in that area, and the resources available to look for him, I think imminent death at sea was not exactly his only option. I would have been pissed, but I don't think (and hopefully will never know for sure) that I would have been making my peace with the universe until closer to sundown.

That's a good point... I don't know the area well. And also, even though they were looking for him in the wrong place, Dan would have had no way of knowing that, and probably assumed that they were looking for him in the right place while he was drifting!

Still, I might not have been so sure of a rescue in that situation, given the fog and the current. I wonder if there is a map anywhere online showing the two dive sites and his drift line.. I googled a bit, but couldn't find one. That might help us out-of-towners understand the situation better...

 

[Doug Charney]

Given the proximity of the rigs to the So Cal shore, time of day, his exposure protection and an almost full tank (less 15 minutes) of air, the heavy boat traffic in that area, and the resources available to look for him, I think imminent death at sea was not exactly his only option. I would have been pissed, but I don't think (and hopefully will never know for sure) that I would have been making my peace with the universe until closer to sundown.

Left off Wolf or Darwin, or Hawaii, or any other area that is legitimately "in the middle of the ocean" and that is a different story.

Agreed, but the one thing that would eat at me during that 4 hours would be...will they find me before the landlord decides to make me a chew toy????

 

[Leejnd]

The longest I or anyone I personally know have spent floating off to nowhere was about an hour - admitedly far short of four hours. I know I felt angry but the I can't really say it ever occurred to me that I would not eventually get to land or the boat safely. "Horrific"? Is that really what he thought or is that your fear?

And that's where your experience differs significantly from his. He was so far from shore that it was highly unlikely he would ever be found - and he knew it. The fact that he was is nothing short of a miracle.

Sorry, but those hours absolutely qualify as horrific in my book.

If you read his interview (which I did), yes, he knew full well that it was unlikely he'd be found. He was writing goodbye notes to his family on his wetnotes.

 

[merxlin]

Agreed, but the one thing that would eat at me during that 4 hours would be...will they find me before the landlord decides to make me a chew toy????

the one thing that would eat at me

great choice of words......

I'm not saying I wouldn't spend a lot of time with my face in the water, looking around. And I probably wouldn't fully inflate the BC and float on my back, flapping my arms. That would be a good time to just float along.....quietly

 

[merxlin]

I don't understand this part of your post for two reasons

1- What does the amount of gas left in his tank have to do with him being rescued
2- If the tank is almost full then it's got more than 15 minutes of gas left

1- The amount of gas in the tank, for me, would give me a bit more confidence. I know I probably won't drown if the swells come up. I can use my reg and breath.
2- he had only used 15 minutes of gas- so it was full less 15 minutes worth.

 

[merxlin]

And that's where your experience differs significantly from his. He was so far from shore that it was highly unlikely he would ever be found - and he knew it. The fact that he was is nothing short of a miracle.........

Again, he wasn't in the middle of the pacific. And the current almost always, and did this day if I remember correctly, run NW to SE, so would have moved him toward the coast, not out to sea. The fact that there was fog means no offshore wind, so there shouldn't have even been a surface current running away form the shore. We have an abundance of resources available (LA County, US Navy, US Coast Guard, and a boatload of private vessels) for search and rescue.

Lucky he was found when he was? Absolutely. Miracle? Not so much in my opinion.

 

[Leejnd]

Again, he wasn't in the middle of the pacific. And the current almost always, and did this day if I remember correctly, run NW to SE, so would have moved him toward the coast, not out to sea. The fact that there was fog means no offshore wind, so there shouldn't have even been a surface current running away form the shore. We have an abundance of resources available (LA County, US Navy, US Coast Guard, and a boatload of private vessels) for search and rescue.

Lucky he was found when he was? Absolutely. Miracle? Not so much in my opinion.

That's okay - we can agree to disagree on this. As a sailboat owner, I took a 13-week Coastal Navigation course some years back, and it was pounded into me just how difficult it really is to find someone lost at sea - even if they are relatively close to shore. That is not something I ever want to experience. And I think some people in here forget that what Dan experienced, regardless of "fault" and "blame", was undeniably horrible.

 

[cruiser]

brings up a good point are you ready to survive????
when ocean diving i carry an sos pack( survive on the sea) water signal device light reel and power tabs call me crazy untill were lost and your my buddy lol have a good yuk on me lol all be safe see you in the water

I'd add a bottle of water if diving in the ocean.

What are power tabs?

 

[Leejnd]

What are power tabs?

This?

(sorry, couldn't resist!) :focus:

 

[Zippsy]

Were his wetnotes written the same tome as the DM's check marks?

Mike, it happened to me twice. Once in the Maldives where I could see the speck of the boat on the horizon. I doubted they could see me but I figured I would eventually drift to an atoll if they didn't find me. I was with my buddy though, so again, not really the same thing. I just wonder at what point I would have changed from pissed off to "OMG I'm gonna die" because it didn't occur to me in the first hour.

Good point about him not knowing he wasn't missed.