Found him ~3 miles out after an hour of searching

[ggunn]

I wish Cozumel dive ops would require all divers to carry a SMB. If they don't have their own, the dive op should have loaners on the boat to provide to them.

If you do not own and have practiced with an SMB I don't think you'll necessarily be successful on your first attempt to deploy it from underwater. Maybe on the surface without a string?

 

[ggunn]

After almost an hour, another dive boat found him 3 miles away / out.

Are you saying that he was three miles offshore or three miles up the coast?

 

[OregonDM]

If you do not own and have practiced with an SMB I don't think you'll necessarily be successful on your first attempt to deploy it from underwater. Maybe on the surface without a string?

That's what I'm saying- a marker buoy to be deployed upon surfacing.

 

[ggunn]

That's what I'm saying- a marker buoy to be deployed upon surfacing.

I agree; the first time I attempted to deploy an SMB from SS depth I ended up at the surface in a tangle of string. It's also when I found out that if you buy a finger spool already wound with string, the other end of the string may not be affixed to the spool.

 

[johndiver999]

It is a little strange that the guy was picked up 3 miles away from apparently where the boat capt, was looking for him, after only (or less than) an hour? In other words how did the guy get so far away so fast and why was the boat operator looking in the wrong location?

Perhaps I am getting the story wrong, but that situation does not inspire confidence in the operator.

 

[Brodydog]

One thing I find interesting here is that the divers from the dive op whose boat was being used had to be picked up by another boat. We’ve had times when not everyone in the group surfaced in the same area and either our boat found everyone or a boat near where divers surfaced called our boat to tell of the location.

 

[mcpowell]

It is a little strange that the guy was picked up 3 miles away from apparently where the boat capt, was looking for him, after only (or less than) an hour? In other words how did the guy get so far away so fast and why was the boat operator looking in the wrong location?

Perhaps I am getting the story wrong, but that situation does not inspire confidence in the operator.

This is a little fuzzy to me, as there was a lot going on, quickly, once everyone (minus one) was on our boat. I believe the Navy told the captain where to look, based on their estimate of winds and current. And that turned out to be wrong.

I do not feel like the operator / captain did anything wrong. There was a concentration of boats in the area on this day, due to it being so rough on the south end of the island. A lot of chop.

And to answer the question of 3 miles offshore, or 3 miles away, my understanding was 3 miles offshore. But our boat did not pick up the stray diver, so I was getting reports secondhand on the boat.

 

[drrich2]

Here are the things I think he did wrong:
1) No dive buddy

Had he had one, I imagine it's possible there would've been 2 lost divers instead of one, or he might still be gone and people giving the stink eye to the buddy over the disappearance.

 

[Altamira]

I am amazed at how many dive ops don't actually assign buddy pairs for the dive. More often, if we have 4-6 divers in the group, it's like having 4-6 solo divers with a DM/Instructor in the lead. If that is the case, I usually try to connect with someone that looks like he/she knows what they are doing as a buddy pair, but often does not work out that way. I also notice I am normally the only one, besides the DM that has a DSMB or SMB, other signaling devices, and bet I'm the only one with a PLB and Inreach Mini. Yes, I admit I am over prepared---unless I get separated from the group. But it gives me a warm fuzzy to know that If I had been that Guy, I would have had a full array of signaling devices, and fired off my PLB and Inreach Mini, long before an hour floating by myself.

 

[DivingLane]

Yes. The other group of 6 was 5 divers + DM. But in truth, I think it was one group of 4, a solo diver (Guy) + the Dm


My guess is the other dive boat picked up the group of 4 + DM and then they figured out they were missing a diver.


I believe so.


Yes. But also my observation. Guy was in his 70’s, very overweight, and not very mobile on land. All of this would be okay in ideal conditions, but this day was not at all ideal.


I don’t know if he had other signaling devices, or not.

I wonder if it was Guy I did my Deep Dive class with in San Diego. Guy didn't think it was important to stay close to me when assigned to be my buddy. Guy kicked sand at the bottom like he was getting paid to move sand. Guy didn't even stay close to our group on the swim out from shore. Guy did have a sweet computer though, so this might not be him