Four missing divers rescued - Sri Lanka

[Kevrumbo]

When I dove the HMS Hermes 2009 off the east coast of Sri Lanka (Batticaloa) in the Indian Ocean, my teammates and I all had SMB's; we had mandatory decompression profiles, so the first thing we did before switching to EANx50 deco gas was to launch the marker buoy -one for each team of three- from depth of 21m. (I also had an inflatable one-man Life Raft; signal mirror & dive alert horn; and a McMurdo Fastfind plus Personal Locator Beacon)

This was vital because we had drifting deco stops for a total dive time of 40 to 50min; if the boat crews did not spot the marker buoys for whatever reason, the next landmass for us submerged drifting divers would have been Antartica. . .

 

[Mike]

We dive with the following always:

A SMB is the first line of offense and should be seen if the dive boat is looking for you
A whistle is a quick alert if you're close enough to be heard if they aren't looking
A mirror will signal a great distance if the sun is out
A light at night flashed on and off 3 short, 3 long is SOS
Finally my PLB when all else fails, I'll break it out and communicate with a satellite.

I hate to be critical, but that dive master sounds very inexperienced or an idiot. Splitting the group / abandoning your customers is the last thing you want to do, and the first thing he should know is how impossible it is for a human being to swim against even a small current. I give him credit for at least tying the 3 other divers together, that was a good move on his part.

 

[whalesharkoscar]

In our Belgium dive organisation, CMAS,NELOS, we have the following certifications, 1star, 2star, 3star, assistent instructor, 1star instructor, 2star instructor and finaly, 3star instructor...
From 2star diver we must have all times carry a SMB/diver at every dive.
All of the buddy teams has to shoot a SMB when dive in open water on a boat.
We always have a strong dive-light with us  even on a day dive.
I also have a little whistle in my jacket
I don't have a mirror with me, but i think it is a good idea to bring one allong next dive...

Grtz Oscar

 

[DandyDon]

In our Belgium dive organisation, CMAS,NELOS, we have the following certifications, 1star, 2star, 3star, assistent instructor, 1star instructor, 2star instructor and finaly, 3star instructor...
From 2star diver we must have all times carry a SMB/diver at every dive.
All of the buddy teams has to shoot a SMB when dive in open water on a boat.
We always have a strong dive-light with us even on a day dive.
I also have a little whistle in my jacket
I don't have a mirror with me, but i think it is a good idea to bring one allong next dive...

Grtz Oscar

A mirror may not work, but then it might. I've read of drifting divers who tried using their masks to reflect sunlight and I bet they would have rather have tried a mirror. I wear mine hung from my neck inside my suit. And a whistle may not work either if downwind, but worth a try. I wear a Storm whistle on my BC and a Dive Alert inline whistle on my inflator hose.

The divers in this accident live in a country with an average income not much over $3,000 USD so their resources may be challenged.