Filmmaker Rob Stewart dies off Alligator Reef

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I think you would have to consider the number of people on the boat and the severity of the initial victim. If the buddy gives the OK at the surface, I can hardly find fault for the crew being 100% focused on getting a victim who passes out stabilized and on oxygen for a 2-3 minute period.

If you have a bunch of (extra) people on board you could throw a line to the other diver on the surface, set a watch or maybe even put a swimmer in if you got nervous about the situation, say they arrived on the surface too soon, or too late.. etc.

But a diver could sink in a few moments and would be invisible and unrescuable within 15-20 seconds of inattention. Even when conditions are calm, a lot can happen really fast on a boat in the ocean,

I would need to see a ton of negative information before I would be allocating any blame toward the boat driver and crew.

I am surprised he was found so close to the dive site, after this long of a time. Based simply on this observation, it makes me wonder if the technical cave diving community is much, much better organized in handling missing diver situations than the local technical divers.

With scooters, clear water and the ability to conduct a search well off the bottom, it presents less challenges than some of these deep caves, although there is probably a much larger search area.
300 ft from the wreck is 282,857 square feet to search at 220 fsw. If you think this is easy, it isn't. Caves are much more defined and confined and still the search takes time.

First rule of seamanship, never take eyes off somebody in the water in distress, ever.
 
First rule of seamanship, never take eyes off somebody in the water in distress, ever.

What is the second rule after they slip under the water?
 
What is the second rule after they slip under the water?
look for them..if possible recover them.

I am not saying the crew didn't do their best, have their hands full with another hurt diver etc. Always keeping your eye on a person n the water in distress was drilled into me as a young man, sailing square riggers, (yes seriously..and no, I am not 200 years old) working a harbour service boat and later in the navy. One person is assigned to do nothing but keep a eye on the person in the water. It's also something practiced back in the 90's on dive boats in the Caymans when I worked there.
 
look for them..if possible recover them.

I am not saying the crew didn't do their best, have their hands full with another hurt diver etc. Always keeping your eye on a person n the water in distress was drilled into me as a young man, sailing square riggers, (yes seriously..and no, I am not 200 years old) working a harbour service boat and later in the navy. One person is assigned to do nothing but keep a eye on the person in the water. It's also something practiced back in the 90's on dive boats in the Caymans when I worked there.

According to all reports I've seen, there was no diver in distress in the water as far as the folks in the boat knew. The deceased surfaced, gave the okay, and disappeared while they were tending to the other diver.
 
What is the second rule after they slip under the water?
Drop a mark immediately. A 5# hard weight with a spool of flagging tape is adequate.
 
According to all reports I've seen, there was no diver in distress in the water as far as the folks in the boat knew. The deceased surfaced, gave the okay, and disappeared while they were tending to the other diver.
I really don't want to hash this out now, maybe bug me in 6 months and we'll talk about this.
 
In response to Wookie - Whether a point of reference is useful is subjective. I am sad that Lynne was never found and I am interested in questions like this in this forum.
 
In response to Wookie - Whether a point of reference is useful is subjective. I am sad that Lynne was never found and I am interested in questions like this in this forum.
it's a starting point, and generally, most of the time, the victim is within a short distance of that point. Depth, current etc all expand the cone of possibility but you absolutely need a starting point.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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