Four European divers missing - Mersing, Malaysia

[Centrals]

You are jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts and reasons for the DM actions.

I am not jumping into conclusion.
Two known facts:
1. Captain was found to have used meth.
2. The instructor has swam away and it was a training dive so she has added responsibility to take care of the students.

 

[Miyaru]

Two persons are in a bit of bother: the boat captain was found to have taken meth through urine test and the instructor who swam away for whatever reason.
The authority is looking for easy scapegoat and both of them are dead meat.

Years ago, I instructed two students to stay close to the reef throughout the whole dive. During the dive, the girl stayed close but her boyfriend was diving 3m away from the reef. Despite repeated signals to swim closer, he failed to follow instructions.
When I saw him struggling when the current grabbed him, I decided to grab the tank of the other diver, swam to him and grabbed his tank as well.

We surfaced roughly 5 minutes later. The boat was far away, too far to swim. Waving my SMB resulted in the boat acknowledging my signal.

So, what got us in that mess?

• The student repeatedly failed to follow instructions.

At that moment, telling him that was pretty useless. Instead I kept telling him repeatedly to hold the SMB line.

Had the guy drifted off, it would have been clear why. You can try to pin liability and responsibility on instructors, but when divers fail to follow instructions, it ends.

 

[Centrals]

Years ago, I instructed two students to stay close to the reef throughout the whole dive. During the dive, the girl stayed close but her boyfriend was diving 3m away from the reef. Despite repeated signals to swim closer, he failed to follow instructions.
When I saw him struggling when the current grabbed him, I decided to grab the tank of the other diver, swam to him and grabbed his tank as well.

We surfaced roughly 5 minutes later. The boat was far away, too far to swim. Waving my SMB resulted in the boat acknowledging my signal.

So, what got us in that mess?

• The student repeatedly failed to follow instructions.

At that moment, telling him that was pretty useless. Instead I kept telling him repeatedly to hold the SMB line.

Had the guy drifted off, it would have been clear why. You can try to pin liability and responsibility on instructors, but when divers fail to follow instructions, it ends.

It was your responsibility to supervise the student under your training. So you have to do everything within your capability to safe guide the well being of the student.
Plenty of instructors failed to do just that and paid the consequences.

I believe the authority has not interviewed the instructor because of her condition.

---

---

A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Some posts have been deleted. As always in these types of discussions, we are short on data. Please offer your conclusions gently. Don't critique the poster; critique the post.

---

 

[The Wolf]

Years ago, I instructed two students to stay close to the reef throughout the whole dive. During the dive, the girl stayed close but her boyfriend was diving 3m away from the reef. Despite repeated signals to swim closer, he failed to follow instructions.
When I saw him struggling when the current grabbed him, I decided to grab the tank of the other diver, swam to him and grabbed his tank as well.

We surfaced roughly 5 minutes later. The boat was far away, too far to swim. Waving my SMB resulted in the boat acknowledging my signal.

So, what got us in that mess?

• The student repeatedly failed to follow instructions.

At that moment, telling him that was pretty useless. Instead I kept telling him repeatedly to hold the SMB line.

Had the guy drifted off, it would have been clear why. You can try to pin liability and responsibility on instructors, but when divers fail to follow instructions, it ends.

Has happened to me when I assisted a DM on a number of day trips out with inexperienced and new divers who were excited and didn't follow instructions and/or could not handle the currents and were panicking. They were literally all over the place. Literally had to grab both divers by their tanks and to hover over them and to guide them along the modified dive route.

It gets worse during dives with poor visibility.

 

[The Wolf]

More information coming out with reference to information from the dive master.

Source: British diver rescued off Malaysia says his son died at sea

 

[lermontov]

Stobes are also used on longline markers and most boats tend to evade them, so use at your own risk.

however in context ie theres a missing diver in the area -its a good option

 

[The Wolf]

however in context ie theres a missing diver in the area -its a good option

Agree BUT, in reality, most boats that ply the area are fishing boats/trawlers from neighbouring countries who do not use VHF radios or beacons (on purpose) and are unlikely to know about a missing diver and will avoid strobe lights in the ocean at nights also on purpose.

Just giving an opinion based on observations and experiences out here and having sailed through that passage in the day and night.

It is a very, very busy waterway for cargo ships/trawlers and small boats.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok, well, my PLB has a strobe that goes off when I activate it, and if SAR is following my PLB homing signal, they'll be looking for it. I like that.

 

[Pearlman]

It seems like the obvious thing to do - and I find it strange that the PLB strobes or any strobe designed for lost divers do not flash SOS in morse code to distinguish from regular strobes warning boats not to come near.

 

[The Wolf]

Unless you are in the navy and in signals, 99.99% of civilians won't understand morse code.