Found him ~3 miles out after an hour of searching

[mcpowell]

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.

We are of the same ilk…

I have a DSMB, a whistle, a mirror, two cutting devices and an Applewatch Ultra as my backup DC. My son/dive buddy, also has an Ultra and SMB. He tells me our Apple Watches will alert the local authorities via satellite if you initiate an emergency services call. Probably not as good as your PLB, but still more comforting than nothing.

 

[ggunn]

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.

It seems to me that they must have meant that he was swept 3 miles by the current, which is a reasonable assumption if they meant he moved more or less parallel to the shore. Unless you guys were diving up north at or near Barracuda, I don't see how the current could have swept him 3 miles offshore and he for sure didn't swim that far.

 

[hancockks]

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.

We just got back from Cozumel and were told that typically other boats won't pick up other divers for liability reasons. We were briefed each day, "this is the name of the boat you're on, this is the channel you're on" so that other boats could contact the captain for pickups if one got separated..

 

[DandyDon]

We just got back from Cozumel and were told that typically other boats won't pick up other divers for liability reasons.

Not true. I've known several cases where boats picked up divers from other boats. It's happened to me a couple of times in my 20 years there, once by a glass-bottom boat full of non-divers who seemed to enjoy the encounter.

 

[gopbroek]

We just got back from Cozumel and were told that typically other boats won't pick up other divers for liability reasons. We were briefed each day, "this is the name of the boat you're on, this is the channel you're on" so that other boats could contact the captain for pickups if one got separated..

Typically true but if the wind and chop were up and the diver was near the Marina and more importantly the cruise ship pier. I can see another boat contacting the original boat (Just about everyone in on channel six) and then if the divers boat was a distance away, picking the diver up. While the larger corporate operations may the worry about liability and have strict rules the vast majority of the other boats are Captained by local residents who all know and have worked with each other for years and are flexible and operate with common sense.
Their number one priority is the safety of the diver in the water, if for nothing else accidents and incidents lead to restrictions.

 

[2airishuman]

Note to anyone reading this thread who has not been to Cozumel.

Do not dive in Cozumel if you don't carry an SMB that you can inflate on the surface in case you have to surface away from your group.

Do not dive in the ocean if you don't carry an SMB.

I asked to practice SMB deployment as a student during my open water certification dives, and we did. I believe it should be seen as a core skill.

 

[DandyDon]

Do not dive in the ocean if you don't carry an SMB.

Yep, it's safer to carry one even if only to deploy on the surface. Deploying from below requires some practice and skill. I got mine as soon as I got my card. I've added several other tools that I always carry: a Storm Whistle clipped to my BC, Tank air powered whistle, a signal mirror that hangs from my neck, and a PLB in a canister.

 

[SearchingForDiver]

I was on that boat, and in the main group. Here's my experience.

Guy was on the boat the day before as well. I had noticed they did the dive a good 30 feet above the rest of the group, which meant they were fighting the current the entire time and often getting blown off the reef and at a some distance from the group. I later heard this was because they didn't have a computer so they wanted to stay shallower to be safe.

The day of the dive in question, Guy did the same, and as mcpowell notes the conditions were less than ideal. The DM did talk to Guy about this during the surface interval, told them to stay deeper & closer to the group so they would fight the current less. Guy apparently didn't heed that on the second dive.

At the end of the dive, I and two others still had some air while I noticed two other divers going up for their safety stop. I didn't see Guy, but that was not unusual. The DM sent up their DSMB and started ascending too, while I stayed down with the other two divers for another 5-10 minutes until we also ran low (got bored), deployed our DSMB, and surfaced together. The current at depth, at this point, was not strong. I logged 68 minutes on that dive, max depth 73ft, average depth 54ft.

When we surfaced, we found the DM not too far from us. The first two divers had already been picked up, I think (this is where my recollection varies a bit from mcpowell? but this detail is not important). Our boat was nowhere to be seen. The DM told us the boat was off picking up someone "out there" (gesture away from shore). While floating, we wonder who is getting picked up, why it's taking so long, and jokingly, is it Guy? We have a few boats check on us during this time, and are in a fairly busy area.

About twenty minutes later, a different boat picks us up and takes us to our boat. We get in and find everyone else there except Guy, and the joke is not so funny any more. We spend the next hour frantically looking for Guy, until we finally hear they have been found.

What I overheard afterward:
- Guy had actually brought a computer, but there was some problem with it so they were diving without. They also did not have a SMB.

- Guy was unable to fight the current, and so after we turned to cross a sandy spot around 40 minutes in (I know when, because we saw a large turtle during that swim which Guy later referenced) they decided to surface because they're spent and can't follow the DM. Did not signal to anyone or notify anyone, and remember, they are maybe 20-30ft above everyone else fighting the current. No one in our group reported noticing Guy ascend.

- Another boat had spotted Guy and radioed in to our boat (why that other boat didn't pick them up, or at least keep an eye on them, is baffling). But that's how our boat knew to look for someone "out there".

- That gave us some comfort that Guy was likely on the surface. But still, an hour of searching in high wind/waves, and we certainly were very worried this might become a fatality. The wind and waves were strong and pushing away from shore, and the whitecaps made it hard to see anything.


I can confirm Guy never thought they were in too much danger and overheard the same comment as mcpowell (maybe trivializing it due to adrenaline or embarrassment? but a cavalier attitude all the same). Also heard they blamed the DM for not checking on them more often -- though I don't think that was fair, as the DM had a group of 6 and Guy was choosing not to stay with the group the entire dive.

I'm glad Guy was OK. I also will not forget that experience any time soon. I already carry a DSMB and know how to use it, and I will be getting a Lifeline as well after this.

 

[drrich2]

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.

This is a case of the old adage 'You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.' Or 'Different strokes for different folks.'

A lot of divers don't like being assigned to an 'instabuddy,' to the point the term at times on SB carries a negative connotation. Many divers appear content doing the 'group follows the guide' dives, with the understanding that if someone has a problem they can approach the guide or another diver (e.g.: out of air emergency) - contrary to what some may say, this isn't the same as true solo diving.

So there are the polar opposites -'I should always dive with a buddy!' vs. 'Lemme alone!,' and shades of gray in between. A dive op. that does what you suggest (assigning buddies) will annoy and push away some customers.

 

[Dan G]

This is a case of the old adage 'You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.' Or 'Different strokes for different folks.'

A lot of divers don't like being assigned to an 'instabuddy,' to the point the term at times on SB carries a negative connotation. Many divers appear content doing the 'group follows the guide' dives, with the understanding that if someone has a problem they can approach the guide or another diver (e.g.: out of air emergency) - contrary to what some may say, this isn't the same as true solo diving.

So there are the polar opposites -'I should always dive with a buddy!' vs. 'Lemme alone!,' and shades of gray in between. A dive op. that does what you suggest (assigning buddies) will annoy and push away some customers.

I think it is OK for an op to have specific expectations and rules for the divers they take out. If the op wants to run things a specific way, especially if those rules allow them to run efficient, safe, and manageable trips then they should do that despite who is may or may not push away.

The key is that the op is consistent and the rules are justifiable. Even when someone doesn't like a rule, if they get why it is in place and see that it is a regular part of the op's system, they are more likely to be OK with it.

In Cozumel, divers are required to be with a guide in the park. For someone to insist they be allowed to dive far from the guide or without one, is asking the op put their business at risk and the DM and Capt to put their livelihood at risk.