Four European divers missing - Mersing, Malaysia

[The Wolf]

One of the news reports stated they were doing AOW course but this hasn't been confirmed. Seems the police hasn't interrogated the dive instructor yet.
Fingers crossed they find the boy alive as well, and then they can focus on trying to find out what really happened and what contributed to this unfortunate event.

Would be good for the diving community to know what processes failed to avoid it happening again the future.

 

[The Wolf]

Latest update.

Malaysia to cease search op for missing 14 year old. Suspected to be near Pulau Bintan possibly in Indonesian waters. Indonesia asked to carry on SAR.

 

[The Wolf]

Would be good to get any dive companies and/or volunteers out there to help with the search around Bintan.

May make a big difference.

 

[Pearlman]

Search for last missing teenage diver called off! This is so sad!

“The two victims were found 16 nautical miles (29km) north of Pulau Bintan, Indonesia, about 70 nautical miles (129km) from where they were last seen, leaving us to believe that the last victim, 14-year-old Dutch citizen Nathen Renze Chesters, is no longer within our waters,”

Looks like a government decision based on economics and besides that - at least 3 have been found so it’s no longer a completely negative ding on the government agencies. They called off the search at lunch time didn’t even wait an extra few hours till sunset hoping against hope…

..every asset that was involved in the SAR operation has been called to return after the operation that officially ended at 1.30pm Saturday.

Search missing diver called off

 

[The Wolf]

Search for last missing teenage diver called off! This is so sad!


Looks like a government decision based on economics and besides that - at least 3 have been found so it’s no longer a completely negative ding on the government agencies. They called off the search at lunch time didn’t even wait an extra few hours till sunset hoping against hope…



Search missing diver called off

No. He is likely to be in Indonesian waters now.

 

[dsvs]

Unbelievable decision.

 

[The Wolf]

Unbelievable decision.

They are sort of claiming they found the 3 when it was a tug boat & an indonesian trawler that actually rescued the 3.

Search did not actually succeed.

 

[Pearlman]

, anyone had, and they stayed together, it would have been over quickly. I don't know about registering a PLB in your country, I suppose it can be done it varies with countries, but even if a foreign registered PLB had been activated, then communications could have happened. The locals were already looking for them so the state department that got the original alert could have sent messages to tell them where to find them.

If no one had reported them missing, things would have worked much slower as 90% of PLB alerts are butt-dials, but things still could have developed.

This is the part that worries me - when different government agencies are not in sync and the message received by the SAR coordination centre of the PLB vendor is ignored or forgotten… esp in an not-modern or inefficient or not so developed country like mine for example.
I think one procedure every PLB owner not in any western country should take is to find out from the vendor the exact list of SAR contact points for their diving countries and have the manager at the dive shop note it down for the missing scenario when discussing the following days diving with the shop. Do the PLB vendors provide a listing of SAR contacts if asked?

 

[DandyDon]

This is the part that worries me - when different government agencies are not in sync and the message received by the SAR coordination centre of the PLB vendor is ignored or forgotten

The alert doesn't go to the PLB vendor. You can get the details from google, but the SAR system is kept in tight communication.

Two things can help speed things along: The dive op or someone alerts local authorities as happened in this case so when the alert hits the system, a search if already underway. Otherwise, they will call the contacts on your registration to see if they know anything. I try to remind my daughter to tell them that I am careful with mine so as not to activate it by accident so it must be a real alert, and to let her know where I am traveling.

Malaysia to cease search op for missing 14 year old. Suspected to be near Pulau Bintan possibly in Indonesian waters. Indonesia asked to carry on SAR.

It's 5pm there, over three days. Hoping some boat has already picked him up.

 

[The Wolf]

The alert doesn't go to the PLB vendor. You can get the details from google, but the SAR system is kept in tight communication.

It's 5pm there, over three days. Hoping some boat has already picked him up.

Yes, that is my hope too. That is a very very busy waterway...someone surely will see him if an alert is put out to all boats in the area to keep an eye out for him day/night...he may not be lucid or conscious and may be floating.