Four European divers missing - Mersing, Malaysia

[The Wolf]

I dont understand, why the boy is split from the group?

The DM/ instructor made a swim for an island. Ok.

So there are 3 divers left. Why did they loose the boy? Was the dad one of the missing divers? So if he says his son is death, he saw how he died? And let him drift? That is understandable. But why did it take 2 days to tell him his boy is not alive?

Seems odd, maybe i missed something?

We don't know enough information to assertain what happened from the time they surfaced and found the boat missing/out of sight/not in the location it was supposed to be at to the time they were rescued to make any concrete assumptions yet.

 

[Altamira]

Which one?

While I don't have the Inreach Mini 2, I do have the Inreach Mini, and can give you a few things to consider. I bought the Inreach Mini because I also have an ACR View,so I did not want a second PLB. The Inreach Mini 2 is a Satellite Communicator, not a PLB. I think "which one" depends on your intended/expected use. Both will send a "come get me" emergency signal, but use different satellite systems. From what I have read, both should do the job of notifying the rescue folks that you need a rescue and can transmit your GPS location. So if at sea, an emergency signal is sent, and you hope it gets received, and a rescue effort is launched. The Inreach has the added benefit of enabling you to communicate with the rescue agency via texts through the Inreach, or connecting to your smart phone via Bluetooth to exchange texts with rescue agency of family members. Of course, you are not likely to be carrying your smart phone while diving, but if you are hiking/driving in a remote area with no or limited cell phone coverage, the Inreach Mini/Mini2 enables you to communicate through Garmin's satellite system to start/end a rescue, or get help for a non-life threatening problem, as well as allow designated family/friends to track your progress on your hike/trip. If used in water, the Inreach product needs a waterproof housing, which I bought through REI when I bought the Inreach Mini. I carry both my ACR View and Garmin Mini when traveling or diving. And yes, I get some "this guy must be paranoid" looks from fellow divers on occasion, mostly from those that don't even bother to carry a SMB. Why do I carry both? Like @scuba2you, my wife and I dove a screaming current drift dive at Nusa Penida, and when we popped up at the end of the dive, the boat was nowhere to be seen, and was expecting a very long wait for the boat to find us. While both of us and the DM had SMBs, you can't believe the relief I felt when the DM pulled an old Nautilus unit out of his bcd pocket and began chatting with the dive boat, telling him exactly where we were. Diving with my wife and occasionally my grandson, gave me a very different definition what safety equipment I need, even though I hope to never use some of them.

 

[The Wolf]

Would be nice to have a sat phone as well we could dive with as well that.

 

[Joneill]

The PLB1 has a longer standby battery life but will not float unless it's attached to the flotation pouch. The 400 has more modern technology and I think an additional set of satellites. It also has an infrared strobe. If you study the specs, you may find other differences.

Thx - how about housings/canisters for these plb’s - any reco’s?

 

[Jaan]

Thx - how about housings/canisters for these pub’s - any reco’s?

We have a DRYFOB Jumbo for PLBs coming out end May measuring 70mm x 122mm Inside. I know a few others on Scubaboard have asked about these, if you are interested and able to wait until then feel free to direct message me and I can put you on our notification/ waiting list. Will accommodate Micro PLB, ACR, RescueMe, McMurdo etc. They will be under $100.

I have a Nautilus (new one, without the 2-way). but one note to keep in mind .. with the Battery lasting 5 years or so I haven't checked it for a while. Should make it a point to change these batteries out regularly or on a schedule .. and try it out programming with the app from time to time too. I keep washing it off and putting it in my BC pocket occasionally saying .. wouldn't it be stupid if I pulled it out and found the battery to be dead when I needed it .. d'oh. I'm going to test it right now

 

[Joneill]

We have a DRYFOB Jumbo for PLBs coming out end May measuring 70mm x 122mm Inside. I know a few others on Scubaboard have asked about these, if you are interested and able to wait until then feel free to direct message me and I can put you on our notification/ waiting list. Will accommodate Micro PLB, ACR, RescueMe, McMurdo etc. They will be under $100.

I have a Nautilus (new one, without the 2-way). but one note to keep in mind .. with the Battery lasting 5 years or so I haven't checked it for a while. Should make it a point to change these batteries out regularly or on a schedule .. and try it out programming with the app from time to time too. I keep washing it off and putting it in my BC pocket occasionally saying .. wouldn't it be stupid if I pulled it out and found the battery to be dead when I needed it .. d'oh. I'm going to test it right now

Thx - will check on the Nautilus GPS as I’ve never used it yet.

 

[DandyDon]

Thx - how about housings/canisters for these pub’s - any reco’s?

I use a PLB DIVE CANISTER (NOV2016) INC BELT MOUNT - DIVING CANISTER. It has a hole at the top big enough for a key ring (use Marine grade stainless steel!) so I use one of those and a bolt snap.

You might find a used camera housing for sale on ebay big enough, You'd need to check the sizes of both. Very important: Replace the o-ring, and repeat every year or two, and use silicone grease on the o-ring frequently, both true with any canister.

We have a DRYFOB Jumbo for PLBs coming out end May measuring 70mm x 122mm Inside. I know a few others on Scubaboard have asked about these, if you are interested and able to wait until then feel free to direct message me and I can put you on our notification/ waiting list. Will accommodate Micro PLB, ACR, RescueMe, McMurdo etc. They will be under $100.

Looking forward to that.

with the Battery lasting 5 years or so I haven't checked it for a while.

Check it often!

 

[Saldiac]

Back on topic:

Police to begin probe after missing divers recover from ordeal

JOHOR BARU, April 9 — The police will begin their investigation into the incident where four foreign divers went missing in waters off Pulau Tokong Sanggol, Mersing after the...

www.malaymail.com

Hope they either involve the relevant dive organization (no mention which one the instructor is affiliated with), or that the organization runs its own investigation.

 

[The Wolf]

They won't. That's the one thing about police investigations in Malaysia.

They should get the relevant dive organizations involved (i.e. PADI/SSI) to give a professional opinion and to conduct a professional investigation but....they won't.

I hope they prove me wrong./

 

[Vicko]

I was adrift at night a few times waiting for pickup and even when there is moonlight it's pitch black around you (to the point that even a dive computer backlight can be seen quite far away), couple that with wawes and currents and there is no way you could see someone more than a meter or two away from you. It's easy to lose a live buddy, let alone a dead one.
Stobes are also used on longline markers and most boats tend to evade them, so use at your own risk.